A newly mined diamond is usually a rather un-assuming stone,
easily overlooked by the uninformed viewer. To become the stunning
jewel that we are familiar with, it must be cut into an appropriate
shape, faceted in a way that enhances the sparkle, or fire, and
polished. These finishing steps routinely waste 50% or more of the
diamond weight.


The most common cuts have been worked out over many years, and modern
computer technology has enabled further refinement of the details of
the faceting.

Brilliant Cut
The brilliant cut (sometimes called ’round’) is the most common and
iconic cut, the one that comes to mind when the term ‘diamond’ is
mentioned. It provides excellent appearance, fire and sparkle, and it
fits well with the natural octohedral shape of the diamond crystal

Princess Cut
A very popular cut, the princess cut appears square from above. One
advantage is that this cut best matches the diamond crystal, resulting
in the least wastage of any cut.
First developed in 1964, think of this as a square version of the
Brilliant cut. The corners of the princess cut diamond can be fragile; look for a
mounting that protects them.

Baguette Cut
A long, rectangular cut with relatively few facets. The baguette cut
is rarely found in larger sizes, most often being used to surround or
offset the main stone of a piece of jewelry.

Emerald Cut
As the name implies, this cut is often used on emeralds, but it
produces good results on diamonds as well. The fragile corners are
polished off and comparitively few facets reduces the amount of
’sparkle’.

Marquise Cut
This cut produces a slender, boat-shaped stone. It visually appears
larger for a given caret weight. A marquise cut diamond ring can have
the long dimension of the stone aligned with the finger, producing a
flattering slenderizing effect on the fingers.

Radiant Cut
Intermediate between the emerald and princess cuts, the radiant cut is
square or rectangular with cut off corners. Both the front and back of
the stone are faceted, causing this cut to be relatively expensive.

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