If you’re looking to buy diamond earrings, the cut of the gemstone is one of the key aspects you should focus on. Let’s look at what types of cuts you can choose when buying diamond earrings and how to choose the cut that’s right for you.
How Important Is Cut to Diamond Earrings?
When choosing a diamond cut, you should look out for two characteristics: (1) the quality grade of the cut and (2) the shape of the cut.
Cut quality is important for a simple reason: a higher quality grade means a higher cut ratio, and the better the diamond’s proportions, the better it retains and reflects light, resulting in higher brilliance.
In general, the larger and more visible a diamond is, the more important it is to have a high quality cut.
Since the gemstones in earrings are relatively small, you should not go for the highest possible cut quality.
Otherwise, you’ll pay more for a less noticeable feature because the diamond won’t be as obvious.
Just make sure that you end up buying a gemstone that has enough brilliance and doesn’t look dull or monotonous like a poorly cut diamond.
The cut shape is a feature that should be paid special attention to when choosing a diamond for earrings.
As with cut, the larger and more pronounced a diamond, the more important the shape becomes. But when it comes to earrings, you also have to make sure that the diamond is shaped to fit the shape of your face.
In general, rectangular diamonds work best when they complement a wider face shape. Round and oval shapes are best for slimming faces.
Cut Type of Diamond Earrings
Diamond cuts can be roughly classified based on shape, with the most popular shapes being round, oval, rectangular, and triangular. Here are the most common cuts in diamond earrings:
Round Cut
The round cut is the most popular diamond cut. It’s designed to maximize brilliance, and all else being equal, round diamond earrings have the potential to shine the brightest.
As already mentioned, the round cut is especially suitable for thinner face shapes.
Oval and Oval-Looking Cuts
In addition to the oval cut, the group includes a marquise, pear, and heart cut, all of which are derived from the classic oval shape and modified.
The oval cut is very similar to the round cut, but earrings with oval gemstones give an impression of extra length.
The marquise cut looks very similar to the oval cut, but the ends of the marquise cut are pointed, further enhancing the impression of length. It is important that the earring setting protects these sharp points well, as they can easily shatter.
The pear cut is a hybrid of an oval and a marquise cut – the pear cut tool has an oval profile, but one end of it is pointed.
The heart-shaped cut looks like a pear-shaped cut with a crack on the rounded side. This cut doesn’t add as much length as other oval cuts, but if you like the shape, it’s a great alternative to the classic round or oval cut.
Rectangular Cut
Rectangular cuts include princess cut, emerald cut, upper ding, cushion cut and radiant cut. Depending on the aspect ratio of a particular cut, it can also look more or less square.
As mentioned earlier, rectangular diamond earrings are more suitable for people with wider faces.
Like the round cut, the princess cut is designed to bring out as much brilliance as possible. Sometimes, this cut is classified as a “modified brilliant cut.”
If you’re looking for a sparkling gemstone but a round or oval shape isn’t for you, then the princess cut is a good choice.
If you need rectangular gemstones for your earrings, an emerald cut is another great choice. Keep in mind, though, that the emerald cut isn’t designed to maximize brilliance, so it doesn’t look as bright as a princess-cut gemstone.
The upper ding square cut is the same as the emerald cut, but the upper ding square cut has four equal sides and is square.
The cushion cut has a rectangular profile, but its corners are rounded, not sharp or truncated.
While this cut can be classified as rectangular, if a cushion cut gemstone is nearly equal in length and width, it may appear round and may be more suitable for a thinner face shape than a wider face.
The radiant cut looks very similar to the emerald cut, but unlike the emerald cut, the radiant cut is designed to enhance the brilliance. So, if you like the shape of an emerald cut but are looking for a little more sparkle, the radiant cut is a great choice.
Triangular Cut
The triangular cut, also known as the trillion cut, is the most common triangular diamond cut. Typically, triangle cut diamonds are equal in length on all three sides, but they can also differ in this regard.
This cut can come with a pointed end or a rounded end. If you choose trillion-cut diamond earrings with sharp ends, make sure they are well protected by the setting, as they can easily break if struck hard.