What is a bow-tie in a diamond?

A dark shadow across the middle of elongated shapes such as oval, pear and marquise, caused by the cut blocking light. Every one has it slightly; a well-cut stone keeps it faint.

Diamond Shape Guide

Q: Which diamond shape is most durable?

Round, oval and cushion, because they have no points or sharp corners to chip. Princess, pear and marquise all have vulnerable areas that the setting should protect.

Q: Which diamond shape hides inclusions best?

Round, by a wide margin, because its faceting scatters light enough to mask small flaws. Emerald cut is the opposite; its open table shows everything.

All seven shapes we set, what each one actually looks like on a hand, and which suits which ring.

How Shape Changes the Ring

Two diamonds of identical carat weight can look meaningfully different sizes depending on shape. Weight is mass; what you see is surface area across the top of the finger.

Elongated shapes spread that weight out. Compact shapes carry it deeper. Neither is better — but knowing which is which is the difference between a ring that fits the hand and one that fights it.

Round Brilliant

The most brilliant shape, and the most forgiving. Fifty-seven facets engineered to return light, which means a round hides slight colour and inclusions better than any other cut. It is also the most expensive per carat, because cutting one wastes the most rough.

Reads: smaller per carat than elongated shapes. Best for: anyone who wants maximum sparkle and the safest long-term choice.

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Oval

A round stretched along one axis. It keeps most of the round's brilliance while covering noticeably more finger — an oval typically looks about ten percent larger than a round of the same weight, and it lengthens the hand.

Watch for the bow-tie: a dark band across the centre caused by a poor cut. Every oval has one to some degree; a good one is barely visible.

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Princess

Square, sharp-cornered, and the most brilliant of the step-adjacent cuts. A princess gives more stone for the money than a round because it wastes less rough in cutting.

The corners are the weak point — they are the thinnest part of the stone and where chips start. A setting that shields them, like a bezel or V-prongs, matters more here than on any other shape.

Shop Princess Cut Engagement Rings

Emerald Cut

A step cut, not a brilliant. Long parallel facets produce broad flashes of light rather than fine sparkle — quieter, more architectural, and unmistakably deliberate.

Because there is nowhere to hide, clarity matters more here than in any other shape. An inclusion a round would conceal is visible through an emerald's open table. Buy clarity before size with this cut.

Shop Emerald Cut Engagement Rings

Cushion

A square or rectangle with rounded corners — the shape most antique diamonds were cut in, and the reason cushions read as vintage. Larger facets give a softer, warmer fire than a round's tight sparkle.

Elongated cushions sit between cushion and radiant and are worth seeing in person; the ratio changes the character of the stone considerably.

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Pear

Half round, half marquise. It elongates the finger like an oval but with more personality, and it is still uncommon enough to feel like a choice rather than a default.

The point needs protecting — a V-prong is standard at the tip for good reason. Symmetry is everything on a pear: any lean is obvious once you know to look for it.

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Marquise

The largest apparent size of any shape at a given carat weight — a marquise covers more finger than anything else per dollar of stone. Two points, maximum spread, unmistakable silhouette.

Like the oval it can show a bow-tie, and like the pear both points want protecting. If you want the most visible stone for the budget, this is the shape.

Shop Marquise Engagement Rings

Shape	Sparkle	Size per Carat	Hides Inclusions	Durability
Round	Highest	Lowest	Excellent	Excellent
Oval	High	High	Good	Excellent
Princess	High	Medium	Good	Corners vulnerable
Emerald	Low, broad flashes	High	Poor	Very good
Cushion	Medium-high	Medium	Good	Excellent
Pear	High	High	Good	Point vulnerable
Marquise	Medium-high	Highest	Good	Points vulnerable

Next: Choose a Setting

Shape decides what the stone looks like. The setting decides how it sits, how much light reaches it, and how it survives daily wear.

Read the Setting Guide Back to the Engagement Ring Guide

Questions we hear frequently

Marquise, then pear and oval. All three spread weight across the finger rather than down into the stone.

A dark shadow across the middle of elongated shapes — oval, pear, marquise — caused by the cut blocking light. Every one has it slightly; a well-cut stone keeps it faint.

Round, oval and cushion — no points or sharp corners to chip. Princess, pear and marquise all have vulnerable areas that the setting should protect.

Round, by a wide margin — its faceting scatters light enough to mask small flaws. Emerald cut is the opposite; its open table shows everything, so pay for clarity there.