Diamonds are famous for their sparkly brilliance. While every stone will shine in certain lighting conditions, certain diamond cuts, or shapes have more noticeable sparkle than others. While round diamonds technically have the most sparkle, there are other factors that can make a diamond shine.
What Makes a Diamond Sparkle
A diamond’s cut is probably the most important of the 4 C’s (cut, clarity, color, carat) and shouldn’t be confused with the shape of a stone. Cut refers to how well a diamond’s facets interact with light which results in its level of sparkle. A stone’s facets are measured to examine brightness (internal and external white light reflection), fire (the scattering of white light into the colors of the rainbow) and scintillation (the amount of sparkle a diamond produces).
Diamonds are cut into shapes with numerous facets, each acting like a mirror reflecting light from one part of the diamond to another. The more facets a stone has been cut with, the more brilliant and sparkly it will be. If you choose a cut with less facets, then other characteristics of the stone like clarity and color will be more important.
A diamond’s cut is different from its shape. The shape of a stone refers to the general silhouette of it when viewed face up. There are many different diamond shapes, some of the most common are round, princess, oval and pear. Your style and lifestyle will help you determine the right shape for your diamond and then a jeweler will create the right cut to illuminate that shape to its full potential.
What Diamond Cut Has the Most Sparkle?
- The most brilliant, or sparkliest diamond cut with 58 facets is the round cut. The brilliance is unmatched, it offers a classic and timeless style and is also versatile depending on the setting and side stones.
- An oval is a modified version of the round cut with 56 facets, giving you similar sparkle with a more unique shape. This shape elongates the fingers and can give the illusion of a larger stone.
- A diamond cut in a princess is four-sided and offers sparkle and fire second to none, even compared to the round cut. The princess cut is also designed to give optimum brilliance.
- Pear cut diamonds are both traditional and brilliant, elongating your finger similar to an oval and making light dance similar to round cut diamonds.
- A cushion cut looks like a pillow and has a more antique or vintage appeal. It’s very good at reflecting light, giving it a high level of brilliance and fire.
- The radiant cut was developed specifically to combine the best aspects of round and emerald cuts, with 70 facets giving it a great ability to reflect light and create a beautiful sparkle.
- Heart cut diamonds are cut similarly to round with 56-58 facets. Since it’s more intricate, you’ll need to choose a larger stone to be able to recognize the shape.
- With 56 facets the marquise has a similar pattern to the round cut giving it excellent brilliance. It’s also one of the largest-looking diamonds.
- An emerald cut is elegant and timeless, basically a rectangular shape. Emerald cut diamonds look larger than many other shapes, even if the carat weight is less.
- With a hint of vintage charm and modern day sparkle, the asscher cut is a stunning blend of timeless beauty.
For extra diamond sparkle you’ll need to also consider the setting and could choose a halo or pavé. A halo setting features a loop of smaller diamonds that surround the center stone, boosting the perceived size of the center diamond and giving the ring extra presence. Pavé settings use a line of small diamonds that wrap around the band, adding a tasteful amount of extra sparkle to complement the center stone.
If you need help finding the perfect brilliant diamond and creating a custom ring, give us a call at 303-385-8449 or click here to schedule your appointment.