You can choose a diamond cut (also called a diamond shape) which looks bigger than it really is. So which diamond cuts look the biggest, out of all the popular diamond shapes?
Quick Answer
The marquise cut or marquise shape is the diamond cut which looks the biggest.
How a diamond can look bigger than it is
Diamond cuts or which have a longer shape, for example the emerald cut, marquise cut, or pear cut, appear to be larger than they really are by carat weight.
Why is that? Well it’s because they have more surface area on the top of the diamond. Examples of diamond cuts which do not appear larger include round shapes such as the round brilliant and square shapes such as the Asscher.
The shallower a diamond cut is, the larger it will look.
You can think of it like a pool. A pool which holds 100 gallons of water and is 10 feet deep will look small. But a pool which holds 100 gallons of water and is 1 foot deep will look larger.
It’s the same with diamonds. The marquise is shallow, so it looks larger. The round brilliant is deeper, so it looks smaller.
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What are other diamond cuts which can look bigger than they really are?
- Pear Cut
- Trillion Cut
- Emerald Cut
- Oval Cut
Why does the marquise cut of diamond look the biggest?
The marquise cut diamond looks the biggest due to an optical illusion. It’s the longest possible cut of diamond, because it has points instead of flat or round ends. That means, for any given carat weight, the marquise cut has the longest length.
The eye sees all that length, but doesn’t really notice how sharp the points are. The eye doesn’t notice so much that the ends are points and not straight sides.
For same length, the marquise cut looks bigger.
Which cut of diamonds look the smallest?
The cuts of diamonds which look the smallest are those that are deepest. These include:
- Asscher cut
- Princess cut
- Round cut
- Cushion cut
- Heart-shaped cut
Why do some people prefer smaller looking cuts of diamond?
Once you start asking which cut of diamond looks the biggest, you can easily wonder why anyone would choose anything that looks smaller. Why would anyone want a round brilliant? Why are round brilliant cuts by far the most popular diamond cut?
The answer in a word is brilliance.
Shallower cuts such as the marquise and the emerald cut look the biggest. But there’s a trade-off. They don’t sparkle with as much brilliance as round brilliant cuts, or other deeper cuts.
How can I get the biggest looking cut of diamond without overspending?
Go shallow
Which diamond cut appears the biggest depends entirely on geometry. But there are other ways to get a bigger looking center stone. Here are some options:
When choosing a marquise cut, look even deeper by looking for a shallower cut of marquise. It depends on each individual diamond’s cutting. Some marquise diamonds happen to be shallower than others. The shallower it is, the larger it will appear for its carat weight.
When choosing a brilliant cut such as a round brilliant cut or an oval cut or a heart shaped cut, look for a shallower one. I don’t advise this, as it takes away from the main point of a brilliant cut — which is its brilliance. But it’s one possible option.
Use baguette diamonds on both sides of the center stone
Choose baguette diamonds to go on both sides of your center stone. Baguette diamonds are long and very very flat. They’re almost never used as center stones. They’re almost always used to go one on each side of any cut of diamond in order to make it look bigger.
Use a halo setting
With a good halo setting, you don’t have to pay so much attention to which cut of diamond looks the biggest. They all look large when surrounded by a cluster of smaller diamonds. Especially if you choose all brilliant cuts. They meld into one mass of shining brilliance.
Conclusion
What you’ve learned quickly here is that the longer a diamond cut is, the bigger it will appear carat for carat.
The longest cut is the marquise, so it is the diamond cut which looks the biggest.
You also learned how to make any diamond look larger, by selecting baguette diamonds to go on either side, or by choosing a halo setting.
