If you are interested in learning a little about what diamond shapes are available for engagement rings, the following article may be of some interest. Diamond engagement rings can be purchased in any shape, weight, cut, color and clarity of Diamant. It is therefore wise to find out what is available before parting with your hard earned money.

First of all, we have the Round Brilliant Cut diamond. Variations exist, but essentially, this is always a favourite and will most likely remain the best selling of all diamond shapes. It has 57 facets usually and can be found from under 1mm in size and upwards. The proportions can vary enormously and it is a wise investment paying that little bit extra for a very nicely cut stone. Engagement ring designs vary enormously from claw or prong settings to bezel or rub-over settings.

The Princess Cut is the classic square shaped diamond. Most typically this stone is found with equal sides, although some slight rectangular diamonds are available at greater discounted prices. Princess Cuts have a greater depth than the round brilliant cut and weight slightly heavier for the measurement. A 5mm round will typically weigh 0.50cts but will be more like 0.75cts in a Princess Cut. It was created in 1980 and generally has 76 facets although other similar cuts do exist. It is one of the most popular shapes available today. Princess Cut engagement rings often lend themselves quite well to designs focusing on the four corners. Box claws often protect these most vulnerable parts of the stone. Shallower, larger spreading diamonds often do not throw light back as well as a nicely cut stone, so, as with most diamond shapes, it is always advisable to opt for a very good cut.

The Emerald Cut is another true classic. It is usually rectangular and is step cut. Emerald cuts are more subtle and understated, without the fire of the brilliant cuts. Variations exist in the model of stones available. They can be long and slim or short and fat. It is always best to go for a length between 1.5 to 1.75 times the stone’s width. The step cut arrangement of facets provides a very different look from the brilliant cuts. Similarly cut stones on each side of a large centre diamond make wonderful 3 stone diamond engagement rings.

The final shape we will look at here is to be found in Marquise Cut engagement rings. The Marquise Brilliant is supposed to be cut in the shape of the mouth of the Marquise of Pompadour, commissioned by King Louis XIV. It is by far one of the most beautiful diamond shapes for engagement rings and is most attractive when the length to width ratio is between 1.85: 1 and 2: 1. The typical Marquise is cut with 56 facets. It is often described as boat shaped.

Fancy Colored Diamonds – How They Are Rated

Fancy diamonds are interesting because they seem to flout the rules of diamond buying. For one, they are well below the D-Z color threshold and yet that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re less expensive than the lower tier diamonds. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Some of the diamonds in this category are among the most expensive ever sold, just look at one of the greatest diamonds of all: The Hope Diamond, a fancy blue.

So wrap your head around that. We had talked earlier about how the more yellow you find in a diamond, the less it is worth. But this is because small bits of color detract from the beauty of the whiteness inherent in a diamond. Now suppose that there was more yellow than white. This is, in some cases, more rare than finding a diamond with absolutely no yellow. And rarity is the foundation of anything of great value.

So how rare are these sparkling beauties? Well, only about one in ten thousand stones manages to qualify for the term “fancy colored diamond.”

And so by all accounts we’re in a different diamond realm here. Even the handling of them is different from colorless diamonds. Where as a clear diamond would be cut to emphasize the brilliance, the sparkle of a typical diamond, a fancy diamond is cut in an effort to maximize the color. As for shape, a fancy diamond won’t necessarily fall under the

Levels of Intensity

Just because these diamonds are fancy doesn’t mean they can flout the rules of diamond grading. These special diamonds have to be measured and compared to one another just like regular diamonds. But whereas “white” diamonds are judged by their lack of color, fancy stones are rated by “vibrancy”.

The lowest end of the spectrum is “Faint” and this category only barely manages to evoke the beauty that a true fancy Amethyst is capable of. Next comes “Very Light” and then simply “Light.” Each of these grades represent an increase of any given color, a deepening of that shade. Then comes “Fancy Light.” Now we’re in fancy territory.

A grade above Fancy Light is “Fancy”. Followed by this designation would be the color of the diamond in question. So if it was yellow, it would be a Fancy Light Yellow unless it had a deeper yellowing and was therefore a Fancy Yellow. Are you catching on? After Fancy comes “Fancy Intense”, which is about as expensive as it sounds. This is where we start getting into the territory reserved for celebrities, athletes, and other millionaires.

After Fancy Intense comes even more color mania: Fancy Vivid. If you’ve ever seen a Fancy Vivid Yellow, you’ve got a pretty good idea of the insane amount of color intensity inherent in the stone. In a way, it’s almost miraculous that diamonds can be so colorful. If they weren’t rare, of course, there wouldn’t be such a high premium on them. But it is important to remember that these grades aren’t the be-all and end-all of fancy diamonds. In truth, the color shades are so crazy and varied that sometimes even this type of regulation doesn’t quite reveal the intensity or value of any given fancy diamond. Either way, it is still a nice, trusty chart to depend on.

And it is also important to note that Yellow is one of the best fancy colors for orderly grading. Some of the other colors are just too wildly disparate to really rely on these lines of demarcation. Take Fancy Brown diamonds, for instance. Since the different tints of brown border on yellow, orange, and even green, it can sometimes be impossible to say it’s a fancy deep brown when it might be a fancy dark orange.