Shape

Diamonds do not show all of their beauty as rough stones; instead, they must be cut and polished to exhibit the characteristic fire and brilliance that diamond gemstones are known for. Diamonds are cut into a variety of shapes that are generally designed to accentuate these features.

There are a wide variety of shapes, or cutting styles, and there are even variations in cutting style for every shape. The more popular shapes for diamonds are: round brilliant, princess, emerald, oval, radiant, marquise, pear, triangular (or trillion) and square emerald (asscher). The less common and more expensive diamonds are the star and crescent-shaped diamonds.