Choosing a Gemstone Cut for your Engagement Ring

One of the big questions put to us at Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design by customers is the age old question of which gemstone cut to decide upon for your engagement ring. There are so many great options, so we have put together a little breakdown of the most popular gemstone cuts from our engagement ring designs.

If something a bit more natural appeals to you, you could choose to have a more organic gemstone cut such as a cabochon cut or even an uncut gemstone. Gemstones in their natural state are called rough stones… and you can even have these set into you wedding jewellery! Did you know that when most rough gemstones are cut they loose around 50% of their original carat weight? Today gemstones are cut using a whole variety of techniques such as tumbling, sawing, grinding, sanding, polishing and, lapping.

Gemstone cuts have developed over time so that today there is a wide variety of cuts available including what are known as old cuts such as rose, single, old European and old mine cuts. The main gemstone cuts used in engagement rings and wedding rings today though consist of; brilliant cut, emerald cut, oval cut, cabochon cut and some more unusual options such as trillion cut, cushion cut and radiant cut, to name a few! So don’t feel like you have to stick to the traditional brilliant cut solitaire diamond engagement ring… there are literally thousands of design options out there and the gemstone cut is only one of those many different little decisions that you can make on your journey towards a truly unique engagement ring design!

Brilliant Cut

Brilliant cut gemstones are the most popular option for wedding jewellery such as engagement rings, wedding rings and even eternity rings. They are a round shaped stone, which have a similar shape to a cone. Brilliant cuts have the most fire and sparkle of the gemstone cuts. They were originally developed in 1919 by a man called Tolkowsky. They have changed a great deal over time but the modern brilliant cut stone consists of 58 facets in total. They look fantastic too in both modern and traditional designs, so they are a fabulous ‘all-rounder’ for your gemstone choice!

Pear Cut

They are known as a type of fancy cut gemstone. Their pointed and rounded ends give the appearance of a pear, but they are often called ‘teardrops’ too! They have been cut from as early as 1458… but still make a great choice for bold designs even today!

Oval Cut

This is another fancy cut gemstone, which is a variation on a round cut with an elliptical appearance. This gemstone cut looks absolutely fantastic in a solitaire style engagement ring!

Emerald Cut

These are known as a rectangular stepped cut due to their stair shape appearance. They generally suit subtle and traditional styled engagement rings as they have less sparkle than other gemstone cuts such as brilliant or oval cuts for example.

Princess Cut

This is the second most popular cut for diamonds and could be a great option for your engagement ring. They are a square cut and look fabulous in modern designs!

Of course if none of these appeal to you, don’t forget there is an almost continual list of more unusual gemstone cuts to choose from such as cushion, carre, asscher, laser, lucer, baguette, radiant, marquise, chequerboard, heart, trilliant…. And many many more!