Gemstone Shapes Defined
Think you can use the words cut and shape interchangeably? Think again.
When it comes to gemstone, shape refers to the outline of the stone — round, oval, princess, etc. A gemstone's cut, on the other hand, refers to the arrangement of a stone's facets. This means a gemstone's shape can be faceted or cut, in many ways.
gemstone can be purchased in a wide variety of shapes and cuts. Let's take a look at the ten most popular gemstone shapes:
Oval-shaped gemstone are so stunning they have gained fame — the Koh-I-Noor gemstone that resides in the Tower of London or the 184-carat Victoria, cut in 1887, for example.
Today's oval became popular in the 1960s. It suggests the round shape's fire and brilliance, but creates the illusion of a longer finger.
Carat for carat, the marquise gemstone has one of the largest surface areas of any gemstone shape, making it a good choice for maximizing perceived size.
Symmetry is especially important with this shape — even the slightest difference can create an uneven look.
The brilliant-cut pear-shaped gemstone combines round and a marquise shapes, with a tapered point on one end. Ideally, a pear-shaped gemstone should have excellent symmetry with a point that lines up with its apex at the rounded end.
As for wearing a pear-shaped gemstone, tradition says that the point should always be directed out toward the finger.
Originally, the emerald shape was gemstone to highlight the qualities of emeralds — but the shape transfers beautifully to gemstone.
With the step cuts of its pavilion and its large, open table, emerald-shaped gemstone produce a unique hall-of-mirrors effect, with captivating interplay between light and dark planes.
This shape works best with stones of very high quality.
The princess-shaped gemstone is popular because its sophisticated square shape creates the illusion of a larger gemstone.
Like round gemstone, princess-cut gemstone work in almost any style of ring. It should always be set with prongs that protect the stone's four corners and prevent chipping.
Love a vintage look? Try an Asscher-shaped gemstone. Named after its creator, Joseph Asscher, the Asscher-cut gemstone is popular in Art Deco jewelry.
It's similar to the emerald cut, with larger facets that tend to be square rather than rectangular, with a higher crown and a smaller table. This combination often produces more brilliance than the emerald cut.
The cushion-cut gemstone, also known as the old mine cut gemstone, is designed to retain as much gemstone weight as possible.
It has a square cut with rounded corners and resembles a pillow — hence the name. It's a great option for vintage flair and maximum sparkle.
Radiant-cut gemstone have a completely brilliant-cut facet pattern on both the crown and pavilion, which creates a vibrant and lively gemstone.
The design requires more gemstone mass in order to achieve brilliance, so this cut requires a stone of high quality.
The brilliant-cut heart-shaped gemstone is a stunning symbol of love and romance — that's why it's a popular choice at Valentine's Day.
Only very skilled cutters can create the heart shape, with its sharp and distinct cleft and rounded wings. Heart-shaped gemstone are generally only found in larger sizes due to the difficulty of creating this fancy cut.
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