A TIMELESS, CLASSIC CHOICE FOR THE ELEGANT WOMAN: THE EMERALD CUT

A TIMELESS, CLASSIC CHOICE FOR THE ELEGANT WOMAN: THE EMERALD CUT

An engagement ring is one of the largest investments you’ll make in your life. It is the most symbolic, meaningful, and sentimental piece of jewelry that your partner is going to see every day, and every time your future partner looks down at their ring and sees that breathtaking sparkle, it will bring her immense joy and she’ll think of you.

Her ring should be a statement of her personal style, so if the love of your life has a classic, elegant, vintage style then the emerald cut diamond is the perfect choice for her ring. Emerald cuts are one of the oldest diamond cuts that are still trendy, and they look great as a solitaire ring with one stone, or as a three-stone ring with bullets, trapezoids, or tapered baguettes on either side. They were popularized by Harry Winston (of which I am an alumnus) and have become a favorite for celebrities like Beyonce, Kate Hudson, Victoria Beckham, and Amal Clooney. The emerald cut evokes romantic, nostalgic imagery of New York City in the roaring 1920’s, Baroque Mansions, and a life of luxury.

I’m going to walk you through everything to consider with cut, color, clarity and carat weight when seeking out that perfect emerald cut diamond.



  



CLARITY

We are going to start with clarity because for an Emerald Cut, the clarity should be your largest investment. The Emerald Cut is referred to in the diamond industry as ‘the Honest Cut’ because its step-cut structure makes it impossible to hide inclusions. An emerald cut creates a ‘hall of mirrors’ effect where every inclusion is magnified and actually repeats within the stone. You don’t want to go anywhere lower than VS2, and VVS1 to VVS2 is the best range. Keep in mind, the larger the stone, the more noticeable the clarity.

 

CUT

The emerald cut’s step cuts, give the emerald diamond a signature flash instead of a sparkle that you would get from a round brilliant or radiant cut. With an emerald cut, the most important aspect to look for is symmetry. If an emerald cut’s step cuts are not symmetrical (and the lines are not parallel) then the diamond will not refract light correctly. On a GIA certificate, look for a symmetry grading of ‘Excellent’. The polish of an emerald cut can just be ‘Very Good’, so there’s no need to splurge on an expensive polish.

Another important aspect of the cut is the ratio. We call it Goldilocks Syndrome: You don’t want a stone to be too wide or too narrow, but just right! The perfect ratio for an Emerald Cut is between 1:3 or 1:45, depending on your personal preference. These ratios are calculated by dividing the length by the width.

A 1:3 ratio emerald cut is wider, which makes it a great choice for a woman with a ring size of 6-8.5 because the width of the diamond will cover her finger more, creating a flattering look. 1:45 ratio emerald cuts are the most popular, and this is usually considered the standard. If you go with a ratio higher than 1:45, you run the risk of the emerald cut getting too narrow, and the step cuts will get too condensed and scrunched up, meaning you won’t be able to appreciate this mesmerizing cut. At Miss Diamond Ring, we ask for pictures of your partner’s hand and her ring size so that we can choose the perfect ratio for you.



  



COLOR

If investing in the clarity and cut seems daunting, I have good news! Emerald cuts mask color much better than their sister cuts oval, cushion, or radiant. This is because oval, radiant, and cushion cuts have 58-70 facets, condensing everything and magnifying the color. This means you can safely choose a lower color to cut costs without the color even being noticeable.

With an emerald cut, an I color can look like an F or a G. A great diamond sourcer will be able to find a lower color diamond that faces up like a higher color, saving you money that you can choose to invest in other important aspects of the ring, like the metal, side stones, or that ever-important clarity. If you can stay in the colorless range (D, E, F) then that’s perfect, but these colors tend to be pricier, and not everyone can stay in that range and meet their carat weight with their budget. The sweet spot is the near-colorless range (G, H, I).

At Miss Diamond Ring, we specialize in ‘Up a Color’ settings, where we set lower color stones in the perfect yellow gold setting to up the color even more. With an ‘Up a Color’ setting and an Emerald Cut, you could even go down to a J color!

CARAT WEIGHT

Like I said before, the Emerald Cut is the Honest Cut. Sometimes there are ‘hacks’ you can do to the cut of the stone to make a stone appear larger (If you pick a wide, rectangular stone, you can make a 4 carat look like a 6 carat!). Due to the ratios of an emerald and the step cut, what you see is what you get. A 4 carat will look like a 4 carat, and a 10 carat will look like a 10 carat. It all comes down to what carat weight you’re willing to splurge on, and how big of a statement you want the ring to make. The larger the carat weight, the more show-stopping and head-turning that stunning diamond will be.



  



EMERALD-CUT DIAMOND PRICE

The price of an emerald cut depends on multiple different factors. It doesn’t just come down to color, cut, clarity, and carat, but factors like fluorescence, certification, shape rarity, and stone character can all drastically affect the price by tens of thousands of dollars. Think of it like buying a car, where your personal preference, model, make, year, and add-ons all play a part in the price of the final purchase.

At Miss Diamond Ring, we specialize in an elite global sourcing process to acquire that perfect diamond that both fits your price range and symbolizes your unique love story. To receive an estimate and enjoy a boutique streamlined search that sources your elite diamond from around the world, email sparkle@missdiamondring.com.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY…

As a Tiffany’s, Harry Winston, and Van Cleef & Arpel’s alumni, I can tell you that retail stores are limited to their on-hand inventory of emerald cut diamonds that specialists are anxious to sell. When you work with a diamond concierge, you expand your access to the finest emerald cut diamonds in the world, available at your fingertips at your perfect price point.

If you are ready to experience the next level in luxury ring shopping- more personalized, less stress, less time, better value, and better options- you can contact us here and set up a diamond discovery call with me.

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