What To Look For In An Emerald Cut Diamond

All diamonds, including color diamonds, are graded based on the 4Cs: color, clarity, cut, and carat. Similarly, all diamond shapes can have a better cut or a worse cut. What makes one cut better than another? How important is it for a diamond to have a good cut? Let us take a look at the emerald cut and what conditions are ideal for this specific shape.

A 3.07ct fancy vivid orangy yellow diamond and a 1.07ct fancy vivid yellow diamond

The Step Cut

Emerald-shaped diamonds are created using the step cut. This is in stark contrast to the round diamond, which famously utilizes the brilliant cut. As its name implies, the step cut consists of step-like facets, which are quite large, and get smaller as they reach the center of the diamond. Therefore, emerald cut diamonds have larger tables, tend to appear larger than their carat weight, can elongate one’s finger, are less capable of hiding flaws and poor color, and depend very much on the quality of the stone’s cut.

Fancy Deep Orangy Yellow Emerald Diamond Halo Ring (1.23Ct TW)

Less Brilliance, More Shine

All diamonds are beautiful, but not necessarily for the same reason. A round diamond is mostly admired for its extraordinary brilliance that it exudes thanks to its many facets positioned around its round shape. Emerald diamonds on the other hand are coveted for the clean shimmer they tend to display as a result of their large top. Therefore, a diamond cutter will only select an appropriate stone for an emerald cut, meaning something with a high clarity and a good color grade that will look top-notch once polished. The stone may not be as brilliant as some of the other cuts, but they will display an excellent shine due to the mirror-like appearance of the cut.

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A 5.01 carat fancy vivid yellow emerald diamond ring

Ideal Emerald Diamond Cuts

While there is no clear cut consensus regarding the ideal cut parameters that an emerald diamond should possess, there are certain guidelines that could help direct you towards the better stones. To clarify, the GIA does not give grades for cut for emerald cut diamonds, though it does provide grades for symmetry and polish. The following is a recommendation for a desirable cut: table size of 61%-69%, depth of 61%-67%, a very thin to slightly thin girdle, no culet or a very small one, a length/width ratio of 1.40-1.50. However, every stone is different and the final result will depend highly on the main attributes of the stone.

The 5.01 carat vivid yellow diamond ring up close

Although all of the 4 Cs are of equal importance when discussing colorless diamonds, there are a couple of factors that are slightly more important in regards to emerald cut diamonds. Because the stone is so exposed with this cut, there is nowhere for flaws or poor color to hide. Therefore it is highly recommended to go for a diamond with a VS2 grade or higher and a stone within the D-F, G-I color range. Carat size is something that can be flexible as emerald cut diamonds look much larger than they actually are.