What are popular diamond shapes (Shape)? What kind of diamond cuts are there?

The first question you should ask yourself is: what look/charisma do you want? Brilliant sparkling or prefer cool clear icy look? Maximum sparkle or a special shape?

3 diamond cut types:

• Brilliant cut → the most sparkle due to their ideal facet pattern
• Step cut → not as much sparkle, but are appealing because of their style
• Mixed grinding

Charisma:

• Brilliant sparkling diamonds (brilliant or mixed cut)
  • Round (= Brilliant)
  • marquise
  • Heart
  • Pear
  • Cushion (= Cushion modified Brilliant)
  • Radiant (= Cut-Cornered Rectangular modified Brilliant)
  • Oval
  • Princess
• Cool clear icy look (step cut)
  • Emerald
  • Asscher (= square Emerald)

If you want a “sparkle & brilliance” to it: ideal to combine: Eternity ring with many small sparkling diamonds to it.

Do sharp corners and edges bother you? If so, we recommend:

• Round
• Oval
• Cushion
• Emerald & Asscher (if cool clear icy look desired)

You can’t go wrong with a round diamond (= brilliant). They sparkle the most and are the best selling shape. They are classic, timeless and never go out of fashion.

In addition, round diamonds are also cut/cut graded, so you can tell quite accurately if this is a “good” stone or not.

From very large sizes, e.g. 10 carat (14mm = 1.4cm diameter), it may be that the round shape is too wide for the ring on your finger and therefore an oval shape is more beautiful.

IGI Cut Grades -> is “ideal” better than “excellent”?

Yes! IGI has made an additional higher category for the top-of-top stones of excellent = ideal.

Ideal = Top cut grade from IGI, which is higher than excellent.

At GIA the highest cut grade is excellent and corresponds to the IGI excellent.
The five criteria that IGI primarily uses to grade the cut of a diamond are: Total Depth, Girdle Thickness, Pavilion Depth, Crown Angle, and Table Width.

IMPORTANT: IGI’s “Ideal” = better than GIA Excellent.

IGI has an additional level for Best-of-Best of Excellent = Ideal.

Whereas both ideal & excellent are really excellent!