Diamond Shapes

Shape is the outline of a diamond: round, oval, and so on. It is the most visible choice you make and the most personal, since it is largely a matter of taste rather than quality. One thing to keep separate: shape is not the same as cut. Cut is how well a stone of any shape is proportioned and finished, and it is cut, not shape, that decides how brightly a diamond returns light. Within every shape, look for good cut. Between shapes, follow your eye. Here are the ones you will meet most.

Round brilliant The classic, and by a wide margin the most popular. Its facets are arranged to return the most light, so it is the brightest shape and the most forgiving. If maximum sparkle and timelessness are what you want, round is the safe and lasting answer.

Oval A round brilliant stretched long. Nearly as bright, but its elongated shape can look larger than a round of the same weight and lengthens the finger on a ring. A popular modern choice for someone who wants brilliance with a softer, more individual outline.

Emerald cut A rectangular shape with long, stepped facets and cut corners. Rather than sparkle, it gives broad flashes of light and a clear, open look into the stone, which means it shows clarity more honestly, so an eye-clean stone matters here. Quiet, architectural, and confident. For someone drawn to line over fire.

Pear A teardrop, round at one end and pointed at the other. It combines brilliance with an individual outline and, worn pointing down a finger or hanging as a pendant, it elongates and draws the eye. For someone who wants a distinctive, graceful shape.

Princess A square shape with sharp corners and a brilliant facet pattern, so it sparkles much like a round while reading more modern and geometric. For someone who wants brightness in a clean, square form.

Marquise A long shape pointed at both ends, which makes the most of its weight by looking large and elongating the finger. Striking and traditional in equal measure. For someone who wants presence and a bold outline.

How to think about it Choose shape with your eye, not a rule, since it is taste. Two practical notes: shapes with points, like pear and marquise, or exposed corners, like princess, are a little more vulnerable at those tips and benefit from a setting that protects them; and open shapes, like emerald, show a stone's clarity more plainly, so favour an eye-clean stone. Beyond that, the right shape is simply the one you keep returning to.