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Which Diamond Shapes Looks the Biggest?
In this article, Afshin Shaddaie, one of the world’s foremost authorities on jewelry and diamonds, delves into the question of which diamond shapes appear the largest. With his expert insights, you’ll discover how different cuts can impact the perceived size of your diamond.
Click here to read our tips on how to make your diamond shape appear bigger.
Which Diamond Shapes Looks the Biggest?
The diamond shapes that look largest on the finger in comparison to their carat weight are marquise cut, oval cut, and pear cut. In second place, the next largest appearing diamond shapes are cushion cut and emerald cut.
Below is a rundown of each of the diamond shapes and how large they appear on the hand.
1. Marquise Cut Shape
The Marquise Cut is renowned for its elongated, boat-like shape. The shape maximizes the diamond’s top surface area and because of this it creates an illusion of a much larger stone. The tapered points at both ends draw the eye along the entire length of the diamond. It is for this reason that we believe that it has the largest appearance out of any diamond shape.
The Marquise’s shape also has a big appearance because it extends the diamond across the finger.
Expert Tips: To make a Marquise Cut diamond look even bigger, choose an elongated marquise cut that has a length-to-width ratio of around 1.75 to 2.25. Another good trick will be to add a tapered halo around the marquise that is narrow on the sides and larger at the ends.
2. Oval Cut Shape
The Oval Cut, like the marquise shape, is also fantastic at maximizing surface area, and also displays a much larger impression compared to its carat weight.
The oval shape stretches the diamond’s appearance, making it seem larger than its actual carat weight while also providing exceptional brilliance and fire due to its faceting style. It’s no surprise that the oval cut is so popular among celebrities.
Expert Tips: To enhance the size of an oval cut diamond, search for an elongated oval cut and aim for a length-to-width ratio between 1.35 and 1.50. A halo setting can add even more presence by encircling the diamond with smaller stones, especially if the halo is larger at the ends and narrow on the sides.
3. Pear Cut Shape
The Pear Cut diamond, also known as the teardrop cut, combines the brilliance of the round cut with the elongation of the marquise, making it one of the most popular shapes for creating the illusion of size. Its tapered point at one end and rounded end at the other stretch the diamond’s appearance, making it look larger than its actual carat weight. The unique shape naturally draws the eye along the length of the diamond, enhancing its perceived size, while its brilliant-cut facets help to reflect light beautifully.
Expert Tips: To maximize the size of a pear cut diamond, look for elongated stones with a offset length-to-width ratio, ideally around 1.70 or more. Choosing a setting that enhances its elongation, like a prong or halo setting, can make the diamond appear even larger, as it draws attention to the stone’s full shape.
4. Cushion Cut Shape
The Cushion Cut, in its rectangle or elongated variation can also appear a lot larger than another cut or similar weight. It is important to realize that this advantage will not really crossover for the square or roundish variations.
Additionally, the antique cushion cut shapes will also look much larger, especially the old mine cuts. Many of them will have smaller tables, large culets, and flatter proportions which will give off a much larger impression than the carat weight would suggest.
Expert Tips: To maximize the size of a cushion cut diamond, choose one with a shallower depth percentage, as deeper stones may look smaller from a top view. Opting for a halo setting can add extra dimension and make the stone appear larger, while a prong setting can elevate the diamond and increase its visibility.
5. Emerald Cut Shape
The Emerald Cut is known for its sleek, rectangular shape and step-cut facets, which create a hall-of-mirrors effect rather than the intense sparkle of brilliant-cut diamonds. While the emerald cut doesn’t maximize brilliance like other shapes, its wide, open table and long, clean lines make it appear large and elegant. The elongated form gives the stone a substantial top-down appearance, and the large surface area allows the diamond to look bigger than some deeper, more faceted cuts of the same carat weight.
Although the Emerald Cut will not be as large as the cuts mentioned above, it will look the largest of all the step-cut options.
Expert Tips: To make an Emerald Cut diamond look even larger, aim for a length-to-width ratio of around 1.50 or larger to achieve an elongated appearance. A bezel setting can frame the diamond and enhance its size without overwhelming its clean lines. A halo setting can also an elongated feeling if done correctly.
7. Rose Cut Shape
The Rose Cut, an antique style that became popular in the 16th century, features a flat base and a domed top with triangular facets. Unlike the modern diamond cuts, it lacks the bottom half (the pavilion), which means all its weight is concentrated at the top, making the diamond appear larger from a top-down view. Its flatter shape maximizes surface area, giving the illusion of a bigger stone.
Most rose cuts are round and so although it appears big because of its flatness, a lot of the illusion is lost because of its roundness.
Expert Tips: To maximize the size of a rose cut diamond, it’s important to prioritize surface area (“the spread”) over the depth. Because this cut sits lower on the finger, a wider surface will make it look larger. Additionally, the rose cut comes in many shapes, finding a cushion rose cut or oval rose cut, will give the diamond a massive appearance. A halo will also give the diamond a larger appearance.
7. Round Cut Shape
The Round Cut diamond is the most popular shape due to its unmatched brilliance and fire. Although it offers the highest level of sparkle, round diamonds tend to appear much smaller than marquise or oval cuts. Much of the weight of the round cut is concentrated in the depth rather than spread across the surface.
Expert Tips: To make a round cut diamond look larger, try to find a diamond with a shallower depth percentage. Additionally, choosing a halo setting which is taller at the north-south is an effective way to boost the appearance. Additionally, focusing on antique old European cut diamonds and old mine cut diamonds will also help find a diamond with a larger appearance.
8. Asscher, Radiant and Heart Shape
The Asscher, Radiant, and Princess Cuts are all square-shaped diamonds with step-cut facets or partial step-cut facets similar to the emerald cut, but with a squarer shape. Because of their squarish silluotte, these cuts struggle to give a large impression, and they usually appear equal to their carat weight.
We don’t recommend these diamond cuts if maximum appearance is your goal.
Expert Tips: If you plan on using these cuts and you still want to maximize the appearance of the diamond, you can add a halo to try and make the stone look larger. Additionally, you can opt for a vintage variation of these cuts as they will appear larger.
Benjamin’s Tips to Make Your Diamond Shape Look Bigger
I reached out to gemologist Benjamin Khordipour for his top tips to make diamonds appear bigger. Here are his top 6 tips. These tips are especially helpful for engagement rings.
- Add a Halo around the Diamond
- Pick the Best Diamond Shapes (See Above)
- Ratio of the Diamond
- Choose a Narrow Band
- Flat Stones and Rose Cuts
A. Add a Halo around the Diamond
One of the best tricks to make a diamond of any cut appear larger is to choose a halo setting, especially a halo with the same gemstone type as the center stone. This will give an impression, from afara at least, of a much larger stone.
As a bonus, the halo will help protect the center stone from breaking, catching objects or scratching. This is especially important for marquise and pear-cut diamonds.
B. Pick the Best Diamond Shapes
As mentioned in the first half of this article, there are diamond shapes that naturally appear larger than others.
C. Elongated Ratio Will Make the Diamond Shape Look Bigger
Another thing to bear in mind, depending on the cut you prefer, is the length-to-width ratio. A diamond with equal length and width proportions will often appear smaller than one with a more elongated shape. This is particularly true for cuts like the Marquise, Oval, and Pear, where a greater disparity between length and width can make the stone appear significantly larger.
Of course, to maximize the elongated ratio, make sure that you set the diamond from north-to-south instead of west-to-east.
D. Choose a Narrow Band
Picking a narrow band for the diamond ring is great way to make the center diamond seem much larger. The narrow band will draw attention to the stone itself, and by contrast make it appear really large.
E. Flat Stones and Rose Cuts
Another great way to give a larger impression is to find a (poorly cut) diamond that has a much wider width to height ratio than the commonly accepted criteria. The wider the stone, the larger the look.
Of course, if you have a very wide diamond, you’ll be sacrificing sparkle and brilliance, but you can’t have it all.
Another option, is to go with a rose-cut diamond. Rose cut diamonds have become increasingly popular over the past few years. It’s an antique look that has made a giant renaissance. But its especially the cushion rose cuts and oval rose cuts that will look larger, not so much the round ones.
Which Diamond Shape Looks Smallest?
If you want a diamond in your engagement ring to look small, go for the complex cuts or the round cuts. The heart-shaped and other complex diamond cuts will end up looking much smaller than the classic and simple cuts.
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