Big 3: Emerald’s Cut

The most popular cut is a square or rectangular step cut known as emerald cut. This cut accommodates the natural emerald crystal’s shape (elongated prism) with minimal weight loss.   It can also be cut into other shapes like round, oval, pear etc. It is cut into a cabochon when it is found to be heavily included.

DIAMONDS 101

Perfect crash course on understanding diamonds!

DIAMONDS – Emerald Cut

The emerald cut is the most popular step cut with four beveled corners and two, three, or four concentric rows of facets parallel to the girdle on the crown and the pavilion.Traditionally, emerald cut is associated with rectangular table, thus if the face-up outline is a square, it is a square emerald cut.

This cut is usually fashioned from long pieces of rough. Generally not as bright and fiery like brilliant cut, emerald cut emphasizes the diamond’s clarity.

As the fewer facets make an emerald cut diamond susceptible to revealing any flaws the stone may have, brides who favor this retro-inspired design are confident, open to taking risks and are delighted in the unexpected – just like Angelina Jolie who got her emerald-cut engagement ring from Brad Pitt, which was well-suited for her!

DIAMONDS – Radiant Cut

Some people think this is a princess cut with the corners cut off, but this is not the case. A true radiant cut is in fact a square or rectangular mixed cut combining both the brilliant and step-cutting style with beveled corners.If you look closely at the princess and the radiant cut, the princess cut shows facet arrangements resulting in black and white reflections looking like a black “X” within the diamond. The princess cut is generally squarish with sharp corners, susceptible to chipping.

Also, the princess cut aims to maximize yield from the rough whereas the radiant cut is committed to protecting the inventor’s artistic vision in catching light in a big way.

Patented by Henry Grossbard in the 1977, the radiant cut was a dream came true that “retained the shape of a traditional emerald cut, but infused it with the brilliance people expected of their diamonds.” This cut can also be used to concentrate color and shift a diamond into the fancy-color category.

Brides who go for this cut are those who don’t want to stray too far from the classic shapes yet able to appreciate the timeless nature of this cut.

DIAMONDS – Baguette

The baguettes are small, four-sided, step-cut diamonds. Their sides can be parallel or tapered toward each other to form a wedge.

Used mainly as accent stones for decades, as in the popular ballerina ring of the 1980s, which features baguettes radiating outward from a center stone, creating the effect of a ballerina’s tutu.