October 26, 2026

Diamond Shapes Guide: Oval, Cushion, Emerald, Pear and Marquise — and Their Antique Ancestors

Filed under Antique Diamonds & Diamond Cuts Antique & Vintage Engagement Rings Jewelry Eras & History Buying Guides

Loose old mine and old European cut diamonds on green velvet with brass calipers, a loupe and diamond cut diagrams.

Short answer: oval, pear and marquise diamonds look largest for their weight but can show a dark "bow-tie" across the middle; cushions are soft-cornered and romantic, descended from the antique old mine cut; emerald and Asscher cuts are step cuts that trade sparkle for broad flashes of light and show colour and inclusions more readily. Round brilliants cost the most per carat partly because cutting them wastes the most rough. Every popular shape has an antique ancestor, and knowing it helps you choose.

Choosing a diamond shape is usually treated as pure taste, and taste does matter most. But each shape also comes with practical consequences: how big it looks, how well it hides colour, how vulnerable its corners are, and how much you pay per carat. Those are worth knowing before you fall in love.

Most shape guides also stop at the present day, as if the oval and the cushion were invented for modern catalogues. They were not. Nearly every shape on a jeweler's tray today has a history running back through Art Deco, Victorian and Georgian jewelry, and the antique versions often look different in ways many people prefer.

How do diamond shapes compare at a glance?

The main shapes differ in face-up size, sparkle style, durability and price per carat. The table below compares them, with each shape's antique ancestor.

Shape	Cut style	Face-up size for weight	Common length-to-width preference	Shows colour and inclusions	Durability notes	Antique ancestor
Round	Brilliant	Baseline	1.00	Hides both well	No points; very robust	Old European cut, transitional cut
Oval	Brilliant	Looks larger	About 1.30 to 1.50	Hides well; colour can gather at the ends	No points; robust	Antique ovals, rare; old mine cut proportions
Cushion	Brilliant	Can look smaller; often deeper	1.00 to 1.05 square; 1.10 to 1.20 rectangular	Hides inclusions well; can show warmth	Rounded corners; robust	Old mine cut
Emerald	Step	Similar to round or slightly larger	About 1.30 to 1.50	Shows both more	Cut corners protect it	Art Deco step cuts, table cuts
Asscher	Step	Looks smaller; deep	1.00 to 1.05	Shows both more	Cut corners protect it	Asscher cut of 1902, Art Deco square step cuts
Pear	Brilliant	Looks larger	About 1.45 to 1.75	Colour can gather at the point	Point needs protection	Pendeloque, pear rose cuts
Marquise	Brilliant	Looks largest	About 1.75 to 2.25	Colour can gather at the points	Two points need protection	Navette, Georgian marquise rings
Princess	Brilliant	Looks smaller; deep	1.00 to 1.05	Hides inclusions fairly well	Sharp corners need protection	None; a late twentieth-century shape

Length-to-width figures are common market preferences, not rules. A slimmer or chubbier stone is simply a different look, and the right one is the one you like on the hand.

Why do round diamonds cost more per carat than other shapes?

Round brilliants cost more per carat mainly because cutting a round from rough diamond crystal usually loses more weight than cutting a fancy shape, and because demand for rounds is highest. Fancy shapes such as oval, pear and cushion often let a cutter save more of the crystal.

The modern round brilliant descends from the old European cut, refined through the transitional cuts of the early twentieth century; Marcel Tolkowsky's 1919 work on brilliant proportions was an important step. Our guide to transitional cut diamonds traces that evolution. The practical point: for the same budget, a fancy shape usually buys a larger-looking stone than a round.

What should you know about oval diamonds?

Oval diamonds are elongated brilliants that look larger than rounds of the same weight and flatter the finger, but many show a bow-tie: a dark band across the middle where light leaks out rather than returning to the eye.

Almost every oval has some bow-tie; the question is whether it is strong enough to bother you. It does not appear on a grading report, so judge it from video or in person, rocking the stone in different light. A length-to-width ratio around 1.30 to 1.50 is the classic look. Antique ovals exist but are uncommon; the old mine cut was usually cushion-shaped rather than truly oval, and an "antique oval" is worth examining carefully.

What should you know about cushion-cut diamonds?

Cushion cuts are square to rectangular brilliants with rounded corners and softly curved sides. They are the modern descendants of the old mine cut, the dominant diamond cut of the eighteenth and much of the nineteenth century.

Old mine cuts were cut by hand to save weight from the crystal, so they have a high crown, a small table, a deep pavilion and often a visible open culet. The result is broad, chunky flashes of light, especially beautiful in candlelight. Modern cushions vary widely: some echo that chunky look, others are cut with extra facets that produce a finely broken, "crushed ice" sparkle. Our comparison of antique and modern cushion cuts shows the difference, and our 1.06 carat old mine cut in an 18k gold bezel is a good example of the antique ancestor.

Because cushions often carry weight in their depth, they can look slightly smaller face-up than an oval of the same carat weight. They hide inclusions well and show a little warmth gracefully.

What should you know about emerald and Asscher cuts?

Emerald and Asscher cuts are step cuts: long, parallel facets arranged like steps, producing broad flashes of light and a hall-of-mirrors effect rather than scintillating sparkle. The emerald cut is rectangular; the Asscher is square, with deeply cut corners.

Step cuts are honest stones. Their open facets show inclusions and body colour more readily than brilliants, so it usually pays to choose higher clarity and colour, or to accept and enjoy a warmer stone. Their cut corners make them more durable than shapes with sharp points.

The Asscher cut is named for Joseph Asscher of Amsterdam, whose square step cut dates from 1902. Step cuts in many shapes, including baguettes, calibré stones and emerald cuts, became central to Art Deco jewelry in the 1920s and 1930s, which makes them a favourite target for reproductions. Our guide to spotting a reproduction Art Deco ring explains what to look for.

What should you know about pear and marquise diamonds?

Pear and marquise diamonds are pointed, elongated brilliants that look larger than their weight and lengthen the finger. Both can show a bow-tie, and their points are the most vulnerable parts of any diamond, so they need protective settings.

Pear. A teardrop: rounded at one end, pointed at the other. Its ancestor is the pendeloque, a pear-shaped faceted stone common in drop earrings and pendants, along with pear-shaped rose cuts. Look for a symmetrical outline with even "shoulders".
Marquise. A boat shape pointed at both ends, also called the navette, French for "little boat". It is associated with eighteenth-century France, and a popular story links it to the Marquise de Pompadour; treat that as legend. Georgian and later "marquise rings", long oval clusters of stones, borrow the same outline.

Colour tends to gather visibly at the points of both shapes, so a pear or marquise may look a shade warmer at the tips than in the centre.

Which diamond shapes are most durable?

Shapes without sharp points, such as round, oval, cushion, emerald and Asscher, are the most durable. Pear, marquise and princess cuts have points or sharp corners that can chip if struck, and should be protected by V-shaped prongs or a bezel.

Diamond is the hardest natural material but not the toughest; a hard knock at a thin point can chip it. A bezel, which surrounds the stone with metal, is the most protective option for any shape, and especially for pointed ones. Our guide to bezel-set engagement rings covers the trade-offs.

Which shapes show colour and inclusions the most?

Step cuts, emerald and Asscher, show colour and inclusions most; brilliant cuts, round, cushion and oval, hide them best. Elongated brilliants can show colour concentrated at their ends.

Choose a step cut only if you are happy with higher clarity and colour, or with a visibly warmer stone.
Choose a brilliant shape if you want to stretch the budget on clarity and colour.
Judge bow-ties in person or on video for ovals, pears and marquises.
Check the points and corners of pointed shapes for chips with a loupe.
Look at spread, not only carat weight: compare the measured face-up dimensions in millimetres.
Ask for the length-to-width ratio and decide what proportions you like.

How do antique cuts change the choice?

Antique cuts behave differently from their modern descendants: they were cut by eye, for candlelight, to save weight. They tend to show broader flashes of light, more individual character and, often, warmer colour.

The old mine cut leads to the cushion, the old European cut to the round, and the rose cut, with its flat base and domed facets, to nothing modern at all. Rose cuts were made in round, oval and pear outlines and give a soft, glowing look. Our guides to old European vs old mine cut diamonds and rose cut diamonds explain each, and why antique diamonds sparkle differently covers the optics.

A straight dealer will tell you the cut accurately, give measurements as well as weight, and disclose any recutting. Recutting an antique stone into a modern shape loses weight and character; it is worth knowing if it has happened.

Questions people actually ask

Which diamond shape looks biggest?

Marquise, oval and pear diamonds look biggest for their carat weight, because their elongated outlines spread the weight across a larger face-up area. Marquise usually looks largest of all. Cushion, Asscher and princess cuts often look smaller, because they carry more of their weight in depth. Compare face-up measurements in millimetres, not carat weight alone.

What is the bow-tie effect in a diamond?

The bow-tie is a dark band, shaped like a bow tie, across the centre of an elongated brilliant such as an oval, pear or marquise. It forms where light leaks through the pavilion instead of returning to the eye. Nearly all these shapes show some; a strong bow-tie dulls the stone. It is not graded on reports, so judge it by eye.

Why are round diamonds more expensive?

Round brilliants usually cost more per carat because cutting a round from rough diamond loses more of the crystal than many fancy shapes, and because demand for rounds is highest. Oval, pear, cushion and other fancy shapes often save more weight from the rough, so they generally cost less per carat at the same grades.

Is a cushion cut the same as an old mine cut?

Not quite. The old mine cut is the antique ancestor of the modern cushion: a hand-cut, cushion-shaped brilliant with a high crown, small table and often an open culet. Modern cushions share the outline but are cut by machine to modern proportions, and many have extra facets that give a finer, busier sparkle.

Do emerald cut diamonds show more flaws?

Yes. Emerald cuts are step cuts with broad, open facets that act like windows, so inclusions and body colour are easier to see than in brilliant shapes. Buyers usually choose higher clarity, or examine the stone carefully for eye-visible inclusions. In return, step cuts give long, elegant flashes of light that many people prefer.

Are pear and marquise diamonds fragile?

Their points are. Diamond is extremely hard but can chip if a thin point takes a sharp knock. Pear and marquise diamonds should be set with V-shaped prongs at the points or in a bezel, which protects the edges. Set that way, they are perfectly suitable for everyday rings.

What is the best diamond shape for an engagement ring?

The best shape is the one you love on your hand. Practically, round, oval and cushion shapes are durable and hide colour and inclusions well; emerald and Asscher cuts reward higher grades; pear and marquise look largest but need protected points. Antique versions of each, such as old mine and old European cuts, add softer, broader sparkle.

Browse our old cut diamonds to see antique shapes in person, or our engagement rings for finished pieces. If you want a particular shape or antique cut, our sourcing service will find it, and our bespoke service will set it. More on cuts sits in our diamond cuts archive.