In the trade, every outline other than round is called a fancy shape. These five are all brilliant cuts, so they sparkle, but each has a character of its own.
Oval
An oval has the liveliness of a round brilliant and looks larger for the same weight. It makes the finger look longer and has no sharp points, which makes it easy to wear.
Pear
Round at one end, pointed at the other. A pear is usually worn with the point towards the fingertip, but nothing is fixed. The point is vulnerable and should be covered by a claw.
Marquise
A long shape with two points, like the hull of a boat. The story goes that it was named at the court of Louis XV. Of all outlines it looks the largest per carat. Both points need protection.
Cushion
A square or slightly rectangular shape with rounded corners, like a pillow. It descends from the old mine cut of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and gives a softer, broader sparkle than a round stone. It suits vintage designs well.
Princess
A square brilliant with sharp corners, a modern cut from the second half of the twentieth century. Clean and graphic. The four corners are the weak spots and belong under the claws.
What to watch for
The bow tie. Oval, pear and marquise often show a dark band across the middle, shaped like a bow tie. A faint one is normal. A heavy one takes the life out of the stone. No report mentions it, so you have to see the stone, or a video of it.
The proportions. The ratio of length to width decides whether an oval looks plump or slender. It is a matter of taste, so compare several.
Colour. Elongated shapes show a tint a little sooner at the points than a round brilliant does.
For these shapes the grading report gives no cut grade, so the eye of a goldsmith is worth a lot. For all cut families, see stone cuts.
