5. Princess Cut
Introduced in 1979, the princess cut revolutionised diamond geometry by bringing brilliant-style faceting to a sharp, square shape. It typically features anywhere from 50 to 76 inverted, pyramid-shaped facets stretching down its pavilion.
The Optic Result: The princess cut is a master of fire. Because its vertical and chevron-shaped facets are so tightly arranged at the four sharp corners, light breaking through the stone is heavily dispersed into vibrant rainbow colours. It offers a distinct, high-scintillation sparkle that rivals the round brilliant while maintaining a strictly geometric edge.
6. Cushion Cut
Sometimes referred to as the “candlelight cut,” the cushion cut blends a square or rectangular outline with rounded corners, resembling a plump cushion. This is an evolution of the old-mine cuts popular in the 19th century.
The Optic Result: Modern cushion cuts are usually cut in one of two ways: “cushion brilliant” (yielding broad, distinct flashes of light) or “cushion modified” (giving off a tighter, ‘crushed ice’ sparkle). Across both styles, cushions are intentionally cut with higher crowns and larger facets. This specific geometry maximises fire over raw brilliance, splitting white light into bolder, slower rainbow flashes than its round counterpart.
7. Radiant Cut
To appreciate how cutting-edge technology pushes light to its limits, we can look at the radiant cuts. The radiant cut is a brilliant hybrid. It takes the clean, blocked silhouette and cropped corners of an emerald cut, but packs the pavilion with 70 intricate, overlapping brilliant facets.
The Optic Result: This unique blend creates a hyper-accelerated “crushed ice” sparkle effect. It bends light from dozens of different angles simultaneously, allowing the diamond to maintain a steady shimmer even under low-light conditions.
8. Pear Cut
The pear cut is a masterclass in asymmetrical physics. Combining the round brilliant and the marquise, this teardrop-shaped stone features 58 facets that must perfectly transition from a rounded base to a razor-sharp point.
The Optic Result: The light dynamic changes completely from one end of the stone to the other. The rounded bottom behaves exactly like a round brilliant, throwing out broad, even reflections. As the light travels toward the narrow point, the facets tighten, accelerating the scintillation and resulting in faster, sharper flashes at the tip.
The Physics of the Sparkle: As well as the colour & clarity of a diamond bring important a diamond’s beauty is also dictated by its crown and pavilion angles. If a cut is too shallow, light leaks right through the bottom; if it is too deep, light escapes out the sides. This is why requesting a shallow diamond that looks like a larger carat weight than it appears is a terrible idea! A masterfully executed cut traps light within its walls, forcing it to bounce internally before triumphantly refracting back out to the viewer.
