Marquise Cut Diamond Engagement Rings
About Marquise Cut Diamonds
King Louis XV, long-time lover of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (the Marquise), wanted a diamond shaped to match the brilliant enchanting smile of the Marquise of Pompadour and worthy of the title he had bestowed upon her. The subsequent diamond cut design which resulted from the desires of France’s King is considered to be one of the classified “Brilliant” diamond cuts. It’s sophisticated elegance shines from the bottom through ‘56’ facets typically.
Besides the cut and the number of facets, the diamond needs to be of specific quality and size to be considered for the Marquise Cut. Since a Marquise is shaped much as an American football, oblong, the diamond should have a length to width ratio of at least 1.75 -2.25 to 1, preferred ratio of 2 to 1 for the ideal classic shape. If this ratio isn’t possible, then it is better for the stone to be too short as for it to be too long. The depth of the diamond needs to be in the sixties, a 58 or below will result in a diamond that will only look good under Halogen lights or such. The crown height needs to be as close to 14% as possle. Using a stone of high color and not cutting it too thin helps reduce the possibility of the ‘Bow-tie Effect’. As with all stones, the 4 c’s – color, clarity, cut and carat weight are extremely important.
The Marquise Cut Diamonds need to be set in a six-pronge ring setting, with four pronges holding the center wide body and one v-shaped pronge on each of the two tapered end wings of the stone. Katherine Zeta Jones and Traci Bingham each have magnificently, brilliant Marquise diamond rings. When worn, the long slender cut of the stone tends to give hands a long, slenderized appearance.
While not as popular as the round cut or princess cut, the Marquise cut is sophisicated and can give off quite an elegant sparkle – a sparkle fit for a King, which is what it was designed for. The cut gives a stone an appearance of being larger and of more carats than it actually is. A small stone with good color and clarity can become more valuable than a larger stone if the cut is done correctly. Marquise Cut Diamonds were a marvelous addition to the brilliant cut diamond class.