Fancy Shape Diamonds
We love fancy shape diamond engagement rings! What are fancy shape diamonds? Anything that isn’t a round diamond! Everything from emerald cuts to heart shaped diamonds are considered a specialty fancy shape, and each has its own magnificent properties. Today, we want to highlight our favorite fancy shape diamond engagement rings – one from each category, except for cushion cut (you’ll see why below.)
We’ve also quickly reviewed some of the basics about each shape, but for a more in-depth primer, definitely check out this post on diamond shapes. Ready? Let’s go!
Emerald Cut
This beautiful Tacori RoyalT emerald cut is our current favorite (though it was a tough choice between this and the three stone emerald cut and all emerald eternity band we’ve been showing off lately.)
Emerald cuts are a rectangle with cut corners (sharp corners are more prone to chipping, and given the EC’s step-cut facets they’re even more vulnerable.) The facets themselves look like flat panels, or steps, that you just want to glide down wearing elbow-length gloves. Emerald cuts are excellent for showing off a diamond with superior color and clarity – there’s nowhere for flaws to hide in this sleek shape.
Pear Shape
This big, juicy pear is one of our favorite length to width ratios, but preference will dictate what kind of pear you like best.
Pear shapes are a combo between marquise (another fancy shape) and round brilliant diamonds. This means they inherit the maximum sparkle factor of a round and the distinctive shape of a marquise. For a pear, the proportions vary enormously, with thin, fat, elongated and everything-in-between pears. The most important thing to look for is symmetry – you want the bottom, rounded part called the shoulders to be identical, and the point to be centered perfectly above them.
Marquise
This marquise gets a modern makeover with the help of our most popular wedding band.
The marquise, mentioned above, is a diamond shaped diamond. It has points at either end and swells in the center to show off brilliant facets. With marquise diamonds, you want to be conscious of the setting you choose – ideally both ends should be wrapped in prongs to prevent chipping. You also want to avoid the bow-tie effect. Pretty much every pear, marquise and oval diamond will have some degree of a bow-tie, but you want to avoid the ones where it’s their prominent feature. The bow-tie effect is just what it sounds like, the center facets form a shadow that looks just like a perfectly knotted bow tie.
Oval
We love ovals! This enormous 9 carat oval is one of our biggest rings.
Oval diamonds give you the brilliance of a round diamond with a more distinct shape. The elongated cut also a) is more flattering on your hand, making your fingers look longer and slimmer and b) makes your diamond look bigger(!!) Ovals also disguise the presence of color and inclusions expertly, letting you spend more of your budget on carat weight. What’s not to love? Very little – just watch out for that bow-tie!
Heart
So pretty, so sweet.
The heart shaped diamond is probably the fanciest of the fancy shape diamonds. Its unusual shape combines the shoulders of a pear – x 2 with its point to create that signature romantic shape. And like the pear, the length to width ratio is your preference. 1.00 is the classic shape, but we prefer something closer to .95 – like the one above. And, like the pear, the most important feature you want in a heart shape is symmetry. Also, this fancy shape looks best on larger diamonds, it’s hard to make out the shape when the stone is under a carat.
Princess Cut
This is another BIG diamond of ours, and we set it on a solitaire diamond band to let it shine.
Princess cut diamonds have a dazzling facet pattern that you might mistake for brilliant, but they’re different. They have a more geometric quality and bounce light around in a “hearts and arrows” pattern. They have stunning fire and brilliance, and are the second most in-demand diamond cut. They are square shaped with crisp corners and from the size look like an upside down pyramid. Princess cuts tend to be a bit bottom heavy, so when you’re shopping, ask your jeweler to show you princess cut diamonds with “good spread” (and find out what that means here.)
Asscher
We can’t choose which of these asscher cut diamonds is our favorite. Luckily we don’t have to.
Asscher cuts originated with the true Royal Asscher Cut, which is proprietary, rare and pricey. It debuted in the early 20th century thanks to the famous diamond cutting brother who cut the world’s largest rough diamond – the Cullinan. A century later, asschers made a comeback, with lowercase a. The new asschers use modern cutting techniques to maximize brilliance, and the evolved cut is a square step cut with cut corners. They look like square emerald cuts (but more brilliant!)
Radiant
Behold, THE fancy yellow.
Radiant cut diamonds are possibly the best of all worlds. They combine the brilliance of a round, the elongating effect of a pear, oval or marquise, the clean lines of a princess cut, and the cut corners of an emerald cut. They’re modern and one of our favorite cuts for both white diamonds and fancy colored diamonds. You’ll often find fancy shape diamonds paired with fancy colors, because both enhance the other. Take this 12 carat, internally flawless radiant cut fancy yellow as an example.
Cushion
We saved the most popular for last.
While the princess cut remains the #2 (after round) shape in diamond markets, our real-world experience tells us cushion cut diamonds are hot on their heels. Our brides can’t get enough of this shape. Originally, cushion cuts were the only shape. They were more similar to round diamonds in their early years, and transitioned into Old Mine diamonds, but the cut itself has been around for over 200 years. When Marcel Tolkowsky pioneered the cutting techniques found in the modern round brilliant, those same principles were applied to the cushion cut to maximize its beauty too. Today there’s a mix of traditional cushion cuts, “modified” cushion cuts (aka crushed ice cushion cuts) and proprietary cushion cuts, like our beautiful Henri Daussi cushion cuts.
Choosing a fancy shape diamond is a great way to stretch your budget, find a ring that stands out, and expand your options. We love each and every one and we’d love to personalize your favorite shape!