A Guide to Cut/shapes, ratios & proportions

This guide walks through the major cut families, explains color and clarity in real-world terms, and ties in a bit of history and design language so you can look at a stone and instantly understand what you’re seeing.

Brilliant Cuts – Maximum Sparkle
Brilliant cuts are all about sparkle and fire. If you want a ‘twinkly’ stone that flashes from across the room, you’re IN THE brilliant cut family.

What they are:
Brilliant cuts use many triangular and kite-shaped facets that radiate outward from the center WITH intense sparkle and fire.

Common brilliant-cut shapes:

Round Brilliant – The modern standard; 57–58 facets, optimized for brightness and fire.

Oval Brilliant – Elongates the finger, strong sparkle; can show a “bow-tie” if cut poorly.

Pear Brilliant – One rounded end, one point; romantic, slightly vintage vibe.

Marquise Brilliant – Football-shaped, very finger-lengthening; strong look, can show a bow-tie.

Heart Brilliant – Essentially a modified round; all about symbolism.

Princess Cut – Square outline with sharp corners; modern, bright, lots of scintillation.

Cushion Brilliant – Soft, pillowy outline; can be “chunky” (larger facets) or “crushed ice” (many small flashes).

Trillion / Trilliant – Triangular brilliant; used as both center and side stones.

Step Cuts – Mirrored Elegance

What they are:
Step cuts use long, parallel facets, like tiny terraces. They emphasize clarity, symmetry, and calm flashes of light rather than glittery sparkle.

Key center-stone step cuts:

• Emerald Cut

  • Rectangular with cropped corners.

  • Long, open facets that show everything—gorgeous when clarity and cut are strong.

• Asscher / Square Emerald Cut

  • Squarer version with a deep crown and concentric “windmill” reflections.

  • Very Art Deco; feels architectural.

• Carré Cut

  • Pure square step cut, minimal corner chamfer.

  • Extremely clean, graphic; often used as side stones.

Step-cut side & accent stones:

• Baguettes – Long rectangles, straight or tapered; perfect for shoulders and bands.

• Trapezoids (Traps) – Wider on one side; commonly flank emerald/Asscher centers.

• Shields & Bullets – Shield-shaped or “bullet”-tipped stones; very Deco side stones.

• Kites, Lozenge, Epaulettes – Geometric shapes with step facets, often custom-cut.

How to explain it:
“Step cuts don’t ‘sparkle’ the same way as round brilliants. Instead they give you those long, dramatic flashes—like looking down a mirrored hallway. They’re brutally honest, so they reward high clarity and careful cutting.”

Mixed & Fancy Cuts

Some cuts blend brilliant and step elements:

• Radiant Cut – Rectangular or square with trimmed corners; brilliant-style facets; a bridge between emerald and princess.

• Cushion Mixed / Modified – Some cushions lean step-like, some are pure brilliant, others are “crushed ice.”

• Antique Brilliant Cuts – Old Mine, Old European; chunky facets, warm glow, softer pattern.

How to explain it:
“These cuts sit between worlds. You get some of the sparkle of a brilliant cut, but a more geometric outline like an emerald or cushion.”