Emerald Cut Diamonds
While the round brilliant cut is the world's most popular diamond shape, emerald cut diamonds are also very common, and the emerald cut is definitely considered one of the classics.
Here's some information on what makes emerald cut diamonds special, as well as what you'll need to look out for when choosing one.
Emerald cut diamonds - The basics The emerald is a rectangular cut with long, square or rectangular facets, usually featuring one large facet in the front.
The name of the cut comes from the fact that this is the cut that has traditionally been applied to emeralds, and if you know what an emerald looks like, then you have a good idea as to what emerald diamonds will look like.
Among diamond cuts, the emerald is part of the step cut family.
The term "step cut" refers to any diamond shape with a square or rectangular base.
Emerald have a length to width ratio that usually falls somewhere between 1.
25 to 1.
75.
In other words, you won't find any perfectly square emerald diamonds.
Emeralds also feature cropped corners.
This is done in order to reduce the potential for breakage, as diamonds with 90-degree corners are very susceptible to cracking.
Emerald cut diamonds - Advantages One of the most attractive things about the emerald is its uniquely beautiful shape.
The huge popularity of other cuts, such as the round brilliant, makes the emerald stand out that much more.
Even compared to other step cuts, such as the Asscher cut, emerald tend to be more elongated and rectangular, rather than short and square in appearance, and their long facets serve to really highlight the clarity of the diamond.
Since the emerald is less popular than the round brilliant, emerald diamonds can actually be more affordable and therefore a better dollar value than round diamonds with otherwise similar properties.
While it's true that the emerald can't be used effectively with the same, common settings that are typically used for round brilliants (and are therefore the most common types of settings out there), if you're willing to limit yourself to settings that accommodate emerald cuts, you can find a great value with emerald cut diamonds.
Emerald cut diamonds - Finding the best value The key variable to look out for with emerald diamonds is the diamond's clarity grade.
Diamonds with relatively low clarity will have their flaws exposed with an emerald, so you probably won't want anything lower than a VS2 clarity grade, or else the appearance of the diamond will be compromised.
When it comes to the other grading criteria, emerald diamonds are otherwise similar to other cuts in terms of how you can find the best value.
For the cut grade, look for something in the area of "Very Good," while the color grade should probably be between G and I.
Finally, a carat weight of 1 or lower will give you the best bang for your buck, as always.
Here's some information on what makes emerald cut diamonds special, as well as what you'll need to look out for when choosing one.
Emerald cut diamonds - The basics The emerald is a rectangular cut with long, square or rectangular facets, usually featuring one large facet in the front.
The name of the cut comes from the fact that this is the cut that has traditionally been applied to emeralds, and if you know what an emerald looks like, then you have a good idea as to what emerald diamonds will look like.
Among diamond cuts, the emerald is part of the step cut family.
The term "step cut" refers to any diamond shape with a square or rectangular base.
Emerald have a length to width ratio that usually falls somewhere between 1.
25 to 1.
75.
In other words, you won't find any perfectly square emerald diamonds.
Emeralds also feature cropped corners.
This is done in order to reduce the potential for breakage, as diamonds with 90-degree corners are very susceptible to cracking.
Emerald cut diamonds - Advantages One of the most attractive things about the emerald is its uniquely beautiful shape.
The huge popularity of other cuts, such as the round brilliant, makes the emerald stand out that much more.
Even compared to other step cuts, such as the Asscher cut, emerald tend to be more elongated and rectangular, rather than short and square in appearance, and their long facets serve to really highlight the clarity of the diamond.
Since the emerald is less popular than the round brilliant, emerald diamonds can actually be more affordable and therefore a better dollar value than round diamonds with otherwise similar properties.
While it's true that the emerald can't be used effectively with the same, common settings that are typically used for round brilliants (and are therefore the most common types of settings out there), if you're willing to limit yourself to settings that accommodate emerald cuts, you can find a great value with emerald cut diamonds.
Emerald cut diamonds - Finding the best value The key variable to look out for with emerald diamonds is the diamond's clarity grade.
Diamonds with relatively low clarity will have their flaws exposed with an emerald, so you probably won't want anything lower than a VS2 clarity grade, or else the appearance of the diamond will be compromised.
When it comes to the other grading criteria, emerald diamonds are otherwise similar to other cuts in terms of how you can find the best value.
For the cut grade, look for something in the area of "Very Good," while the color grade should probably be between G and I.
Finally, a carat weight of 1 or lower will give you the best bang for your buck, as always.