Princess cut, round, oval, emerald—there are several kinds of stone cuts you can encounter when looking for the perfect engagement ring. Sometimes, looking at them couldn’t help to make you wonder how to distinguish one from the other. That’s why here’s a quick guide on the different types of engagement ring cuts.
Brilliant Round
The brilliant round cut diamond is by far the most popular engagement stone cut available today. For almost 100 years, diamond cutters have been using advanced theories of light behavior and precise mathematical calculations to optimize the fire and brilliance in a round diamond. It's a classic cut and a standard for all other diamond cuts.
Princess
The princess cut features a beautiful brilliance and unique cut that makes it a favorite for engagement rings. It has pointed corners and is traditionally square in shape. The princess cut is a relatively new diamond cut, having been created in the 1960s. It is sometimes referred to as a square modified brilliant.
Emerald
With cut corners and a rectangular shape, the emerald cut highlights the clarity of a diamond and creates a unique optical appearance. Emerald cut diamonds can come in a variety of length to width ratios. The most popular and classic outline of emerald cut diamonds is close to a value of 1.5.
Asscher
In 1902 Joseph Asscher upheld his father’s reputation for skill and innovation by designing the original Asscher cut. This emblematic cut was the first signature cut to be patented. This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald-cut, except that it is square. It’s considered a vintage cut for most engagement rings.
Marquise
Featuring an elongated, curved shape and pointed ends, the marquise cut diamond can often look larger than other shapes of the same carat weight. The cut was inspired by the smile of the Marquise de Pompadour.
Oval
An oval diamond has beautiful brilliance that's similar to a round diamond. The cut features a perfectly symmetrical design, and are very popular as their length can accentuate long, slender fingers.
Radiant
A radiant-cut looks equally beautiful set with either baguette or round side-diamonds. Its signature is its trimmed corners that make it a popular and versatile choice for jewelry. First popular in the 1980's, the cropped corner square shape of the radiant is a nice bridge between a cushion and a princess cut.
Pear
Ideally, a pear shaped diamond should possess excellent or very good symmetry. It is a combination of a round and a marquise shape, with a tapered point on one end. It is also called a teardrop for its single point and rounded end.
Heart
The heart-shape cut is a unique and unmistakable symbol of love. It is very popular in solitaire pendants as well as rings. The unique look of the heart-shaped cut helps make it a distinctive choice for a variety of diamond jewelry.
Cushion
The cushion cut diamond combines a square cut with rounded corners, much like a pillow hence its name. This classic cut has been around for almost 200 years, and for the first century of its existence was the most popular diamond shape. The cushion cut diamond was the de facto diamond shape.