Round
The most familiar shape, and the one that returns the most light. A round brilliant has 57 or 58 facets arranged to bounce light back up through the top of the stone. It suits every setting and never looks out of date.
Oval, pear and marquise
These are brilliant cuts stretched into longer shapes. Because more of the stone faces upwards, they look larger than a round of the same weight, and they make fingers look longer. A pear has one rounded end and one point; a marquise has two points. In the Studio you can choose whether a longer stone runs along the finger or across it.
Cushion
A square or slightly rectangular stone with softly rounded corners. Its larger facets give broader flashes of light, and it has a gentle, slightly vintage feel.
Princess and radiant
Square and rectangular cuts with brilliant-style facets, so they keep a lot of sparkle with a crisper outline. A princess has sharp corners, which are best protected by the setting; a radiant has its corners clipped.
Emerald and Asscher
Step cuts: long, flat facets arranged like stairs. They give fewer, larger flashes and a clear look into the stone, sometimes called a hall of mirrors. Because you can see deep inside, clarity matters more with these cuts. An Asscher is the square version of an emerald cut.
Heart
A brilliant cut shaped as a heart. It looks best at a larger size, where the shape reads clearly from across a room.
Rose cut
An old way of cutting: a flat base and a domed top covered in triangular facets. It catches light softly rather than sparkling, and suits vintage and low-set designs.
How to choose
- Look at the jewellery she already wears: crisp and geometric, or soft and rounded.
- Longer shapes flatter shorter fingers and make the stone look bigger for the money.
- If she uses her hands a lot, shapes with points (pear, marquise, princess) are best protected with a bezel or V-shaped claws.