Diamond Education

Shape

Since all diamond shapes are very different, unique characteristics determine quality for each shape. Select your shape below to learn how to recognize the most beautiful diamond. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact one of our Diamond and Jewelry Consultants who can help you find the diamond that’s perfect for you. The round brilliant cut diamond is by far the most popular and most researched diamond shape available today. For almost 100 years, diamond cutters have been using advanced theories of light behavior and precise mathematical calculations to optimize the fire and brilliance in a round diamond. In addition to being the most popular and researched shape, a round diamond will typically give you more flexibility in terms of balancing cut, color, and clarity grades while still getting the fire and brilliance you want. To maximize the brilliance of a traditional round diamond, select one in the two highest cut grades, ideal or very good, and choose ideal, excellent, or very good polish and symmetry grades.

Princess

This is our most popular non-round diamond. Its beautiful brilliance and unique cut makes it a favorite for engagement rings. The princess has pointed corners and is traditionally square in shape. When choosing a color grade, consider that while the price of a J-color non-round diamond is exceptional, color may be slightly visible in its corners. Also, princess-cut diamonds can vary greatly in how square or rectangular they are. For a princess diamond shape that is square, look for length-to-width ratios between 1 and 1.05. If you prefer more of a rectangular shape, look for length-to-width ratios greater than 1.10. For the most brilliant princess available, View our Inventory.

Emerald

What makes this 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. If you choose an emerald-cut with a lower clarity grade, such as SI, be sure to review the clarity plot on the diamond certificate. 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. For the classic emerald-cut shape, look for a length-to-width ratio between 1.30 and 1.40.

Asscher

This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald-cut, except that it is square. Also, this shape has a pavilion that is cut with rectangular facets in the same style as the emerald-cut. If you choose SI-clarity be sure to view the clarity plot on the diamond certificate, because this shape highlights the clarity of the diamond. When choosing a color grade, consider that while the price of a J-color non-round diamond is exceptional, color may be slightly visible in its corners.

Marquise

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 makes fingers appear long and slender. To find the dimension of marquise you want, look for the length-to-width ratio in our interactive diamond search and on each diamond’s detail page. The length-to-width ratio will determine the diamond’s outline, or what it will look like when viewed from the top.

Oval

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. To find the dimension of oval you want, look for the length-to-width ratio in our interactive diamond search and on each diamond’s detail page. The length-to-width ratio will determine the diamond’s outline, or what it will look like when viewed from the top.

Radiant

Trimmed corners are the signature of this diamond, and they help make the radiant-cut a popular and versatile choice for jewelry. A radiant-cut looks equally beautiful set with either baguette or round side-diamonds. Radiant-cut diamonds can vary in their degree of rectangularity. To find the dimension of radiant you want, look for the length-to-width ratio in our interactive diamond search and on each diamond’s detail page. The length-to-width ratio will determine the diamond’s outline, or what it will look like when viewed from the top.

Pear

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. If you choose an elongated pear shape, the length of the diamond creates a subtle slimming effect on the fingers.

Heart

The heart is the ultimate symbol of love. The unique look of the heart-shaped diamond helps make it a distinctive choice for a variety of diamond jewelry. When choosing a color grade, consider that while the price of a J-color heart shaped diamond is exceptional, color may be slightly visible in its corners. To find the dimension of heart-shape you want, look for the length-to-width ratio in our interactive diamond search and on each diamond’s detail page. The length-to-width ratio will determine the diamond’s outline, or what it will look like when viewed from the top.

Cushion

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 if you choose an SI clarity grade, be sure to review the clarity plot on the diamond certificate. Cushion-cut diamonds are available in shapes ranging from square to rectangular. To find the dimension of cushion you want, look for the length-to-width ratio in our interactive diamond search and on each diamond’s detail page. The length-to-width ratio will determine the diamond’s outline, or what it will look like when viewed from the top.

Cut

The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. There is no single measurement of a diamond that defines its cut, but rather a collection of measurements and observations that determine the relationship between a diamond’s light performance, dimensions and finish. Most gemologists consider cut the most important diamond characteristic because even if a diamond has perfect color and clarity, a diamond with a poor cut will have dulled brilliance.

The width and depth can have an effect on how light travels within the diamond, and how it exits in the form of brilliance.

Too Shallow: Light is lost out the bottom causing the diamond to lose brilliance.

Too Deep: Light escapes out the sides causing the diamond to appear dark and dull.

Diamond measurements are calculated and applied to a cut grading scale that makes it easy to understand how well each reflect light:

Ideal cut: Represents roughly the top 3% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond. An exquisite and rare cut.
Very good cut: Represents roughly the top 15% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut, but for a lower price.
Good cut: Represents roughly the top 25% of diamond quality based on cut. Reflects most light that enters. Much less expensive than a very good cut.
Fair cut: Represents roughly the top 35% of diamond quality based on cut. Still a quality diamond, but a fair cut will not be as brilliant as a good cut.
Poor cut: This includes all diamonds that do not meet the performance standards of a fair cut. These diamonds are generally deep and narrow or shallow and wide and tend to lose most of the light out the sides and bottom. EFrai & co. does not carry diamonds with cut grades of poor

Color

Acting as a prism, a diamond can divide light into a spectrum of colors and reflect this light as colorful flashes called fire. Just as when looking through colored glass, color in a diamond will act as a filter, and will diminish the spectrum of color emitted. The less color in a diamond, the more colorful the fire, and the better the color grade.

D Absolutely Colorless
The highest color grade, which is extremely rare.

E Colorless
Only minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond.

G-H Near-Colorless
Color noticeable when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value.

I-J Near-Colorless
Color slightly detectable. An excellent value.

K-M Noticeable Color
Color easy to notice.

Clarity

A diamond’s clarity is a description of the diamond’s natural internal purity. It refers to the number and size of the microscopic imperfections all diamonds carry. Gemologists refer to these imperfections as inclusions or blemishes.

Of the Four C’s a diamond’s clarity has the least impact on a diamonds appearance. Diamonds with the least or smallest inclusions receive the highest clarity grades; however, because the imperfections are microscopic, they do not affect a diamond’s beauty in any noticeable way.

The Five factors that are taken into consideration when a diamond is assigned a clarity grade are:
• Size
• Number
• Position
• Nature
• Color

Clarity Grades Defined By the GIA:

Flawless (FL): Flawless diamonds have no inclusions or imperfections when viewed under a 10x magnification by a skilled grader.

Internally Flawless (IF): A diamond with no inclusions, only a few blemishes when viewed under a 10x magnification.

Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2): Diamonds that contain minute inclusions that are difficult for a skilled grader to see under a 10x magnification. An inclusion in a VVS1 diamond are extremely difficult to see face-up, and may be only visible through a pavilion. However, inclusions in a VVS2 diamond are very difficult to see.

Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2): Diamonds containing minor inclusions that range from difficult (VS1) to somewhat easy (VS2) to see under a 10x magnification. Typical inclusions in VS diamonds include small crystals, feathers and distinct groups of pinpoints.

Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2): Diamonds of SI clarity contains noticeable inclusions and are easy or very easy to see under a 10x magnification. The inclusions are usually centrally located.

Included (I1, I2 and I3): Diamonds in the ‘I’ range contain inclusions that are obvious under 10x magnification. These inclusions can often times be seen face-up without magnification, sometimes affecting the stone’s durability.

Eye-Clean

A term used to describe a diamond or an inclusion that is not visible to the unaided eye when the diamond is held face-up. Nearly all VS clarity diamonds are eye-clean; most SI1 and SI2 clarity diamonds are eye-clean as well. Even I1 clarity diamonds are eye-clean.

Types of Clarity Characteristics

Crystal: Another mineral crystal contained in the diamond

Needle: A long thin crystal

Pinpoint: A very tiny crystal that looks like a dot. Often congregate in clusters or clouds