Diamond Shapes Guide: 10 Shapes Compared on Sparkle, Size and Price

Shape is the outline of a diamond seen from above. It's mostly a matter of taste, but it also changes how much sparkle you get, how big the diamond looks for its weight, how easily you see color and inclusions, and the price. Round brilliants cost the most per carat: cutting a round wastes more of the rough crystal, and it's the shape most people ask for. Most other shapes, called fancy shapes, cost noticeably less with the same grades.

Diamond Shapes at a Glance

How the ten common shapes compare:

The Brilliant Shapes

Brilliant cuts have many triangular and kite-shaped facets that break light into sparkle. They're the most forgiving shapes for color and inclusions.

• •Round brilliant — The most sparkle, and the only shape GIA gives a cut grade (see the diamond cut chart). Classic, and the highest price per carat.
• •Oval — Looks larger than a round of the same weight and makes fingers look longer. Most ovals show some bow-tie, a dark band across the middle; choose one where it's faint. A length-to-width ratio of about 1.30–1.50 is the classic look.
• •Cushion — A square or slightly rectangular shape with rounded corners and a softer, glowing sparkle. Cushions hold more weight in their depth, so they look a little smaller, and they can show color more than rounds.
• •Princess — A square with sharp corners and lots of sparkle. Good value per carat, but the corners chip easily, so set it with prongs or a setting that covers them.
• •Radiant — A rectangle or square with trimmed corners and brilliant facets. Lively, hides inclusions well, and the cropped corners make it more durable than a princess.
• •Pear — A teardrop that combines a round end and a point. Look for even shoulders and a faint bow-tie; color tends to collect at the point.
• •Marquise — A long, pointed oval that looks the largest of any shape for its weight. Protect the two points, and check the bow-tie.
• •Heart — Looks best from about half a carat up, where the shape reads clearly. Symmetry between the two lobes matters most.

The Step Cuts: Emerald and Asscher

Step cuts have long, parallel facets like a staircase. Instead of sparkle they give broad, calm flashes of light, the "hall of mirrors" look. Their large open facets show inclusions and color more easily than brilliant shapes, so buyers usually choose a higher clarity and color for an emerald or Asscher cut than they would for a round. Emerald cuts are rectangular; Asscher cuts are square with cut corners and a deeper, more vintage look. Our clarity chart and color chart explain the grades.

How Shape Changes Price

With the same carat, color and clarity, a round brilliant costs more than any fancy shape, often by a wide margin. Fancy shapes also vary among themselves with demand: popular shapes like ovals hold their prices better than less requested ones. Shape changes size too. The carat size chart shows how big a 1-carat diamond is in each shape, which helps when the budget is fixed and you want the most visible size.

How to Choose

A few rules of thumb:

• •Most sparkle — Round, then radiant, oval and princess.
• •Biggest look for the budget — Oval, pear or marquise.
• •Vintage or elegant — Cushion, emerald or Asscher.
• •Hiding color and inclusions — Round, radiant or princess.
• •Everyday durability — Shapes without sharp points, or protect the points with the setting.

Check Any Diamond's Price

Enter a GIA report number to see how the diamond's shape, proportions and grades affect its estimated price, with quality checks that flag problems before you buy.