How to Choose an Emerald Cut Diamond

Emerald-cut diamonds have a profile that looks rectangular, but they are actually shaped as octagons. This diamond cut is not as popular as the round cut, and this is why emerald-cut stones are less expensive than round brilliants with similar quality characteristics. An emerald cut with a square-looking profile is commonly referred to as Asscher cut.

Emerald Cut vs. the Classic Round Cut

The most obvious difference between the emerald cut and the round cut is the shape. However, there is also a difference in another characteristic that is even more crucial for how a diamond looks – brilliance.

Emerald-cut diamonds

While round diamonds are cut to maximize brilliance, emerald-cut stones are lacking in this department – their facets are not arranged so as to bend and reflect light as well as round diamonds do.

Because emerald-cut stones are not cut to exhibit maximum brilliance, which can conceal their flaws, inclusions and yellow tints in these stones are more visible than in round diamonds.

Click here to see a collection of emerald-cut diamonds.

Emerald Cut Quality

Unlike round cuts, emerald cuts are not graded on cut quality by the G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America).

You will only see Polish and Symmetry grades in an emerald-cut diamond’s grading report.

There is no consensus as to what the measurements of an ideal emerald cut should be. The rule of thumb is that good emerald-cut diamonds should have a total depth that is 60% to 70% of their width (not length).

Here is a selection of emerald cuts whose total depth is in the recommended 60%-70% range.

Generally, a lower depth percentage is preferable for emerald cuts because it means that the diamond will look bigger when set.

Being shallow is not a big issue with emerald-cut stones – since they are not cut to deliver brilliance, total depth does not affect their appearance as much as it does that of round brilliants.

Evaluating the Color of Emerald Cut

Emerald-cut diamonds do not have much brilliance that could make any yellow tints in them less prominent.

This is why the minimum color grade you need to buy to ensure that your stone looks reasonably colorless is higher than if you were buying a round-cut diamond.

When choosing an emerald-cut stone, it is not recommended to go below H color. Lower grades, such as I or J, will most likely look more or less tinted.

Emerald Cut and Clarity

The lack of brilliance in emerald-cut stones also affects how you should choose their clarity. Inclusions that are hidden by brilliance in round stones can be clearly visible in emerald-cut ones.

So, when deciding on clarity for an emerald cut, it’s best not to go lower than the VS grade (Very Slightly Included). SI1- and SI2-clarity diamonds with this shape will most likely have inclusions visible with the naked eye.

If you focus your search on VS1 and VS2 emerald-cut diamonds, however, you are more likely to find an eye-clean stone at a reasonable price.

The Bottom Line

In sum, to make sure you get the most affordable emerald-cut diamond that looks reasonably colorless and flawless, choose a stone with color graded H or G and clarity in the VS1-VS2 range.

Make sure the diamond’s total depth percentage is 60% to 70% of the stone’s width, and the lower this value, the better.

Click here to see a selection of affordable emerald-cut diamonds with the above-mentioned parameters — G-H color/VS1-VS2 clarity and depth in the 60%-70% range.

Differences Between Emerald Cut and Radiant Cut Diamonds

Radiant-cut diamonds have a rectangular shape, and some of them are square.

Check out a selection of radiant-cut diamonds and check their prices.

Like the emerald cut, this diamond shape has cut corners, and this feature adds to the durability of radiants (sharp-cornered stones are easier to chip at their edges when hit).

Although their profiles look ostensibly similar, the emerald cut and the radiant cut differ in how they are shaped as well as how they look when worn.

Here are some of the major differences:

Cut

The emerald cut belongs to the group of the so-called “step cuts.”

They have parallel walls, and it is easier to see through them than through brilliant-cut stones.

The radiant cut is classified as a “mixed cut,” which means that it combines some of the features of both the step cut and the brilliant cut.

Although the outline of radiant diamonds resembles that of step cuts, the table (the top) and the pavilion (the bottom) of these stones are cut the way brilliant cuts are shaped.

Facets

Most facets of the emerald cut are shaped so as to be parallel to each other and to the girdle of the stone.

Radiant cuts, on the other hand, have facets with triangular or other non-rectangular shapes, and for the most part, they are not arranged in a parallel fashion.

If you look at a radiant closely, you will notice that its cut doesn’t look as “linear” as the emerald cut.

Brilliance and Sparkle

The facets of radiant cuts are shaped and positioned so as to enhance the stone’s brilliance.

Emerald cuts, on the other hand, are not cut with this goal in mind, and their facets are not shaped and arranged in a way that maximizes sparkle.

That’s why if you compare a radiant with an emerald-cut stone, you will notice that the former has more brilliance and sparkle than the latter.

Clarity

Since the emerald cut does not maximize brilliance as much as the radiant cut does, these two shapes differ in how visible their flaws are.

A radiant cut of a certain clarity grade is less likely to have noticeable imperfections, as such flaws would be masked by the stone’s sparkle.

In contrast, inclusions in an emerald cut of the same clarity are likely to be more visible due to the stone’s relatively lower brilliance.

More: See how you can create your own customized diamond ring.

Choosing Between Radiant Cut and Emerald Cut

The emerald cut is a good choice if you want a diamond that has a rectangular shape and is not too sparkly.

Just make sure that the emerald-cut diamond you choose has a high enough clarity grade (VS1-VS2 or higher) as well as a good color grade (at least H or G) so that the stone doesn’t have visible flaws or yellow tints.

Choose a radiant cut if you like the shape of the emerald cut but you also want your diamond to have the brilliance and sparkle of the classic round-cut diamond.