Cut is the most important of diamond’s four Cs. A well-cut stone of any shape will increase the amount of light that passes through the stone and maximize its brilliance and beauty.
There are seven classic diamond shapes:
- Round Brilliant: The most popular style for cutting diamonds and colored stones. A round brilliant cut consists of 58 facets and was developed to allow maximum brilliancy and fire of each diamond. “Ideal cut” brilliant diamonds are cut to specific table, crown, and pavilion proportions for maximum brilliancy. Not all diamonds are suitable for cutting to ideal proportions. “Old Mine” diamonds are an early form of brilliant cut distinguished by their cushion-shaped, almost square girdle.
- Marquise: A style of diamond cutting which uses the facet shape and placement of brilliant stones but which results in a boat-shaped diamond that is pointed on each end. Also known as navette cut.
- Pear: A variation of the 58-facet brilliant cut which results in a pear-shaped stone with a rounded back and a pointed front. Sometimes the front and rear facets are eliminated and the stone will then only have 56 facets.
- Oval: A variation of the 58-facet brilliant cut which results in a rounded oblong stone.
- Heart: A variation of the 58-facet brilliant cut which results in a heart-shaped stone in which the girdle diameter across the shoulders is roughly equivalent to the stone’s length. The heart-shaped diamond is the most unashamedly romantic of all the diamond shapes.
- Emerald: A form of step cutting resulting in a rectangular-shaped stone (although sometimes they are also cut in square shapes) in which the facets both above and below the girdle are all rectangular, four-sided, and parallel to the girdle. A baguette is a small, rectangular diamond available in both tapered and straight shapes, and which sometimes uses fewer facets. Baguettes are most commonly used as side accent stones in both diamond and colored stone jewelry.
- Trillion: A variation of the 58-facet brilliant cut which results in a triangular-shaped stone with three equal sides.
