It’s no secret diamonds are valuable, but estimating their worth can be tricky. While most people know the value of a diamond is determined by the four C’s, carat, clarity, color, and cut, few know that other factors can influence the price of a diamond. One of these factors is the stone’s shape, which can significantly affect the cost of a piece of jewelry. Before you invest in a diamond ring or sell any old jewelry, take a look at how diamond shape affects value.
The Difference Between Diamond Cut And Diamond Shape
Many people don’t realize that a diamond’s cut and a diamond’s shape are two different characteristics of the stone, both of which are considered when determining a diamond’s cost. A diamond’s shape refers to its geometrical form, such as round or square. The cut of a diamond relates to the unique facets that allow the stone to reflect light, producing shine and sparkle. While a rough diamond does need to be cut to be shaped, the two properties hold entirely different meanings when it comes to deciding a stone’s value.
The Importance Of A Diamond’s Cut
The quality of a diamond’s cut determines more than how it sparkles. A poorly cut diamond will not only appear dull, but its value will decrease drastically. How well a diamond is cut will determine its quality, which is graded and placed into four categories; fair, good, very good, and excellent. Only a professional can grade a diamond, following the guidelines of the world’s most authoritative laboratory, the Gemological Institute of America or the GIA. After the cut is considered, the next factor when determining a diamond’s worth is its shape.
Popular Shapes Of Diamonds
Round
A round shaped diamond is the most popular on the market as they’re able to maximize reflected light. This quality gives round diamonds the kind of sparkle that most people associate with the stone. Any diamond that is not round is considered a fancy shape diamond.
Princess
Princess diamonds are square in shape with four pointed corners. Currently, they’re the most popular of the fancy shape diamonds and the second most popular diamond shape overall.
Oval
Oval-shaped diamonds come in an assortment of dimensions that are often found in vintage or vintage style jewelry. They’re not as popular as other diamond shapes, but they often appear more significant than round stones, seeming more valuable than their price tag would suggest.
Cushion
Often confused with princess diamonds, the cushion-shaped stone gets its name from the large facets and rounded corners that cause it to resemble a pillow. When the stone is set in a gold pendant or ring, the face of the diamond looks like a square, making them difficult to decipher from most princess diamonds. The difference is in their corners, as cushion diamonds have rounded edges while a princess diamond’s corners are set at 90-degree angles.
Pear
As one of the lesser sought after shapes, pear diamonds resemble a teardrop. Since this shape is so difficult to cut, it’s rare to find a pear-shaped diamond of good quality. That doesn’t mean that they don’t exist, but you might need to look harder.
Emerald
Rectangular in shape, emerald diamonds are most recognized for their step-like cuts on each of its sides. The emerald shape appears larger than other diamonds of the same carat when it’s actually the least expensive diamond shape. Its added size is due to the emerald diamond’s large surface area and cuts that give off the illusion of mass.
Heart
We’re all familiar with the shape of a heart, but you might be surprised to learn that heart-shaped diamonds aren’t very popular. This is due to the fact that they’re hard to cut and are often the most expensive diamond shape. Still, many people choose heart diamonds for their engagement rings or wedding bands as a symbol of their love.
Marquise
Named after King Louis XV’s mistress Marquise de Pompadour, a marquise diamond most resembles the shape of a football. When it was commissioned by the king in the 19th century, he originally asked that it be cut to look like his mistress’ lips. While this stone shape is still around, it’s not as popular as the others.
Shapes Of Diamonds Matter
Every diamond is unique in its own way. The shape and cut determine how the stone reflects the light, ultimately giving it that sparkle factor that so many people look for in their diamonds. It can also give the illusion that a diamond is bigger than it really is, which can fool people into thinking they have a piece of jewelry that is worth a lot of money. Whether you’re selling old jewelry or looking to buy something new, the shape of the diamond affects the price.
The Different Diamond Stone Cuts And Shapes
While the quality of the cut is important when determining a diamond’s value, its shape is also taken into consideration. Since a round diamond is thought to hold the most value when compared to the other shapes, it will almost always be given a higher price than any other shape with similar clarity, color, and carat weight. This leaves many wondering, why are round diamonds more expensive?
Why Round Stones Are The Most Expensive Diamond Cut
Round diamonds make up more than half of the diamonds sold in the United States according to reports, making them more than twice as popular as the second most commonly purchased shape, princess diamonds. Even though various engagement ring trends, the round diamond has managed to remain far more popular than any other style. Their high demand makes them the most expensive diamond shape, but that’s not the only factor.
Round Diamonds Reflect The Light Better
Round diamonds are cut in a way that makes them shine brilliantly. They have that bright shine people want when picking out their jewelry, especially when it’s something that will be worn often like an engagement ring or wedding band. Round diamonds are proportional, which allows light to reflect back in a way that makes the stone look brighter and more appealing.
Round Diamonds Require More Raw Material
A round diamond requires a larger rough diamond to cut it from than any other shape does. The goal when cutting a diamond is to keep the amount of waste as minimal as possible. Round cut diamonds result in more waste than other shapes. This factor makes them more valuable per carat than fancy shaped diamonds.
Other Diamond Cut Shapes Aren’t As Precise
When you purchase a round diamond, you know exactly what you’re getting as they’re all cut the same way. That’s not the case with other diamond shapes. Princess cut diamonds, for example, are often considered to be square. They’re not always precisely square and are often more rectangular. These flaws can negatively affect the quality of the cut as well as the way in which the diamond reflects the light, ultimately reducing its value. This isn’t a problem with round-shaped diamonds as they’re far easier to cut precisely.
Learning How Much Your Diamond Jewelry Is Worth
If you’ve acquired a sizable jewelry collection over the years and you’re looking to lighten the load, you’ve probably got a few pieces you’d like to sell. While doing your research can certainly help you to better understand how the cost of a diamond is determined, only a trained expert can come up with an accurate value.
Whether you have unwanted diamonds or gold, sell your jewelry with confidence at one of Truval’s convenient New York City locations. Simply set up an appointment with one of our trusted and knowledgeable appraisers who will provide you with an offer in no time at all. If that isn’t easy enough for you, we also offer online appraisals where you can sell jewelry by overnight mail. It’s free, insured, and completely secure. Get cash for your unwanted diamonds and gold today!