Guide To Fancy Shaped Diamonds

In general when people think of a diamond, the round shape that is seen everywhere comes to mind. They are the most common type of diamond cut, and due to their popularity, the standards used to grade Round diamonds are generally well known and easy to apply due to their uniformity.

Fancy Shaped diamonds on the other hand, are much harder to grade due to their irregular shapes. One thing you will be able to spot immediately is that a fancy shaped diamond will not be as brilliant as a round brilliant cut diamond. The shape of a properly cut round diamond is uniform all around and so the diamond takes in light from all sides and reflects a large proportion of the light that enters it. Once you diverge from the round shape, light "leaks" out of the diamond which leaves less light to be reflected back, reducing its brilliance. It is for this reason that examining the proportions of these stones should be done extremely carefully using the criteria below in order to maximize the amount of light that your fancy shaped diamond reflects back.

CANADIAN DIAMONDS WHOLESALE Ltd. Fancy Cut Proportions Chart
Princess Cut Diamonds
ALL PERCENTAGES ARE RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL WIDTH OF THE DIAMOND
Cut Classification		Ideal	Excellent	Very Good	Good
Depth %		63 - 75%		60-77%	57-81%

Table %		66 - 79%		57-65%	53-56%
				80-83%	84-86%

Girdle		Thin to Very Thick			Ex thin / Ex Thick

Polish		Excellent to Very Good		VG To Good	Good To Fair
Symmetry		Excellent to Very Good		Very Good	Good

Length To		1.10-.90		1.11-1.15	1.16-1.21
Width Ratio
Pear, Oval, Heart, Marquise Cut Diamonds
ALL PERCENTAGES ARE RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL WIDTH OF THE DIAMOND
Cut Classification		Ideal	Excellent	Very Good	Good/Fair
Depth %		58-66%		56-71%	54-75%

Table %		58-64%	55-67%	53-71%	51-75%

Girdle		Thin to Slightly Thick		Thick / Very Thin	Ex Thin / Ex Thick

Polish		Excellent to Very Good		VG To Good	Good To Fair

Symmetry		Excellent to Good		VG To Good	Fair

	Pear	1.45-1.6		1.4-1.65	1.35-1.7
Length To	Oval	1.35-1.65		1.3-1.7	1.25-1.75
Width Ratio	Marquise	1.8-2.2		1.7-2.3	1.6-2.5
	Heart	.95-1.05		.90-1.1	.85-1.25
Emerald, Asscher & Radiant Cut Diamonds
ALL PERCENTAGES ARE RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL WIDTH OF THE DIAMOND
Cut Classification		Ideal / Excellent		Very Good	Good
Depth %		63-71%		57-75%	55-79%

Table %		62-69%		60-75%	55-79%

Girdle		Thin to Very Thick			Ex Thin / Ex Thick

Polish		Excellent to Very Good		VG To Good	Good To Fair

Symmetry		Excellent to Very Good		Very Good	Good

	Emerald	1.15-1.55 (this depends on shape preference			1.55 +
Length To	Asscher	1.10-.90		1.11-1.15	1.16-1.21
Width Ratio	Sq Radiant	1.10-.90		1.11-1.15	1.16-1.21
	Rect. Radiant	1.15-1.55 (this depends on shape preference			1.55 +

® Canadian Diamonds Wholesale Ltd. 2004

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Princess Shaped Diamond

The princess cut diamond has become very popular in recent years. It is the second most popular diamond only to the round brilliant cut. Because of its increasing popularity, it is now easier than ever to find larger size stones to be sold as engagement rings.

Although a diamond is one of the strongest objects in the world, it can be cracked. A word of caution that should be heard by every person looking at a princess shaped diamond, you should rate girdle thickness as a high priority. That is not to say that having an extremely thick girdle is better, moreover, an extremely thin girdle can be cracked when being set and as such, it requires a very experienced jeweler.

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Pear (Drop) Shaped Diamond

When looking at a fancy shaped diamond, many people will find that a diamond that is less than 0.75 carats does not carry the look as well as a larger stone. The pear shaped diamond reflects most of the light that enters it at the top where it is rounded but as the diamond tapers to a tip at the bottom, light leaks out. When considering a pear shaped diamond, the length to width ratio is very important to consider with the pear shaped diamond. One thing that is also a consideration for a pear shaped diamond is the ‘bowtie’ effect. Due to the shape of a pear diamond, there can be a spot in the center of the diamond where no light reflects back and thus for that portion of the diamond, where this takes place will appear to be black. This is one of the things that we analyze thoroughly before selling a diamond to a customer.

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Heart Shaped Diamond

Finding a well-cut heart shaped diamond can be a very difficult task and made more difficult by many factors. These diamonds can be cut unevenly or very shallow at times. Some of the things to look out for when shopping for a heart shaped diamond is the actual shape of the diamond, (make sure that the diamond is in a uniform heart shape) and the placement of the V-shaped notch. If the diamond does not have a nice even heart shape, the value of the heart shaped diamond will be compromised. The placement of the v-shaped notch, of the diamond should be, in the stone's top portion. The v-shaped notch should not extend past the crown facets.

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Oval Shaped Diamond

The fancy shaped oval diamond is the most brilliant of all of the fancy shaped diamonds, because it is the nearest in shape to the round. Because of the oval shaped diamond’s similarity to a round diamond, the proportion factors are the same as the round brilliant cut diamond but are not quite as precise. Also, because the oval is not uniform all around like a round diamond, a new aspect that needs to be analyzed is the length to width ratio. This is one of the most important ratios for grading all fancy shaped diamonds, and the oval shaped diamond is no exception.

Marquise Cut Diamond

When a Marquise shaped Diamond is cut perfectly with a 2 to 1 length to width ratio, it is a splendid site, even to those who are not particular on the Marquise shaped diamond. However, if this diamond is not of the perfect length to width, or very close to it, the effect on the brilliance of the diamond will be greatly reduced.

Emerald Cut Diamond

The emerald shaped diamond reflects the least amount of light for all of the other fancy shape diamonds for two reasons. The emerald cut has only 50 facets (the amount of levels on the top/sides/bottom) and it is cut in a rectangular shape. It is due to this that a large amount of the light that enters the stone leaks out of the bottom, reducing its brilliance. The main emphasis when purchasing an emerald shaped diamond is to pay particular attention to the length to width ratio and the total depth percentage of the diamond. If the diamond is too deep, you will not be getting any more light than is possible, but you will be paying for it in the price you pay per carat.

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Radiant Cut Diamond

Many people, who like the look of an Emerald Diamond, also like the look of the radiant cut diamond. The Radiant Cut Diamond has a larger fan base as opposed to the Emerald Diamond due to its greater brilliance in a similar rectangular shape. The Radiant Cut Diamond is in essence an emerald cut but with increased fire and brilliance due to the addition of strategically placed facets. When looking for a Radiant Cut Diamond the specifications that you should look for are very similar to the Emerald Cut. The shape should be similar to that of the emerald cut, and the length to width ratio along with the total depth percentage of the diamond should be carefully analyzed using the table below.

In Summary

To conclude, when looking for a fancy shaped diamonds, don’t forget to consider the length to width ratio of the fancy shaped diamond, (preferably 2:1 in most cases) the girdle of the diamond, and of course, the depth and table of the fancy shaped diamond. There are many other factors beyond the ones mentioned above, and because selling fancy shaped diamonds is a specialty of ours, we take the time to make sure that each one of our customers gets the best diamond that they possibly can.

If you would like to view our list of fancy shaped diamonds that we sell at wholesale prices, please have a look at our Wholesale Diamond Prices and select the fancy shape diamond of your dreams.