A Friendly Guide to Diamond Shapes

Choosing a diamond shape is one of the most personal parts of picking a ring. Shape sets the whole mood of the piece, from classic to romantic to modern. Here's a friendly tour of the most popular shapes and what makes each one special.

Round brilliant

The round brilliant is the classic for a reason. Its facets are designed to return as much light as possible, so it's known for maximum sparkle. It works with nearly every setting style, from a simple solitaire to a halo. If you love timeless and bright, round is hard to beat.

Oval

Ovals have the brilliance of a round in an elongated shape. They tend to look larger face-up than a round of the same carat weight and can make fingers look longer and slimmer. Some ovals show a darker "bow-tie" area across the middle, so it's worth seeing the stone on video or in person.

Cushion

Cushion cuts have softly rounded corners, like a pillow, and a romantic, vintage feel. They come in squarer and more elongated versions. Many cushions have a "crushed ice" look, while others have larger, chunkier flashes of light; it's a matter of taste.

Emerald

Emerald cuts are rectangular with "step" facets that create a hall-of-mirrors effect instead of a sparkly scatter. They're elegant and very sophisticated. Because the large open facets make inclusions easier to see, clarity matters more with this shape.

Asscher

Think of the Asscher as a square emerald cut. It has an Art Deco feel with a mesmerizing, layered look when you gaze into it.

Princess

The princess cut is square with pointed corners and lots of sparkle. It has a crisp, modern look. Settings with protected corners help guard those points from chips.

Pear

The pear (or teardrop) combines a round end with a point. It's graceful and a little unexpected, and it's lovely worn with the point toward the fingertip. Look for good symmetry so the shoulders and point line up nicely.

Marquise

The marquise is long and pointed at both ends, with a vintage, glamorous personality. It offers a lot of visual length for its carat weight. We have a few marquise designs at Freddy's that look beautiful in both yellow and white gold.

Radiant

Radiants have the clean outline of an emerald or square cut with brilliant-style faceting, so they combine a structured shape with lots of sparkle.

Heart

Hearts are the most romantic shape of all. Size matters a bit here, since the heart outline is easier to read on slightly larger stones.

How to pick

• Love sparkle? Look at round, oval, cushion, radiant or princess.
• Love elegant and calm? Try emerald or Asscher.
• Want it to look bigger? Elongated shapes like oval, pear and marquise make the most of every carat.
• Want something unique? Pear, marquise and heart turn heads.

Shape also affects how much color and clarity you'll notice. Our 4Cs explained simply guide goes deeper. You can also filter by shape in our diamond search or take the Ring Matchmaker quiz.

Try them on

Photos only tell part of the story. The best way to choose is to try a few shapes on your hand. Come see us in Downtown Miami and we'll pull out a tray of different shapes for you to try.