When it comes to choosing a gem to celebrate an important milestone such as an engagement, it’s hard to go past the timeless beauty and brilliance of a diamond. Hugely versatile, diamonds are produced in a range of shapes, with each displaying a unique set of characteristics.
With so many beautiful and classic shapes to choose from, you may find yourself wondering, “what’s the perfect diamond shape?” Ultimately, choosing the perfect diamond shape comes down to a few factors:
- Knowing your personal style
- Setting a budget
- Knowing each shape’s unique characteristics and strengths
- Understanding which shape best flatters your hand type
To make choosing the perfect diamond ring easier, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular diamond shapes and some of their key characteristics. Let’s dive in.
Round diamonds
The most popular diamond shape, round cut diamonds, are universally flattering, meaning they look gorgeous on just about every hand they adorn. The round diamond provides a classic, timeless look and displays incredible brilliance thanks to its refined shape, allowing a high reflection of light.
A traditional choice for engagement, wedding and eternity rings, this diamond shape works beautifully with a range of settings and precious metal bands — there truly is a round diamond ring to suit all tastes and styles.
Princess cut diamonds
A hugely popular diamond cut in Australia, the princess cut diamond is simple, stunning and striking. A traditionally square diamond, it achieves an extremely high level of brilliance and is also a popular choice of diamond for engagement, wedding and eternity rings.
Hugely versatile, this diamond coordinates perfectly with other diamond jewellery — try pairing a centre solitaire princess cut engagement ring with a full princess diamond wedding band.
Cushion diamonds
The combination of a rectangular or square shape with rounded edges reminiscent of a cushion or pillow gives this cut its name. Cushion diamonds are both timeless and luxurious and bestow the feel of glamorous, vintage fashion.
Cushion diamonds are opulent and elegant, beaming with brilliance. Yet their rounded edges are soft and romantic, making them the ideal symbol for displaying your love and affection — a truly beautiful choice of diamond shape.
Oval cut diamonds
Oval cut diamonds provide a gorgeous, modern twist on traditional round diamonds. Featuring a similar brilliance to the round cut diamond, the oval diamond is known for its large, sparkling surface area and unique elongated shape, making it appear larger than other shapes of an equal carat.
With no pointed edges, the oval is a durable choice of diamond and carries a lower price point than its round counterpart. This diamond is also extremely flattering on hands, creating the illusion of a longer, more slender finger.
Asscher diamonds
First produced in Holland in 1902, Asscher cut diamonds enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after celebrating a 100th anniversary and modifying their cutting technique in 2002. Renowned for its classic, vintage look, this diamond provides an attractive alternative to the emerald cut diamond.
The Asscher diamond displays a high level of brilliance, with its trimmed corners adding to its sense of style and stability — a popular choice for engagement rings, promise rings, or simply a gift to show how much you care.
Emerald cut diamonds
Emerald diamonds are cut using the original emerald cutting technique, hence its name, and are prominent in rectangle and square shapes. Originally growing in popularity during the Art Deco period, this shape is now enjoying a resurgence in appeal, thanks partly to its timeless, romantic allure.
Featuring a large table surface, the Emerald cut offers dazzling reflections due to its long, parallel lines and is a good choice for those looking for a larger diamond without the hefty price tag. Due to its shape, this cut also helps create the illusion of a longer, slimmer hand.
Marquise diamonds
King Louis XIV initially commissioned the Marquise to remind him of his love’s beautifully shaped mouth and smile, and it remains a flattering, stunning choice of diamond to this day.
Its unique, elongated shape gives the appearance of a larger stone compared to others of equal carats and makes the finger on which it sits appear longer and more slender. It’s the perfect choice of diamond for those looking for a gem with a beautiful back story of lasting love and devotion.
Heart diamonds
The ultimate symbol of deep love and devotion, the heart-shaped diamond was originally gifted to Queen Elizabeth I in 1562. This type of diamond can vary in both slenderness and width based on personal preference, but a well-cut heart should be symmetrical with a distinct pointed edge.
Demanding a premium cut, heart diamonds make the perfect investment prolonging their value over time and providing the ultimate romantic gesture for women.
Baguette-cut diamonds
With its slender and structured design, the baguette-cut diamond is a sophisticated and popular choice for engagement, wedding and eternity rings and is, in fact, the most widely used step-cut diamond.
Rectangular in shape and featuring long, parallel lines, a baguette makes a dazzling ring centrepiece and works equally as well as elegant side stones. No doubt, this diamond’s appealing symmetry and outstanding clarity make it a timeless, classic choice of gem.
Pear diamonds
Popular among the celebrity set, pear-shaped diamonds are the perfect choice for those who like modern pieces that dazzle. Featuring a rounded side narrowing to a distinct point, its unique design is said to represent tears of joy and happiness, making the pear diamond the perfect choice to celebrate a truly special occasion.
Pear-shaped diamonds provide an elegant alternative to traditional diamond shapes and are flattering on the hand, making for an enchanting engagement ring.
Radiant diamonds
Radiant diamonds date back to the 16th century but gained popularity in the 1980s as a result of their high light-refracting quality. An enchanting choice of diamond due to its many angles and facets, the radiant has a high level of fire and brilliance.
The radiant comes in classic square and rectangular shapes and features cropped corners, making it ideal for pairing with round or square diamonds. Bevelled corners also give this diamond a high level of stability, making it a perfect gem for those who enjoy an active lifestyle.
Mixed shapes
Looking for the best of all worlds? A mixed-shape diamond ring combines an elegant blend of various diamond shapes to create a unique, highly crafted engagement, wedding or eternity ring that is a true work of art!
Diamonds Factory — your trusted supplier of quality diamond jewellery
Learning “what's the perfect diamond shape?” depends on the wearer’s aesthetic and what you’re trying to capture with each cut. Our expansive collection and custom design services make selecting the perfect cut to reflect your relationship easy. At Diamonds Factory, we offer exceptional quality diamonds at competitive prices, including a convenient ready-to-ship range — ideal for finding the perfect gift to mark a special milestone.
Along with being specially handcrafted by our expert artisans, all our jewellery is manufactured using only the highest quality materials, with special care taken to select ethically sourced materials.
By designing, crafting and delivering your diamond jewellery piece directly to you, we cut out the middleman and offer unbeatable value on our entire collection. View our entire diamond and jewellery collection today!
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When it comes to choosing a gem to celebrate an important milestone such as an engagement, it’s hard to go past the timeless beauty and brilliance of a diamond. Hugely versatile, diamonds are produced in a range of shapes, with each displaying a unique set of characteristics.
With so many beautiful and classic shapes to choose from, you may find yourself wondering, “what’s the perfect diamond shape?” Ultimately, choosing the perfect diamond shape comes down to a few factors:
To make choosing the perfect diamond ring easier, we’ve compiled a list of the most popular diamond shapes and some of their key characteristics. Let’s dive in.
Round diamonds
The most popular diamond shape, round cut diamonds, are universally flattering, meaning they look gorgeous on just about every hand they adorn. The round diamond provides a classic, timeless look and displays incredible brilliance thanks to its refined shape, allowing a high reflection of light.
A traditional choice for engagement, wedding and eternity rings, this diamond shape works beautifully with a range of settings and precious metal bands — there truly is a round diamond ring to suit all tastes and styles.
Princess cut diamonds
A hugely popular diamond cut in Australia, the princess cut diamond is simple, stunning and striking. A traditionally square diamond, it achieves an extremely high level of brilliance and is also a popular choice of diamond for engagement, wedding and eternity rings.
Hugely versatile, this diamond coordinates perfectly with other diamond jewellery — try pairing a centre solitaire princess cut engagement ring with a full princess diamond wedding band.
Cushion diamonds
The combination of a rectangular or square shape with rounded edges reminiscent of a cushion or pillow gives this cut its name. Cushion diamonds are both timeless and luxurious and bestow the feel of glamorous, vintage fashion.
Cushion diamonds are opulent and elegant, beaming with brilliance. Yet their rounded edges are soft and romantic, making them the ideal symbol for displaying your love and affection — a truly beautiful choice of diamond shape.
Oval cut diamonds
Oval cut diamonds provide a gorgeous, modern twist on traditional round diamonds. Featuring a similar brilliance to the round cut diamond, the oval diamond is known for its large, sparkling surface area and unique elongated shape, making it appear larger than other shapes of an equal carat.
With no pointed edges, the oval is a durable choice of diamond and carries a lower price point than its round counterpart. This diamond is also extremely flattering on hands, creating the illusion of a longer, more slender finger.
Asscher diamonds
First produced in Holland in 1902, Asscher cut diamonds enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after celebrating a 100th anniversary and modifying their cutting technique in 2002. Renowned for its classic, vintage look, this diamond provides an attractive alternative to the emerald cut diamond.
The Asscher diamond displays a high level of brilliance, with its trimmed corners adding to its sense of style and stability — a popular choice for engagement rings, promise rings, or simply a gift to show how much you care.
Emerald cut diamonds
Emerald diamonds are cut using the original emerald cutting technique, hence its name, and are prominent in rectangle and square shapes. Originally growing in popularity during the Art Deco period, this shape is now enjoying a resurgence in appeal, thanks partly to its timeless, romantic allure.
Featuring a large table surface, the Emerald cut offers dazzling reflections due to its long, parallel lines and is a good choice for those looking for a larger diamond without the hefty price tag. Due to its shape, this cut also helps create the illusion of a longer, slimmer hand.
Marquise diamonds
King Louis XIV initially commissioned the Marquise to remind him of his love’s beautifully shaped mouth and smile, and it remains a flattering, stunning choice of diamond to this day.
Its unique, elongated shape gives the appearance of a larger stone compared to others of equal carats and makes the finger on which it sits appear longer and more slender. It’s the perfect choice of diamond for those looking for a gem with a beautiful back story of lasting love and devotion.
Heart diamonds
The ultimate symbol of deep love and devotion, the heart-shaped diamond was originally gifted to Queen Elizabeth I in 1562. This type of diamond can vary in both slenderness and width based on personal preference, but a well-cut heart should be symmetrical with a distinct pointed edge.
Demanding a premium cut, heart diamonds make the perfect investment prolonging their value over time and providing the ultimate romantic gesture for women.
Baguette-cut diamonds
With its slender and structured design, the baguette-cut diamond is a sophisticated and popular choice for engagement, wedding and eternity rings and is, in fact, the most widely used step-cut diamond.
Rectangular in shape and featuring long, parallel lines, a baguette makes a dazzling ring centrepiece and works equally as well as elegant side stones. No doubt, this diamond’s appealing symmetry and outstanding clarity make it a timeless, classic choice of gem.
Pear diamonds
Popular among the celebrity set, pear-shaped diamonds are the perfect choice for those who like modern pieces that dazzle. Featuring a rounded side narrowing to a distinct point, its unique design is said to represent tears of joy and happiness, making the pear diamond the perfect choice to celebrate a truly special occasion.
Pear-shaped diamonds provide an elegant alternative to traditional diamond shapes and are flattering on the hand, making for an enchanting engagement ring.
Radiant diamonds
Radiant diamonds date back to the 16th century but gained popularity in the 1980s as a result of their high light-refracting quality. An enchanting choice of diamond due to its many angles and facets, the radiant has a high level of fire and brilliance.
The radiant comes in classic square and rectangular shapes and features cropped corners, making it ideal for pairing with round or square diamonds. Bevelled corners also give this diamond a high level of stability, making it a perfect gem for those who enjoy an active lifestyle.
Mixed shapes
Looking for the best of all worlds? A mixed-shape diamond ring combines an elegant blend of various diamond shapes to create a unique, highly crafted engagement, wedding or eternity ring that is a true work of art!
Diamonds Factory — your trusted supplier of quality diamond jewellery
Learning “what's the perfect diamond shape?” depends on the wearer’s aesthetic and what you’re trying to capture with each cut. Our expansive collection and custom design services make selecting the perfect cut to reflect your relationship easy. At Diamonds Factory, we offer exceptional quality diamonds at competitive prices, including a convenient ready-to-ship range — ideal for finding the perfect gift to mark a special milestone.
Along with being specially handcrafted by our expert artisans, all our jewellery is manufactured using only the highest quality materials, with special care taken to select ethically sourced materials.
By designing, crafting and delivering your diamond jewellery piece directly to you, we cut out the middleman and offer unbeatable value on our entire collection. View our entire diamond and jewellery collection today!