Emerald Cut Diamond Guide

With 57 facets and distinct step cuts, the hall-of-mirrors effect created by emerald cut diamonds makes them a truly unique diamond shape perfect for engagement rings and statement jewelry. However, with a large table, it’s important that you know what you’re looking for, as flaws can stand out and ruin even a pricey investment.  

In this emerald cut diamond guide, we’ll explain the ideal emerald cut diamond proportions and help you understand what to prioritise before choosing your dream stone: 

What Is an Emerald Cut Diamond?

An Emerald cut diamond is a step-cut diamond, with a rectangular or square shape and long, parallel facets running parallel to the stone’s girdle. Named after emerald gemstones, it has a relatively lower price point for a larger stone, making it a popular choice. 

Its origins come from the desire to make a design that enhances color and minimizes inclusions. As a result, it’s known for creating flashes of light and a ‘hall-of-mirrors’ effect within the stone, and is a refreshing contrast from the classic shape of brilliant-cut diamonds. Its large flat top surface provides a clear, window-like view into the diamond’s interior, which creates a sense of supreme clarity. 

Emerald diamonds are very versatile suiting emerald engagement rings, earrings, and stunning eternity bands. 

Key Features of Emerald Cut Diamonds

Emerald diamonds gain their unique look via step cuts into their large, open table. Here’s a breakdown of its technical specifications: 

Emerald Diamond Cut Quality

Emerald diamonds make it hard to determine the cut quality, because labs such as the GIA don’t give a cut grade for unusual-shaped diamonds like these. However, when using a reputable seller like Brian Gavin Diamonds, you’ll be able to view dimensions that can help you understand the cut quality yourself.

We recommend buying an emerald diamond with a depth below 74%, as this will offer a stunning emerald cut. But, it’s advised that you talk to our diamond specialist to be sure before purchase. 

Emerald Cut Diamond Ratio

An emerald cut diamond's ratio of length to width will reveal how square or elongated the shape is. Ideally, you want a shape that is rectangular, which means the stone has a ratio of around 1.30 to 1.60. Anything between this is great and largely comes down to personal preference. 

We calculate the ratio by dividing the length of the diamond by its width. Remember to consider how it will look on the hand of the wearer, as some styles may better suit a more square shape. 

At Brian Gavin Diamonds, all our emerald diamonds are presented with clear measurements, including the length-to-width ratio, so you can gain an in-depth understanding. As cut is always the defining factor in sparkle, it's an area you should think carefully about, and we welcome you to speak to our team if you have any questions. 

Clarity and Inclusions of Emerald Cut Diamonds

Clarity and inclusions are generally not a huge concern for diamond owners until you get far down the clarity grading. However, emeralds have a perfectly unobstructed window into the center of the stone. So, large internal inclusions here can be naked to the naked eye. 

We recommend purchasing an emerald diamond with VS2 for the best value for money (of course, anything above will look stunningly clear too). SI1 and below are rarely a good fit for emerald cuts, as there’s no way to hide the inclusions with scattered light. Naturally, emerald stones are also very rarely as bright and brilliant as round-cut stones. 

Emerald Diamond Color Considerations

Emerald diamonds boast a wonderful ability to show color better than most other diamond shapes. However, determining the color of the stone is difficult and down to personal opinion. While on paper, a clear white color is best, many buyers have an affection for warmer colors (G-H). As emeralds display colors so well (especially when over 1.50 carats), it's embraced by the buyers and can even result in a premium in the D-F range. However, it is usually not worth paying a high premium for a lower color grade. 

Carat Weight and Visual Size

As emerald stones have a broad open table, the surface area is maximized. As a result, they carry more weight in depth and spread their carat. So, they can look far larger on the finger than round or cushion diamonds, despite having the same carat. 

This is important to remember when browsing diamonds in general, as cut shape and proportions affect the spread of 1-carat diamonds in general. 

Pros and Cons of Emerald Cut Diamonds

Pros

• They give the illusion of a larger diamond, per carat, compared to a round or cushion diamond shape.

• The clean lines and symmetry are renowned for their elegant, sophisticated, and vintage look.

• They tend to offer a lower price than round cuts of the same carat and quality. 

• Despite not offering the classic brilliance of a round diamond, their ‘hall-of-mirrors’ effect is unique and can produce bold flashes of light. 

Cons:

• Inclusions can be very visible due to the large, open table. Therefore, a higher clarity grade becomes a priority. 

• They don’t sparkle as much as classic rounds or princess cuts. 

• Warmer colors can result in a premium price. 

Best Settings for Emerald Cut Diamonds

Emerald diamonds are very versatile, fitting with many styles of settings. However, they are often paired with understated settings such as: 

• Solitaire

• Pavé

• Three-stone

Consult Our Diamonds Experts Today

Trusted by educated buyers. Chosen by perfectionists.

We hope this emerald cut diamond guide has helped you gain a better understanding of the fundamentals of Emerald Cuts. Remember to prioritize clarity and color while thinking about how your metal choice and setting style will affect its appearance. 

We welcome you to browse our carefully curated selection on our store and consult our in-house diamond experts if you have any questions. 

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