Engagement Ring Subject Index

1. White Gold vs. Yellow Gold
2. White Gold vs. Platinum
3. Gold Karat Ratings
4. Maintaining Your Engagement Ring
5. Professional Jewelry Maintenance
6. Keeping Diamonds Secure In A Ring Setting
7. Custom-Produced vs. Stock Diamond Settings
8. Tension Set Engagement Ring Styles
9. Fancy Cut (Non-Round) Diamond Shapes
10. Bridal Set Ring Styles And Jewelry Options
11. Choosing A Ring For An Heirloom Diamond
12. The 4 C's: Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat Weight

What fancy cut diamond shapes are available?

• Asscher, cushion, emerald, heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, radiant, trilliant, and other non-traditional shapes.
• We offer an online searchable inventory of the most popular fancy cut diamond shapes, but also have access to additional stock of particularly unique cuts. Please contact us with any requests for unique diamond cuts.

Are fancy shaped diamonds more expensive?

• Actually, the most expensive diamonds (considered as price/carat) are traditional round shaped diamonds, because they produce more waste when they are cut.
• However, most fancy shaped diamonds are less able to hide their color than a round cut, which means that you should seek out a higher, whiter color grade.
• Step cut diamonds, such as asscher or emerald cut stones, leave inclusions quite visually exposed, and may need to be of higher clarity rating.
• Despite these factors, fancy shaped diamonds will still usually be less expensively priced than comparable round diamonds.

Are fancy shaped diamonds more or less secure in settings than round cut stones?

• Some shapes require certain settings, and some settings are more secure than others, the bezel setting being the most secure, followed by prong settings and tension settings.
• Diamond shapes with points on them (e.g., princess or marquise shapes with their sharply angled corners) can be slightly more prone to breaking or chipping under extreme impact.