Stone Shapes - Kim's Jewelers NJ

Round

Probably the most popular shape, a round diamond is a classic. With 58 facets (including the culet), the round diamond has the most brilliance and sparkle due to the reflection of the light off of every facet.

Princess

One of the newer diamond shapes, the princess cut diamond looks square when viewed from the top, with pointed corners. From the side, it looks like an inverted pyramid. The princess cut diamond was wildly popular from the 80s to mid 2000s. Although not as popular now, it is still a classic shape.

Oval

The oval shaped diamond has been a popular engagement ring choice in recent years. Its elongated shape adds an elegant lengthening effect to the finger. When shopping for an oval diamond, you'll want to look for symmetry both length and width wise. An egg-shaped oval diamond is not desirable.

Marquise

The eye-catching marquise cut diamond is elongated and pointed at the ends. Because it has plenty of face-up surface area, it can look larger than a round diamond of the same weight. Although not as popular as it was in the 70s and 80s, a vintage marquise ring in the right setting can add elegance and style to any modern outfit.

Heart

Believe it or not, heart-shaped diamonds existed since the mid-1400s and became a coveted shape by royalty and aristocrats. The ideal heart diamond ratio is 1:1 - tall as it is wide. As expected, cutting a heart-shaped diamond takes great care and skill. Thankfully, modern techniques allow diamond cutters to draw out the most brilliance and symmetry from heart-shaped diamonds than in the past.

Emerald

The emerald cut, or step cut diamond, along with the oval cut diamond, has also become a popular engagement ring choice in recent years. The emerald cut diamond is rectangular-shaped, with the corners cut out. Due to the cut and large table size, emerald cut diamonds do not hide imperfections like the round brilliant, so choose wisely!

Baguette

The baguette cut diamond is often used as an accent diamond. Like the emerald cut, it is a step cut diamond rectangular or trapezoidal in shape with only 14 facets.

Pear

The pear-shaped diamond is a combination of the round brilliant and marquise. It has the roundness at one end, and the pointy tip of a marquise at the other. The pear-shaped diamond was invented by a Flemish cutter, Lodewyk van Bercken in the mid-1400s. Like other fancy shaped diamonds, symmetry is important when shopping for a pear-shaped diamond. The diamond should not be too long or too wide. Also, pear-shaped diamonds do not hide color as well as other diamond shapes, so be sure to look at the tip of the diamond, where the color is more apparent.

Asscher

The Asscher cut diamond is the square "cousin" to the emerald cut diamond, since it is also a step-cut. Although square in shape, the Asscher cut diamond looks octagonal due to the deep cuts at the corners of the diamond. The Asscher cut is known more for its clarity than brilliance, although it does still sparkle plenty. It is often used for vintage styles, probably because it was popular in the 1920s!

Cushion

The cushion cut diamond is a square diamond with the corners rounded, making the diamond appear full and soft. The cut is a derivation of the Old Mine cut of the 1700s. The Old Mine cut was the most popular cut because it retained the most diamond weight and, like the cushion cut, was squarish with rounded corners. Although the round brilliant took over as the most popular cut, the cushion cut was updated with new techniques that allowed for more brilliance and sparkle than ever before. Today, the cushion cut is referred to as the cushion brilliant cut diamond because it has incorporated aspects of the round brilliant cut.

Trillion

The trillion cut diamond is one of the more unique diamond cuts, as it is in the shape of a triangle. It can be used as both a solitaire stone or as accent stones. Highly versatile, the stone can be curved on the sides or uncurved. It can also be faceted differently, where there can be 31 or 50 facets, depending on the size and purpose of the diamond.

Radiant

Radiant cut diamonds, like the emerald cut, are typically rectangular in shape (although there are square radiant cut diamonds) with beveled corners, but are far more brilliant. The radiant cut is the newest diamond shape, created in 1977. This cut, like the marquise, oval and emerald shaped diamonds, can have an attractive lengthening and slimming effect of the finger.