The main criteria for selection of your special diamond is of course personal preference as to the shape.
If you have looked at diamonds at your local jeweller they will have been presented under professional lighting conditions
which, feel quite sure, have enhanced the sparkle or brilliance making it more difficult to actually observe the differences in light refraction between them.

The truth of the matter is that if the brilliant cut is given 100 % light refractive qualities, the oval, pear and marquise will have around  90% while the heart shape will be around 80%, the princess and the trilliant or trillion 70% followed by the emerald, radiant and cushion at  60% with the baguette last at around the 45% mark.

 

The foremost diamond shapes are shown below  and below that a short account of each. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us by email or give us a call. We will be glad to assist and guide you.
 

        

 

 

The Brilliant (round) cut

The brilliant cut diamond is the most popular of all the shapes. This is the most 'traditional' of the shapes and the one which sparkles the most due to its excellent light refractive capabilities due to its uniform rounded shape.

A lot has been written on the sparkle (brilliance) or fire of a diamond, however, I cannot stress enough that this is NOT the most important criteria of all as the human eye can pick up but so much and will not be able to differentiate between say a so called 'Ideal' cut, 'Excellent' or 'very good' parameters. The most important factor, therefore, is what the eye will perceive which is the actual VISUAL SIZE of the diamond compared to another of the same weight.
At the Jewellery Web Shop we will select an appropriate diamond for you, so if actual visual size is important, let us know and we will select accordingly.

 

The Princess cut

The princess cut diamond is the most popular of the non round diamond shapes. It has quite a respectable brilliance coefficient giving it very good sparkle and its
square shape makes it a favourite for those looking for a 'different' type of diamond engagement ring.
A well shaped and proportioned princess cut should be uniform in sparkle and colour should not be visible in the corners. Princess cuts can be perfectly square or slightly rectangular but this is something more akin to personal preference than to quality of cut.
The table, in order that the diamond shows its full visual size cannot be too small and must look 'spread'.
Due to the fact that these diamond shapes are usually cut from perfect diamond crystals they tend to look thickish and small when compared to the rarer, more 'spread' examples. It is, therefore most important, as this is not necessarily apparent by looking at a certificate, that they be specially selected.

 

 

The Emerald cut

The emerald cut has less facets when compared to the princess so will sparkle less as a result. It should have a large table which will give the diamond an 'internal' type of brilliance. The emerald cut diamond is a cheaper diamond to produce due to it losing less diamond material during the cutting process so you will be getting a 'bigger' looking diamond for the same money which can't be bad. Emerald cuts come in a variety of rectangular shapes so selection is most important as they can vary considerably and, once again, will depend on personal preference. The important thing, however, in a well cut example is that the girdle is not too thick and the table size not too small otherwise the diamond will not show its correct size and the weight versus visual size ratio will not be good. As this type of cut is more 'transparent' than others it would be best that anything below the VS2 be avoided.

 

 

The Marquise cut

The proportions of the marquise cut will allow for a visually large looking diamond and when set, in length, along the finger
will make the hand look very much longer and slender indeed.
Cut in a similar fashion to the brilliant cut it will sparkle, to the eye, as much. Once again thicker girdles should be avoided and the table size, in comparison should be just right otherwise a type of 'bow-tie' effect will be seen from the top which is not desirable at all. We will, if required, specially a select beautiful example for you making this one of the most fantastic looking engagement rings possible. The length of the diamond compared to its width is once again a matter of personal preference, however, the 'ticker' looking examples should be avoided as they will not show their true size to the eye.

 

 

The Oval cut

The oval shaped diamond is the nearest thing to the brilliant cut, in fact you can say that it is a bit like a marquise cut with 'rounded' points, so cut in a similar fashion.
Light refraction, therefore is , to the eye, once again comparable to the brilliant cut. Their length, as with the marquise cut, can accentuate a slender hand. The same arguments as put forward to the marquise cut apply to the oval cut diamond. Beware of those with too thick a girdle and smaller looking table size.

 

 

The Pear shape

The pear shaped diamond, once again, is a variant of the brilliant cut. It is also known as a 'teardrop' and can look very attractive if set in an appropriately designed engagement ring. The pear shape is also a popular choice for a pendant. The same cautions apply to the pear shaped diamond as with the marquise and the oval shapes.

 

 

The Heart shape and Trilliant cut

As a symbol of love the heart is a very special choice. It is unique and the ultimate show of love.
The heart shape, however, is probably the most difficult of all the cuts from which to select from as they come in a very wide variety of different sets of proportions and visual sizes at equal weight. It is most important, if you want a beautifully looking example that it is specially selected for you. This is NOT a type of cut which you can purchase by evaluation on a certificate as there are too many other parameters involved which are not shown on the report.
The trilliant cut is a close cousin of the heart shape and the same factors apply to it. The trilliant cut is used mostly as side stones on an engagement ring or as earrings as well. They are popular as pendants as well.