When you select a diamond, you expect it to last a lifetime. That why the shape of diamonds is important; you want to love and cherish it forever. Know the choices you have when selecting the perfect one. While many shapes have been around for generations, but every so often a new shape appears. Here are the most popular classic and newer shape of diamonds.
Round Cut 
The round (brilliant) diamond is probably the oldest diamond shape, being around for centuries. Even today you’ll find it to be a very popular stone, with fire and brilliance that is dazzling. It’s the most popular shape for the new “halo” diamond engagement rings.
Oval Cut 
An oval diamond has beautiful brilliance that’s similar to a round diamond. Oval diamonds are also very popular as their length can accentuate long, slender fingers.
Pear Cut 
This brilliant-cut diamond is also called a teardrop for its single point and rounded end. The unique look of the pear shape helps make it a popular choice for a variety of diamond jewelry, not just rings. If you choose an elongated pear shape, the length of the diamond creates a subtle slimming effect on the fingers, similar to the oval.
Heart-Shaped 
The heart is the ultimate symbol of love. The unique look of the heart-shaped diamond helps make it a distinctive not just for a ring, but almost any type of jewelry. The Heart shape is available in several length-to-width ratios, creating a rounder or longer heart shape. The choice is yours.
Marquise-Cut 
The shape of a marquise diamond can maximize carat weight, giving you a much larger-looking diamond. This brilliant-cut diamond looks beautiful set with round or pear-shaped side stones, and the length of the marquise diamond makes fingers appear long and slender.
Radiant-Cut 
Trimmed corners are the way to identify the radiant-cut diamond. A radiant-cut looks equally beautiful set with either baguette or round side-diamonds. Radiant-cut diamonds can vary in their degree of rectangularity. Have your jeweler show you different types so you can select the one you prefer. That’s a good idea with all the diamonds.
Cushion-Cut 
This unique shape has been popular for more than a century. Cushion-cut diamonds (also known as “pillow-cut” diamonds) have rounded corners and larger facets to increase their brilliance. These larger facets highlight the diamond’s clarity, so be sure to review the clarity plot on the diamond certificate. Cushion-cut diamonds are available in shapes ranging from square to rectangular.
Emerald-Cut/Asscher 
What makes the emerald diamond shape different is its pavilion, which is cut with rectangular facets to create a unique optical appearance. Due to its larger, open table, this shape highlights the clarity of a diamond. Also, emerald-cut diamonds can vary greatly in how rectangular they are. If you’d prefer an emerald cut with a squared outline, look for an Asscher-cut diamond.
Princess Cut 
The Princess is a square cut diamond. Today, the Princess cut is as popular among brides as the round diamond.
Whichever diamond shape you choose, they will never lose their shape.
There’s a song from an old movie (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) that has a line, “pear shaped or square shaped, these rocks won’t lose their shape…diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Indeed they are. If you’re in doubt about whether a diamond is right for you, check out the best source of information about diamonds and other gemstones at the Gemological Society of America.
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