A Guide to Choosing the Perfect Diamond Shape

Choosing an engagement ring starts with one of the most important decisions of all—the diamond shape. While every diamond is unique, the shape defines the overall style of the ring and is often the first thing someone falls in love with.

The perfect shape should reflect your partner's personality, style and the ring she'll treasure forever.

If she hasn't dropped any hints, don't worry. Here's a guide to the most popular diamond shapes, along with expert tips to help you choose with confidence.

If you'd like personalised advice, our diamond specialists are here to help you create a custom KAVALRI engagement ring.

 

Round Brilliant

The timeless classic

The Round Brilliant is the world's most popular diamond shape—and for good reason. With 58 expertly cut facets, it delivers exceptional brilliance and sparkle, making it the benchmark for light performance.

It's also the only diamond shape to receive an official Cut grade, highlighting the importance of precision craftsmanship.

Expert Tip: Always choose an Excellent Cut Round Brilliant to maximise sparkle.

View our collection here

 

 

Fancy Cuts
(anything other than a round!)

 

Oval Cut

Elegant, Modern & Timeless

The Oval Cut has become one of the world's most popular diamond shapes, admired for its exceptional brilliance and elegant, elongated silhouette. Developed as an evolution of the Round Brilliant, it offers the same beautiful sparkle while creating the illusion of a larger diamond thanks to its elongated proportions.

One of the Oval's biggest advantages is its versatility. Whether set in a classic solitaire, hidden halo or three-stone design, it complements almost every engagement ring style and beautifully elongates the finger. It's the perfect choice for those wanting a modern yet timeless look.

Like all elongated diamonds, Ovals can display a bowtie effect—a darker shadow across the centre of the stone. While a slight bowtie is natural, a well-cut Oval will minimise this effect and maximise brightness and sparkle.

Expert Tip: Look for an Oval with excellent symmetry, balanced proportions and minimal bowtie. A length-to-width ratio between 1.35 and 1.50 is generally considered the most desirable, although the ideal shape ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Engagement Rings Melbourne | Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Rings | Australia – KAVALRI

Pear Cut

Graceful, Elegant & Distinctive

Also known as the Teardrop, the Pear Cut combines the soft curves of an Oval with the pointed tip of a Marquise, creating one of the most elegant and feminine diamond shapes. Dating back to the 15th century, it remains a timeless choice for those seeking something unique while offering exceptional brilliance.

Its elongated silhouette creates the illusion of a larger diamond and beautifully lengthens the finger, making it a flattering choice for many hand shapes. Pear diamonds are equally at home in classic solitaire, hidden halo and contemporary engagement ring designs.

Like other elongated shapes, Pear diamonds can display a bowtie effect—a darker shadow across the centre of the stone—so choosing a well-cut diamond is essential.

Expert Tip: Look for a Pear with excellent symmetry, a well-defined point and minimal bowtie. Balanced proportions are key to achieving an elegant, timeless look.

Pear Engagement Rings | Engagement Rings Online |Lab Grown Diamonds – KAVALRI

 

Cushion Cut:

‘Pillow’

Cushions have been a hit amongst brides in recent years and are a cutting progression of the original ‘mine cut’ diamonds. They are available in a square or rectangular proportion and they have larger facets, which increase their brilliance and often mask inclusions found in lower clarity grades. It is important to note that cushion cut’s do hold a lot of their weight in the bottom of the stone, so will appear to be smaller to a round counterpart of the same carat weight (they will also be roughly 20% cheaper).

Tip: Cushions are not too forgiving with colour, so best to stick within the D-G colour grades

Cushion Diamonds – KAVALRI

 

Pear Shape:
‘Teardrop’

Pear shaped diamonds are a beautiful blend of the marquise and oval shaped diamonds. They are fun and adventurous and have been a popular choice for future brides during the past decade (even though they have been around since the mid 1400’s).

Tip: ensure you are looking at only well-proportioned pear shaped diamonds, that do not appear ‘wonky’ and have a very small bowtie through the middle.

Pear Engagement Rings | Engagement Rings Online |Lab Grown Diamonds – KAVALRI

Marquise Shape:
‘Pointy Oval’/ ‘Football’

Marquise are possibly the most intriguing diamond shape – initially cut in the 18^th Century at the request of King Louis XV who wanted a diamond cut to resemble his lovers’ smile. Symmetry is a key characteristic with the marquise cut diamond, but also is being well-proportioned – you do not want the stone to be disproportionately long nor too short and chunky. Balance is critical when choosing the perfect marquise diamond – and beware of the bowtie effect

Tip: look for a marquise that has a length to width ratio between 1.5 - 2.0 (L/W)

Marquise Diamonds – KAVALRI

 

Radiant Cut:
‘Cut Cornered’

Good radiant cuts are hard to come by – they are in short supply, but high demand! Originally being introduced to the jewellery world in the 1970’s, radiant cuts are the newest of all common diamond cuts. They are product of marrying the elegant glamour of the emerald shape with the brilliance of the round, resulting in a rare, usually elongated sparkly square with trimmed cut corners.

Tip: look for a slightly elongated and more rectangular shape to achieve the best overall look. Watch out for a pronounced bowtie.

Diamond Engagement Rings | Lab Diamond Rings | Radiant Cut Diamonds – KAVALRI

 

 

Asscher Cut:
‘Square Emerald’

Originating in the Netherlands at the turn of the century, Asscher cuts are the personification of all things Art Deco! Asschers have quite a deep and stepped cut and highlighted and sharply cut corners (almost lending the stone to look like an octagon in some cases). Due to the cut of these diamonds, Asschers do appear smaller compared to other shapes of a similar carat weight.

Tip: Get the Elizabeth Taylor glamour from an Asscher cut (and check out the infamous and whopping 33ct stone she received from then husband Richard Burton)

View our range here

 

Emerald Cut:

Another step cut stone, Emerald cut diamonds display a vastly different look, resembling more a hall of mirrors than a classically shiny sparling diamond. While they definitely still sparkle, the light performance is totally different to that of all ‘brilliant’ cut stones (i.e. anything other than emerald or asscher). Emerald cuts are not at all forgiving with inclusions due to the long mirror like facets – you can see right through the stone. It is the large table (top facet of a diamond) that shows off the rock's clarity better than any other shape.

Tip: Ensure you look for diamonds VS2 and higher when selecting your diamond. Best to use the guidance of an expert who can guide you in the process of buying an emerald cut as they can be quite tricky to navigate!

Emerald Diamonds – KAVALRI

 

Princess Cut:

Princess cut diamonds are gorgeous square, sharp edge diamonds, often set into solitaires to show the stone’s true shape. Elegant and classy, the princess cut is second to the round in popularity and is far more forgiving to inclusions based on the cutting pattern.

Tip: Princess cut diamonds are usually around 30% cheaper than their round counterparts – meaning you can up the 4C’s specifications of the diamond, or even go a little bigger in carat weight for a similar price point

 

Alexia Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI)

 

Choosing the Perfect Two Stones

Creating a Balanced Toi et Moi Ring

The beauty of a Toi et Moi ring lies in the relationship between its two centre stones. Whether you choose two diamonds or pair a diamond with a coloured gemstone, the goal is to create a design that feels balanced, harmonious and uniquely personal.

Contrasting shapes often produce the most elegant result. Popular combinations include Oval & Pear, Emerald & Pear, Oval & Emerald, and Round & Pear. You can also combine a white diamond with a sapphire or other coloured gemstone to add individuality and personal meaning.

While the stones don't need to match in size, they should complement one another in proportion and flow naturally within the setting.

Expert Tip: Focus on how the two stones work together rather than individually. An experienced jeweller can help you select complementary shapes, proportions and orientations to create a beautifully balanced Toi et Moi engagement ring.

Toi et Moi Engagement Rings | Toi En Moi Rings | Melbourne | Sydney – KAVALRI

Discover Your Perfect Diamond

At KAVALRI, we offer an exceptional collection of natural and lab-grown diamonds in every shape, carefully selected for their beauty, brilliance and quality.

Book a personalised consultation with one of our diamond specialists or explore our engagement ring collection online to find the perfect ring for your forever.

Shop online or book a personalised appointment.