How Many Facets Does a Diamond Have?

Diamonds have many facets, but the amount isn’t the same for each type of shape. In this article, we will explain how many facets a diamond has.

In this authoritative article, world-renowned jewelry expert Afshin Shaddaie gives precise numbers for the facet breakdown of all the popular diamond cuts.

Amount of Facets in a Diamond

The gold standard for facets is generally thought to be 58. In fact, the standard size for round brilliants, cushions, hearts, emeralds, and oval diamonds are all 58 facets. However, some shapes have less than that, and some have more.

Jump ahead: Round Cut Diamonds | Cushion-Cut Diamonds | Princess-Cut Diamonds | Asscher Cut Diamonds | Emerald-Cut Diamond | Oval-Cut Diamond | Pear-Cut Diamond | Marquise Cut Diamond

Facets in Round Diamond

The round brilliant-cut diamond technically has 58 facets, but since the culet facet isn’t visible, many will not include it, bringing the facet number to 57. It is the most common diamond cut, and its facet pattern is undoubtedly the most famous among all diamonds. The facets are divided into 33 on the crown, one culet, and 24 on the pavilion.

According to everyone, the antique old European cut diamond has 58 facets, and the culet facet is easily visible and identifiable. Learn more about the old European cut diamond.

Facets in Cushion-Cut Diamond

A cushion-cut diamond can have 57, 58, 59, or 64 facets, and some modified cushion-cut diamonds will have even more than 64 facets.

Until recent modifications, the cushion-cut diamond was the same as the round-cut brilliant diamond but with a cushion shape instead. Now, there is the brilliant cut and the modified brilliant cut.

Important Note: Many websites claim that there is another cushion cut type called cushion-modified brilliant hybrid. This is a mistake. The “Cushion-modified brilliant hybrid” is another name for the cushion-modified brilliant. In fact, the GIA will not grade cushion cuts with the name “hybrid” in it. Like all Cushion-Modified Brilliant cuts, it will have 57 – 64 facets.

Although the original antique cushion-cut diamonds always had 57 culets plus one culet (total 58), the popular modern cushion cuts usually have an extra row of facets on the bottom (pavilion), giving them a more “crushed-ice” effect.

For the simplicity of the article, we are considering the old mine cut to be within the same category as the antique cushion cut diamond.

Extra Note: The perimeter shape of the cushion cut does not impact the number of facets of the diamond.

Facets in Princess-Cut Diamond

A princess-cut diamond (also known as the Square Modified Brilliant) will have 46 – 54 facets. The breakdown of the facets is 21 facets on the crown itself, one on the culet, and depending on the number of chevrons, either 24, 28, or 32.

The chevrons are the faceting pattern surrounding the X-shaped faceting in the pavilion of the princess-cut diamond. Each additional chevron adds four more facets to the diamond.

Facets in Emerald-Cut Diamond

An emerald-cut diamond has 58 facets and features a step-cut diamond pattern. The facets are divided into 25 on the crown, one culet, and 32 on the pavilion. An antique emerald-cut diamond will have the same facet amount (58 facets) and structure, but the culet will be much larger, and the crown will be smaller and taller.

The ideal ratio for the height and width of an emerald cut is 1:1.40 to 1:1.50. Any squarer, and it will start looking like an Asscher cut (see below), and any narrower, it will start feeling very elongated.

Facets in Asscher Cut Diamond

An Asscher cut diamond (aka square emerald cut) has 58 facets. The breakdown of the facets is 25 facets on the crown, one culet, and 32 facets on the pavilion. The Royal Asscher Cut diamond has 74 facets, as the pavilion has an extra two rows of facets.

The antique Asscher cut also has 58 facets, but the culet at the bottom is much more pronounced and easy to see.

Facets in Oval Cut Diamond

The oval-cut diamond is just an elongated round-cut brilliant diamond, and it also has 58 facets. The breakdown of the facets is 33 facets on the crown, one culet, and 24 facets on the pavilion. Antique oval cuts also have 58 facets, but the culet will be much larger than modern oval cuts and readily visible when looking down through the table.

Facets in Pear Cut Diamond

The pear-cut diamond is an alternate form of the round-cut brilliant diamond and has 58 facets. Its facet breakdown is 33 on the crown, one culet, and 24 on the pavilion.

Although the dimensions are heavily skewed on the sharper side of the pear-cut diamond, the actual number of facets is the same as that of a round-cut or oval-cut diamond.

Facets in Marquise Cut Diamond

The marquise-cut diamond is yet another form of the round-cut brilliant diamond and also has 58 facets. The facets can be broken down to 33 facets on the crown, one culet facet at the bottom, and 24 facets on the pavilion.

The antique marquise cut diamond will also have 58 facets, but the culet facet at the bottom will be much larger (like an old European cut).

Diamond Types and Facet Accuracy

The facet amounts, patterns, and breakdowns mentioned above do not apply to all types of diamonds. Generally, only genuine natural diamonds will be upheld to these standards. Lab-grown, fake, CZ, and artificial diamonds will likely have cuts that do not follow recommended standards.

1. Natural Diamonds 

Due to the high price of diamonds, diamond cutters, and owners usually invest a lot of time and energy to ensure that the diamond is cut optimally. They’ll usually want to get a certificate, and they want the certificate to give the diamond cutting a high score.

For that reason, it is infrequent to find a genuine natural diamond without the exact number of facets listed above. It can happen, but in my decades of experience, I can tell you that it is very rare.

2. CZ and Fake Diamonds 

Cubic Zirconia and other types of fake diamonds usually cost a few dollars per diamond. They will look genuine to the untrained eye, but anyone who has learned a little about diamonds will very quickly be able to determine that they’re fake.

Additionally, their facet patterns and facet numbers will usually be completely off-target. The manufacturers who bulk produce fake diamonds typically don’t spend much time trying to get the “gemstone” facet pattern to perfectly line up with the facet pattern of a genuine diamond.

3. Lab-Grown Diamonds 

Lab-grown (or man-made) diamonds have become popular over the past few years. These are commercial-use diamonds that were created artificially in a laboratory. And as the technology for manufacturing these diamonds improves, their price decreases. At first, the man-made diamond’s price was 30% of the price of a regular diamond. Today, you’ll find artificial diamonds that are 50% cheaper. We predict that they will keep on dropping in price.

Of course, this is very bad for anyone who invests in lab-grown diamonds.

Generally speaking, though, the cutting technique used for lab diamonds is pretty much equal to that used for natural diamonds. The cost of acquiring lab diamonds is still high enough to ensure that the quality of the cut remains high, though this may not always remain the case over time.

Warning: There is a big risk when buying Lab-Grown Diamonds. Read our article on lab-grown diamonds.

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