by: Amanti Leddar
Diamonds are hot favorites all over the world not only because of their dazzling beauty, but also because they are so versatile; they look good on anyone and match everything. Diamonds come in many styles and varieties, called cuts. The value of a diamond in terms of price and popularity depends on the various cuts. The more popular cuts are more expensive than the less popular cuts. This is because the cut of the diamond enhances its beauty. So, you can see two diamonds of equal weight but cut differently with a price difference of hundreds of dollars.
The most popular cut in diamonds is the round cut. When diamonds are cut to look like circles they sparkle brightly. A round brilliant cut is one of the most expensive cuts of diamond. Round cut diamonds are very popular on engagement rings because they look beautiful as part of a multi-stone ring or as a solitaire. The round cut diamond looks nice on practically any hand.
The princess cut is of marginal popularity. It looks good as a solitaire or in a three-stone setting with smaller princess cut diamonds on either side of a large diamond. A princess cut looks like a square and can be faceted to sparkle. Rings made with princess cut diamonds tend to make fingers look shorter and stubbier, so they are not the right choice for those with already short fingers. Those with long fingers can wear a princess cut without any hesitation whatsoever.
One of the least expensive of cuts for diamonds is the emerald cut. It costs a lot less than a round brilliant diamond. Emerald cut looks like a rectangle, and is cut to appear layered. It gets its name because this is the way emeralds have always been cut. The emerald, being softer than the diamond, often got fractured in the process of cutting. Then the experts discovered that the emerald could be cut in a special way to preserve its integrity. This gave emeralds more life, and it became fashionable to wear emeralds. Soon it was discovered that diamonds could also be cut in this fashion, and the cut was called the emrald cut.
Diamonds with a marquis cut look like thin ovals with pointed ends. This cut makes the fingers look longer and adds elegance to any hand. This cut is already more popular than the emerald cut. It is usually worn as a solitaire or as the center of a multi-stone ring. However, if all the stones are not marquis cut, a multi-stone ring with something else as the center looks odd with marquis side stones.
There are other styles of diamonds also such as baguette and pave, which are mainly used for side stones to provide accents. Once you know what type of cut you like, and what enhances the beauty of your hand, you can get a ring set with your favorite cut diamonds.