What is an Emerald Cut Diamond?
The Emerald Cut Diamond is distinguished by its elongated, rectangular shape and chiselled step cuts, as well as straight linear facets that are usually arranged parallelly down the stone. The corners of an Emerald Cut Diamond are usually cropped to add stability and prevent fractures.
The Emerald Cut Diamond has a high surface table and excellent clarity. The diamond's long step cuts provide abundant reflections of both white and coloured light. Emerald cuts are more common in rectangles, but they are also available in squares.
An Emerald Cut diamond is a popular choice for those looking for a larger stone without paying a high price. It appears larger than other shaped diamonds of the same carat weight.
Do Emerald Cuts Cost More?
The short answer is no. An emerald cut engagement ring will be less expensive than a round diamond engagement ring and cheaper than most other shapes. Emerald cuts are significantly less expensive per carat than most other cuts and significantly less expensive than round diamonds. This is due to two factors: lower demand for emerald cuts and higher yield on cutting, when cutting a rough diamond into a polished emerald cut, you lose the least amount of weight.
However, things are not that simple. Yes, emerald cuts are less expensive. However, when selecting an emerald cut, you must be far more picky. Emerald cuts do not conceal inclusions as well as other cuts due to their glassy nature. When selecting a round cut diamond SI1 can be the most value for money, however, when choosing emerald cuts, it is recommended to go VS2, VS1 or even higher on clarity.
What to note when buying an Emerald Cut Diamond?
GIA does not provide cut grading for emerald cuts. Dimensions such as depth percent, table percent, and length to width ratios all have an impact on how the diamond appears and how much light it reflects. When looking for a well-cut Emerald diamond, look for depth that is less than 74%. Of course, you should consider all of the specifications available, but the depth will present a stunning Emerald Cut.
An Emerald Cut's table (top surface area) is like a clear, unobstructed window into the stone's centre. Any inclusions discovered in the centre will be clearly visible. Step Cut stones are generally not as bright and never as fiery as brilliant cut stones because both the pavilion (the bottom slanted portion of the diamond) and crown (the upper diamond resting atop the girdle) are comparatively shallow. Rather, they highlight a diamond's Clarity because even the smallest flaw would be highly visible. In other words, blemishes in an Emerald Cut Diamond are more visible than blemishes in a Round Cut Diamond or Cushion Cut Diamond.
Color, like Clarity, is another distinguishing feature of an Emerald Cut. Because of its large table and step cuts, it retains more colour than other Diamond Shapes, allowing the eye to see the stone's natural colour.
