Top 19 Diamond Shapes 

One of the major aspects of a diamond that makes it stand out against other gems is its gorgeous gleam and dazzling sparkle. The main way that diamonds gain their sparkle is through its shape. In this article, we’ll discuss those shapes so you can decide which one is the best type of sparkle for you.

Which diamond shape sparkles the most?Round diamonds are known for their stunning sparkle.Princess, Radiant, and Cushion shape are also among the most sparkle diamonds after round shape diamonds. Of course, if other diamond shapes also have an excellent cut grade, they will certainly give a good sparkle too.

The diamond shape is not the only determining factor in diamond sparkle and some other factors such as the cut grade, and the carat weight should also be considered to determine the diamond sparkle. In this article, we will talk about different aspects of this important issue.

Diamond Shapes

• Round

Round shaped diamonds are the cut with the most sparkle. It is also the most popular of all the diamond shapes, when you consider that 50% to 75% of all diamonds sold across the world are this shape. Round diamonds, because of their comprehensive symmetry, can amplify the reflection of the light from the top facet and provide an unmatched sparkle.

Round also provides such a large variation in size, and due to its shape not overpowering the size of the finger, it’s said to be the shape that’s suitable for any finger size.

Round diamonds have always been the favorite diamond shape among most couples, because of their extraordinary sparkle and its classic design. Due to that high demand, though, round diamonds are among the most expensive in comparison to the other shapes, even if they have the same carat weight.

• Cushion

Cushion Cut Diamonds are also up there as being among the most popular diamonds in the world. Cushion shapes have an amazing sparkle akin to around. In fact, what makes the cushion cut diamond shape so special is that it’s a square diamond like the Princess Cut, but given rounded edges. It’s a fairly recent style, as it’s a combination of both round and princess cut.

• Princess

Princess Cut diamonds are the second most popular diamond shapes. It has an extremely high level of sparkle, like its sister, round cut. It’s estimated that about 10%-30% of all diamonds sold to make engagement rings are princess cut diamonds. From the top view, princess cuts are the square shaped diamonds.

Princess shape is a modern alternative to the round shape. It can provide excellent light reflection and a stunning sparkle just like rounds, due to its 76 facets that act as a mirror to amplify light reflection. Due to the demand being similarly high, but not as desired, princess cuts are a little more cost effective than rounds.

• Asscher

Asscher diamond shapes, which are almost octagonal in appearance, is the combination of the Princess Cut and Emerald cut.

Asscher cuts have steep cuts and a relatively large top facet (table), just like the emerald cut. The large facet, however, can reduce the clarity of a diamond. It should be noted that if you choose a diamond that has a lower clarity, you can lose some of that sparkle, especially on diamonds with a large table like this.

Another note to take is that Asscher cuts can easily be customized into unique styles of engagement rings due to its unique shape.

Emerald

Emerald cut shape is the next diamond. Emerald cuts usually have an elongated rectangle shape and cropped corners that can protect it from damage and fractures, making it a very durable diamond cut.

The emerald shape has large and wide tables. That large table will limit the clarity of the diamond. Because of that, this cut is usually made for very high-quality diamonds or for colored gemstones to mitigate this issue.

• Radiant

The radiant cut diamonds were designed in 1977. It exists as a combination of emerald and round, having a ‘step-cut’ style. The name of the radiant diamond shape comes from its unique brilliance and its dazzling radiation. This diamond shape has 70 facets which can provide a great sparkle and immense fire.

The radiant cut diamond looks bigger and brighter than its actual carat weight. Unfortunately, The GIA does not grade the cut quality of the radiant diamond shape. So, if you are going to buy a radiant diamond cut for your engagement ring, you should be sure to consult a diamond specialist.

• Heart

The Heart shaped diamond is a more unique option when it comes to diamond shapes. It was intentionally cut to invoke the feeling of love and romance, and as a bonus, also provides a great sparkle in a high-quality diamond cut.

Due to its unique properties and shape, it gives a bit of an optical illusion and gives it a larger appearance than it actually has.

The heart, after all, symbolizes love itself and is an amazing choice for engagement rings or anniversary rings among romantic couples.

• Pear

The Pear diamond shape is another special shape that is rounded on one end and pointed on the other. Because of that shape, it’s known as a drop cut or teardrop diamond shape.

Taller pear shape diamonds make the finger seem more elongated and delicate, and the shorter pear diamonds can make the finger look deeper and a bit shorter. So in reality, there’s a pear shape that can be fit for anybody depending on what you’re going for. 

• Oval

Oval cut diamonds bear a strong similarity to the round shape diamond in terms of sparkle and luminosity. The long, elongated oval shape makes the finger appear more slender, and conversely, a shorter oval setting can make the finger look a little wider but give a lot of attention to the diamond itself.

The oval shape diamond has a great feature in that it is more resistant to fracture and chipping. It also has an advantage of being a bit more economic than getting a round diamond. Take note, however, that the GIA does not grade the cut of oval shaped diamonds.

• Marquise

The Marquise diamond shape was first made on the order of King Louis XIV to resemble his beloved’s smile. This is another diamond that has a deceptive shape, and it carries a much larger presence than the actual physical shape. This is, however, a diamond one should pursue a higher clarity for, as the large table facet can harm the clarity of the diamond. Lower clarity will create a much weaker sparkle. 

What Makes a Diamond Sparkle?

The truest essence of what gives a diamond it’s brilliant sparkle: Its fire and brilliance.

Before looking at the subject of the sparkle, let’s look at its related concepts. Diamond sparkle refers to the ability of the diamond to reflect light. In light reflection, that refers to two important concepts, fire and brilliance.

First is the concept of “brilliance”, which isn’t referring to how smart a diamond is, but refers to its ability to reflect white light. The higher the brilliance of a diamond, the more stunning and beautiful it will look. Then there’s what’s called “fire”. Fire signifies the diamond’s ability to disperse colored light. Diamond fire gives the diamond a unique and attractive look by reflecting the color spectrum within itself.

Based on this, when you have both a higher fire and brilliance in a diamond, more light will reflect from the diamond’s table, and as a result, the diamond will have an increased sparkle as well.

• Diamond shape:

Another factor that affects its sparkle is the very topic we’ve been learning about today; the diamond’s shape can also determine the sparkle of a diamond. Some shapes have been engineered over hundreds of years of experience and science to have the potential to sparkle even brighter.

For example, the round shape diamond, which is the most famous shape in terms of the diamond sparkle, may potentially have symmetry and equal size facets that facilitate light reflection to provide great sparkle.

Take the Round shape diamond as an example. It’s the most famous shape in terms of diamond sparkle, may potentially have

The Round Brilliant cut is one of the masterpieces of the jewelry industry. It was introduced by Marcel Tolkowsky, an engineer and diamond cutter, in the Year of 1919. Marcel Tolkowsky invented this unique diamond shape as his doctoral thesis by using precise mathematical formulas, and physical facts. The Round Brilliant cut diamond has an extraordinary ability to reflect the light and provide unique diamond sparkle.

Throughout the history of the jewelry industry, other diamond shape masterpieces have been introduced, that while retaining the main features of the round diamond in its high light reflection and sparkle, can be presented in more fancy and modern forms as well at more reasonable prices.

After round diamonds, which are classic and popular, the Princess cut diamond, Radiant, and Cushion diamond shapes came to the jewelry market for their extraordinary brilliance too. This does not mean that any diamond that has one of these shapes is necessarily brilliant. No! Such a presumption is not true.

As we pointed out earlier, there are various factors that can determine the sparkle, outside of just the shape. The cut is another important point that affects the sparkle. Even though the ‘best’ shape for its sparkle is round, if it has a poor cut then it will lose a significant amount of that sparkle and in turn, lose a lot of value in the diamond itself.

Notice that the diamond shape, along with other features, helps to provide diamond sparkle. But in general, the more facets of a diamond surface can bring a better sparkle of the diamond. Round diamonds, Princess, Radiant and Cushion shapes have the most facets among different diamond shapes.

• Diamond cut:

As we mentioned in the previous post, the cut is just as important to a diamond’s radiance as its shape. If different facets of the diamond are cut symmetrically, then the aspects act like mirrors. By excellent cut diamond grade, the light taken by the diamond is reflected between each facet, and eventually reflected from the top, or table facet, that is the largest facet of the diamond. This high-quality cumulative reflection that is caused by the excellent cut gives the diamond a sparkling look.

Whether the diamond is heart-shaped or elongated, like a pear shape, or something like the princess cut, a high-grade diamond cut should be applied in order to have the most positive effect on a diamond’s sparkle.

The diamond’s cut is actually one of the most important factors, that it’s one of what’s known as the 4C’s of a diamond’s quality. Cut, Carat, Clarity, and Color are the 4 biggest factors in determining a diamond’s quality according to the GIA. So please keep them in mind when you’re determining the right diamond for you.

Due to this being a very specialized and important topic, I would recommend that you read the blog below so you can get more information about  diamond cut grades and the information that comes with that here:

Color and clarity:

Color and clarity are associated with the diamond's fire and brilliance, and thus affect diamond sparkle too. The higher the clarity of the diamond, provides the more brilliance of the diamond. Diamond color also affects the type of light reflection.

As I mentioned above, color and clarity are also important factors in diamond valuation.

You can find more information about color and clarity here. 

Diamond sparkle is a unique feature of diamonds. This feature makes diamonds the best gem for engagement rings, so you should not overlook buying diamond rings. You should always look for the brightest possible diamond. In addition to the things that I mentioned above, the following link can also help you to  choose a sparkly diamond.

Which Diamond Shape looks Biggest?

If you wanted to get a diamond that looks larger, then the best option would be to choose elongated diamond shapes. They look larger than rounds even in the same carat weight, so you could be getting a bigger appearance for the same weight. Examples of elongated diamonds would be the emerald cut, oval cut, and marquise shapes. Most of the carat weight of these diamonds are spread over the surface of the diamond, and in others, the weight is hidden beneath the diamond’s table.

One of the advantages of elongated diamonds, is that due to their size, they may not find themselves getting hidden behind the prongs of the ring itself, unlike their round sisters. So the size is likely to be better shown with an elongated diamond.

Diamond has unique features that make any girl wish to have a diamond engagement ring. (In this blog, we discussed the traditional importance of diamonds to girls.

Diamonds have such unique features to them that make them so appealing to any girl looking for gems for their ring. In the linked blog we explain their  importance to girls, both past and present.

Larger diamonds on an engagement ring will always impress your lover, and you will get to hear that definite “yes” from her. However, don’t forget that you can’t sacrifice the sparkle and luster of a diamond only for its size. Diamond sparkle is one of the most important features that draws the eyes of those that see it, not just size alone.

Sometimes a small diamond with an excellent cut and unique sparkle can be significantly more beautiful and magnificent than a larger diamond with more carat weight and less sparkle. Always be sure to allocate the main budget to the factors that give the diamond the most sparkle. Sometimes an ordinary engagement ring looks more luxurious than a diamond ring that is not carefully selected. So be sure to effectively manage your budget to buy a more beautiful and glorious diamond engagement ring, even if it is not the largest option you can pick. In the case of diamonds, bigger is not always better.

Why Do Some Diamonds Sparkle More than Others?

Diamonds, as a whole, have several factors that determine its overall quality and ultimately, its value. A high-quality diamond cut will for sure increase the sparkle of the diamond, and that can make an extreme difference.

Diamond shapes can strongly differentiate the level of sparkle it’ll have in comparison to others, jut by the nature of their reflectiveness. Princess, round, and cushion are simply cut in a way that allow more facets to shine and reflect more light, than say, an emerald or an oval diamond. The more symmetrical a diamond has, the more the facets they have to reflect the light.

The way the diamond is set on the engagement ring can also make a difference. The stone of the ring shouldn’t be completely enclosed by the prongs, as that can disrupt its sparkle as well. 

What is the Difference Between Diamond Cut and Shape?

Usually, people think the diamond cut is the same as the diamond shape and they use the term diamond cut for both concepts. Of course, at the general level, the diamond cut can be used instead of diamond shape, but technically the two concepts are quite different.

Diamond shape refers to the physical appearance or the physical form of the diamonds, while diamond cut is a delicate work of art that by creating the mathematical proportions and the symmetry of the diamond structure, makes that diamond brilliance and sparkle with the help of light reflection.

Why Does My Diamond Not Sparkle?

Before purchasing a diamond, you must make sure about the cut grade, color, carat weight, and clarity of the diamond. These features are certified by the GIA. Any of these factors that are effective in diamond evaluation can play a significant role in reducing or enhancing diamond sparkle.

If your ring was brilliant before but has lost some of that sparkle after some time, the cause could be dirt that may cover the diamond surface. Most of the time, the various pollutants and chemicals from the environment are absorbed by the diamond, over time. To avoid this problem, jewelers always recommend removing the ring when you are using the chemicals and even cosmetic materials.

But if your diamond lost its shine, don't worry! You can ask the jeweler to polish the ring for you and remove any dirt or stains you may have gotten.

Does Diamond Color Affect Sparkle?

Yes, color can have a major impact upon the sparkle of a diamond. Color is one of the first factors one hears about when speaking of diamonds. The GIA has them set on a scale from D-Z, and then fancy colors are on their own scale.

Diamond color affects the amount of brilliance (diamond's ability to reflect white light) and diamond fire (diamond's ability to reflect colored light), thereby it can limit or enhance the diamond's sparkle. In general, the more icy and colorless diamond provides better sparkle.

Which Diamond Cut has the Most Sparkle?

The more facets a diamond has, the brighter it is. As a result, diamond shapes such as round, princess, radiant, and cushion, which have a significant number of facets, are also capable of providing more sparkle. The round shape diamond is the mots famous for its sparkle.

Other factors are also important in the diamond sparkle. The cut grade, prong setting, the engagement ring design, degree of clarity, and cleanliness of the ring are also effective in the amount of diamond sparkle.

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By Koorosh Daneshgar CEO/Chief Designer