Everything You Wanted to Know About Diamond Shapes

While some may prioritize size or sparkle, there’s one element of diamonds that we think is completely underappreciated: diamond shape! With so many unique shapes to choose from, Shane Co. lets you express your individuality with the largest variety of traditional and fancy-shaped diamonds, rubies and sapphires.

What is shape?

The “shape” of a diamond or other precious stone is the outline of the stone, looking at it from the top down. We typically think of 10 diamond shapes — round, cushion, princess, emerald, asscher, marquise, heart, oval, pear and radiant. Each shape is carefully cut by expert diamond cutters to obtain maximum sparkle and create a specific style. Let’s take a closer look at each of our favorite diamond shapes.

Round

Round diamonds are by far the most popular diamond shape, taking up 75% of the market for all diamonds sold. They look great with any style of engagement ring setting and are considered the go-to for maximum sparkle. The mechanics of the round shape allow for the perfect reflection of light, if cut with the right quality standards. They are also the only non-fancy “traditional” shape.

Cushion

Cushion cut stones get their name from their resemblance to pillows — square with rounded corners. They tend to have an “antique” feel to them and look particularly appealing when paired with vintage-style settings. For the first century it was around, cushion cut diamonds were actually the most popular diamond shape, surpassing round cuts until the early 20th century.

Princess

Princess cut diamonds were created in 1980 and are now the most popular fancy cut, particularly for engagement rings. With a square, sometimes slightly rectangular shape, they do a beautiful job of reflecting light and creating sparkle. Like round cut diamonds, they tend to blend well with almost all engagement ring setting styles.

Emerald

Emerald cut stones are rectangular-shaped, with unique facets that produce a “hall of mirrors” effect, as opposed to the traditional sparkle of a round or similar cut. This emphasizes the dark and light areas, offering drama and elegance to this unique shape. If you’re looking to elongate the hand, emerald diamond shapes are the way to go — just remember that inclusions are often easier to see in an emerald cut, so you may need a higher clarity level for that perfect-looking stone.

Marquise

The marquise cut is similar to a football shape and was named after the Marquise of Pompadour. Their narrow shape gives off the illusion of length and size, and with the largest crown surface area of any diamond shape, they are great to maximize your budget for size. They can vary in narrowness depending on the cut and look great in many engagement ring settings, including solitaire, three-stone, and pavé.

Heart

Heart-shaped stones are exactly what they sound like — the well-known symbol of love cut from a diamond. While less popular in traditional engagement rings, they can often be found ornamenting right-hand rings, pendant necklaces and more.

Oval

Ovals combine the traditional brilliance of a round diamond with a more contemporary, standout cut. They also have an elongated shape, which can sometimes give the illusion of making them appear larger and lengthen the finger of those wearing them. They look particularly beautiful in a solitaire setting, but can easily blend into any setting because of their sophisticated shape.

Pear

As a combination of a round and marquise shape, pear-shaped diamonds offer the best of both worlds. They provide the finger-slimming effects of the marquise with the superior sparkle of the round cut. If you’re looking for a diamond shape that offers uniqueness and chic style, pear cuts are the way to go. Whether it’s partnered with baguette side stones, a gorgeous halo, or taking center stage in a solitaire setting, pear-shaped stones always make an impact.

Radiant

Radiant cut diamonds are a cross between a cushion and princess cut, with a square shape and cropped, angular corners. They provide amazing sparkle and a vibrant stone that offers a little something different. With this simple but not understated shape, solitaire or pavé settings will bring out the particular sparkle of radiant stones.

Why we sell loose stones

We aim to make it easy for our customers to create the engagement ring of their dreams — without the hefty price tag that comes along with it. Selling our diamonds, rubies and sapphires loose allows you to prioritize your budget and shop from the largest variety of stone shapes and colors to find the perfect one. You can begin your journey by choosing a setting, or pick your favorite stone first to start the process of creating your engagement ring.

High quality standards

We buy our diamonds directly from the cutters, getting rid of the middlemen and passing the savings on to you. Because of our long-standing relationships in the industry, we get first pick of all newly cut stones, and we choose to prioritize based on each stone’s particular sparkle and beauty, choosing the prettiest diamonds, rubies and sapphires in every grade. Shop all engagement rings on ShaneCo.com, or visit your nearest store to get started.