The ultimate guide to the best diamond cuts for engagement rings (2023)

FAQs

What cut diamond holds its value the best? ›

Since a round diamond is thought to hold the most value when compared to the other shapes, it will almost always be given a higher price than any other shape with similar clarity, color, and carat weight.

Yes, James Allen is an extremely reputable jeweler, and its inventory consists of over 315,000 natural diamonds as well as over 50,000 lab-grown diamonds. Diamonds sold by James Allen are certified by one of the leading independent diamond labs.

Choose the Right Number of Prongs

Round cut diamonds, for example, are typically set with four, five, or six prongs. If you're looking to maximize your diamond's size, setting it with six prongs will help it to appear larger than it may actually be.

Diamond cut is the single most important of the 4Cs when it comes to the physical beauty of a diamond. Why? Because a diamond's cut determines how much it sparkles. The number of facets, the angle of the facets, and the symmetry and alignment of the shape will affect how the diamond returns light.

What are the least expensive/most affordable diamond Cuts? Carat-per-carat, emerald and Asscher cuts are the least expensive. Because they are step-cut, there is less waste when these diamonds are cut off of the rough stone, which is going to cost the same no matter how it gets cut.

Round Cut Diamonds Sparkle The Most

The standard round cut diamond comprises 57 facets (58 including one on the bezel). This cut heightens the diamond's sparkle and shine. Because round diamonds have the largest number of facets, they create the most sparkle.

3.00 Carats

For a truly stunning ring, a 3.00-ct diamond may be just what you need. At this weight, there's no doubt you'll have a big rock. However, a ring like this has a big price, too. For a three-carat diamond with excellent cut and color, you'll want to budget about $35,000.

Choosing colored stones over a single, larger diamond works effectively at making your engagement ring look expensive. Colored diamonds are not just beautiful and unique but also easily grab attention. Their bright color gives a beautiful look to your fingers as well as the ring and makes the ring look expensive.

The Halo Effect

The Halo Engagement Ring Design is one of the most popular engagement ring designs on the market because it looks expensive, without the expensive price tag. The center diamond is designed with a halo of smaller diamonds around it, giving off the illusion of a larger diamond ring.

How many carats should an engagement ring be? ›

One of the decisions to be made when considering the purchase of an engagement ring is how many carats should the ring be? The average according to The Knot (a research company and website for all things wedding) is 1 to 2 carats. There is no rule. Developing a budget is always a good place to start.

FL (or Flawless) is the highest grade for clarity. An FL diamond has no imperfections even when magnified 10x by a professional. For color, D or completely colorless diamond is the highest grade. While flawless and colorless diamonds are extremely rare, cut determines a diamond's true value.

But they share the same parent company. Signet Jewelers is the world's largest diamond retailer. Signet owns Jared and expanded its empire in 2017 when it bought James Allen. Although you may have seen James Allen rings inside Jared stores, the two are still separate stores.

JAMES AVERY

Hallmark(s): "JA" Information: Founded in 1954 by James Avery in Kerrville, Texas. Works primarily in silver and gold. James Avery.

Unlike natural diamonds mined from the earth, lab diamonds won't usually gain value. In fact, in recent years, their value hasn't kept up with inflation, mostly due to the increased availability of lab-grown gemstones. So, to put it simply: a lab-grown diamond isn't going to bring much, if any, return on investment.

Poorly cut diamonds won't reflect as much light, giving the diamond less brilliance and fire. Some of the light will reflect out of the bottom of the stone, which is unseen when a diamond is set in a ring. Poorly cut diamonds may have light or dark patches that make the diamond look dull and lackluster.

Being one of the most difficult diamond shapes to cut, the eye-catching Heart shaped diamond is made up of between 56 to 58 facets and is beautiful to see. Nothing says “I love you” like a romantic heart shaped diamond with a brilliant cut.

J color diamonds are a great choice for diamond buyers looking to get a larger carat size while staying in the near colorless range (grades G, H, I, and J).

The center stone has a special meaning

The cushion-cut center diamond of Meghan's engagement ring is estimated to be roughly three carats and was sourced from Botswana — a country that is very important to Prince Harry and where the couple took their first vacation together.

Because diamonds reflect white light, colorless diamonds produce the best sparkle and fire. In fact, the more color a diamond has, the less likely it is to reflect white light. And as a result, will produce less sparkle. A D-color diamond is the highest quality, and will offer the greatest sparkle.

What is the second most popular diamond shape? ›

But there are 10 shapes that are the most popular: round, cushion, oval, emerald, radiant, asscher, princess, pear, heart and marquise. Below you will find a deep dive into the top 5! In our showroom in Oceanside, NY along with our website we have helped hundreds of brides choose the perfect diamond.

The gem's carat is the unit that measures its weight, which can influence how big it appears. According to our study, the average engagement ring size is 1.5 carats. Roughly half of all engagement rings fall between 1 and 2 carats, with just 25% of rings sizing above two carats.

For the average person in the U.S., any diamond at least between 2 and 2.4 carats is considered “big,” i.e., way more than enough.

Is a 2 carat diamond considered to be big? The average carat weight for a diamond engagement ring is about 0.9 carat, meaning a 2 carat diamond is definitely considered big.

Diamonds are the most expensive part of an engagement ring, so you can save major dough by using a diamond alternative as the center stone. “Consider a white sapphire, which is hard enough to withstand daily wear and has a similar color,” says Gandia.

The smallest looking diamonds cuts are the asscher, princess and cushion cuts. Because of their square length-to-width ratio, these diamond shapes all have a small diameter and surface area relative to their carat weight.

Four-prong mountings make diamonds look larger, while six-prong settings make the stones look a bit smaller in comparison since more of the gemstone surface is covered with metal.

How Much Should an Engagement Ring Cost? A one carat engagement ring typically costs around $5,500, but most couples spend over $6,000—and 7 percent spend over $10,000.

When light enters an ideally-cut diamond, the light bounces around its internal facets, bends, and exits through the top of the diamond. This is known as refraction. Refraction creates a sparkle in a diamond as a result of light bouncing around the inside, which hits your eye when the stone is in motion.

It is indeed completely appropriate to negotiate the price of any piece of jewelry. Jewelers know this and will expect it. That being said, it's important to note that the commercial jewelry chain stores (and brand name jewelry stores) will almost always immediately shoot down your negotiating attempts.

What are the 3 C's of engagement rings? ›

The three C's of diamonds are important: the clarity, the cut, and the carat.

While there isn't a steadfast formula to follow when picking the best time to buy an engagement ring, here's the bottom line: Aim to buy a pre-designed ring at least one month before your intended proposal date, while two months minimum should be allotted for custom diamond jewelry.

Take a few minutes to study the 4 Cs (Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat) of diamonds below and become an informed engagement ring shopper.

Hailey Bieber's engagement ring is a stunning piece of jewelry that features a breathtaking oval cut diamond that is estimated to be between 6 to 10 carats in size. The diamond is set in a classic yellow gold band with a very delicate and tucked away peek-a-boo hidden halo.

While $6,000 is the national average cost of a ring, the spend per couple varies. Our study found that roughly one-third of all respondents are spending between $1,000 to $4,000 on their engagement ring. In fact, 8% of ring shoppers are spending under $1,000.

A 2.5 carat round diamond has a diameter of 8.9mm, this makes it look visibly larger than the 2 carat round diamond, which is 8.1mm in diameter. When compared to a 3 carat round diamond, however, the difference is barely noticeable; as the 3ct has a 9.3mm diameter.

A VS1 diamond has slightly fewer and smaller inclusions than a VS2 diamond. In other words, a VS1 diamond is slightly better than a VS2 diamond.

White diamonds are given a color grade of D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). Tiffany only accepts engagement diamonds in the “colorless” and “near colorless” range on a diamond color scale. For engagement diamonds, Tiffany only accepts D, E, F, G, H and I color diamonds.

The best diamond clarity rating is Flawless (FL). These are the rarest diamonds in the world; less than 0.05% of all diamonds are Flawless or Internally Flawless.

The shape is an important consideration when buying a diamond as it directly influences price. Round diamonds, the most popular diamond shape, tend to be priced higher than other shapes (referred to as fancy shapes) because of market demand, increased manufacturing costs, and their incredible brilliance.

Does cutting a diamond increase its value? ›

The cut of the diamond you purchase can actually affect the price by more than 30%. Whether you're looking for something simple online or you're buying an engagement ring in Michigan, you want a style that will please both your S.O. and your wallet.

Why Is Diamond Cut Important? Put simply, cut is responsible for the quality of a diamond's sparkle. If a diamond is cut poorly, it will appear dull even if it has a high color and clarity grade. If a diamond is cut well, it will reflect and refract light for maximum brightness and sparkle.

Are old cut diamonds more valuable? Most Old European cut diamonds are valued less than round brilliant cut diamonds of similar carat weight. Although they are rare, there is less demand for old cut diamonds than round brilliant cuts.

Radiant are square or rectangular brilliant-cut diamonds with cut corners. They are often the most affordable diamond shapes.

The weight of a diamond has the most significant impact on its price. Since the larger a stone is, the rarer it is, one 2 carat diamond will be more expensive than the total cost of two 1 carat diamonds of the same quality.

On average, the retail price for one carat diamonds can be anywhere between $2,000 to $16,000, and between $8,000 to $72,000 for two carat diamonds .

Engagement rings will usually hold most of their value even if there are new fashions. Outside niche trends like black diamonds, style changes in engagement rings are most easily measured by the popularity of various diamond cuts.

In general, diamonds do not increase significantly in value over time. Outside of a small number of rare or colored diamonds, the vast majority of diamonds have decreased slightly in value over the last few years, making them a poor investment from a price appreciation perspective.

Since 1886, the iconic Tiffany® Setting has featured a triple excellent round brilliant diamond, setting the standard against which all engagement rings are measured.

A diamond with a poor clarity grade has multiple inclusions, which directly affects sparkle. Because inclusions hinder the refraction and return of light, the lower the clarity grade, the cloudier the diamond will appear.

Are old diamonds better than new? ›

Antique diamonds are known for their more understated, flowery brilliance and have a softer sparkle thanks to larger facets arranged differently than a modern round or cushion cut diamond. On the other hand, modern diamonds feature a sleeker, more geometric quality than their antique counterparts.

A diamond loses 50% of its weight in the cutting and polishing process. In order for a rough diamond to reach its full potential it will undergo a cutting and polishing process; during which, the diamond will lose up to 50% of its original rough carat weight on average.

Fancy-shaped diamonds are less expensive than round-cut diamonds. This is because round-cut diamonds are the most popular and they also produce more rough diamond waste.