Marquise Diamond ring

Marquise

The marquise cut is considered a classic shape for diamond engagement rings. The length of the marquise diamond is flattering to fingers, while its unique shape maximises carat weight to make the stone seem larger.

Thanks to a gently rounded centre and pointed edges, the marquise stands out from a crowd of other cuts. They're relatively rare too, with only 1.5% of GIA-certified diamonds available for sale globally being marquise at the time of writing.

So for something effortlessly elegant yet utterly unique, consider a marquise cut from our expansive collection.

What You Need to Know About Marquise Diamonds

The marquise shape diamond boasts an elongated elliptical shape with pointed ends, which creates the illusion of greater size. It typically has 58 facets and can be set vertically, horizontally or even as accent side stones.

As with other fancy cut diamonds, colour and clarity are the two most important qualities in the marquise shape. But thanks to a cutting process that is similar to that of the round brilliant, it's possible to eliminate inclusions while maintaining as much of the unblemished stone as possible.

Steeped in historical romance, wearers of the marquise have personality traits including stylish, flair for drama, daring, innovative and full of zest.

History and Origins of Marquise Diamonds

During the eighteenth century, King Louis XV commissioned a jeweller to cut a diamond in such a way that it would resemble the lips of his lover, Jean Antoinette Poisson, the Marchioness Madame de Pompadour. They were, Louis believed, the most perfect lips he had ever seen.

The term marquise refers to a hereditary rank that sits above a count but below a duke. Courtiers would wear marquise cut diamonds in order to show off their rank. You may also see marquise diamonds referred to as 'navette' diamonds, which means 'little ship' in French. This is in reference to their boat-like shape.

Although the marquise cut is also widely used for other gems such as emeralds, rubies and sapphires, it has been seen in the diamond rings of celebrities including Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Lopez and Portia de Rossi.

A Guide to the Cut, Colour and Clarity of Marquise Diamonds

Cut

The majority of marquise shape diamonds are around twice as long as they are in width. The cut is the most important aspect of a marquise diamond, because this will ensure the stone shows its noble birth and sparkles.

Colour

Like most diamonds, smaller marquise stones hide more colour than larger ones. But because of the way marquises are cut, they often look larger than other diamonds. Therefore something graded D-F in colour should provide an ice-white appearance.

Clarity

Seeing as marquises are brilliant cut, they hide blemishes fairly well within their sparkle. It is also harder to see flaws on smaller diamonds than larger ones. So smaller marquises with a lower clarity rating may still maintain an eye-clear appearance.

Marquise Diamond Ring Settings

Marquise diamonds are unique in the fact they can be set vertically or even horizontally. Consider the following settings for your ring:

Prong

The 6-prong setting is arguably the best for marquise cut diamonds because it securely holds the diamond in place but does not get in the way of the light performance of the stone.

Halo

Along with making centre marquises appear larger, halo settings also add sparkle and brilliance to any diamond. They even provide added protection to the sides of the diamond.

Bezel

The bezel setting looks stylish and contemporary even though it is one of the oldest ring settings. It’s the best setting for protecting a marquise thanks to the outer edge of metal.

Split shank

Ring designs with a split shank band can amplify the natural romanticism and elegance of the marquise cut. Choose from a traditional or cross-split shank.

Tips for Buying Marquise Diamonds

If you want your ring to have a large presence on the finger, look no further than the marquise. This shape has a larger spread than many others of equal carat weight.
When looking for a marquise, make sure to pay close attention to the overall shape of your stone, and to maximise its size.
Always ensure the gem you select does not have a dark bow tie in the centre, as this is an undesirable trait and does not represent good value for money.

4C Of Diamond

Diamond Color

GIA developed the definitive diamond color scale or chart in the early 1950s, a time when there were a lot of different and subjective terms in the marketplace for describing a diamond’s color: white, blue white, AAAA, for example.

The GIA scale begins with the letter D, representing colorlessness, and continues with increasing presence of color to the letter Z, representing light yellow, light brown or light gray. The 23 color grades on the GIA Color Scale (or diamond color chart) are subdivided into five subcategories, which are: colorless (D-F); near colorless (G-J); faint (K-M); very light (N-R); and light (S-Z).

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Diamond Clarity

Diamond Clarity refers to the inclusions and blimishes.

To understand diamond clarity, we must first understand how diamonds are created. Natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. This process can result in a variety of internal characteristics called ‘inclusions’ and external characteristics called ‘blemishes.’

Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature, and position of these characteristics, as well as how these affect the overall appearance of the stone. If you are trying to determine what is the best clarity for a diamond, remember that no diamond is perfectly pure. But the closer it comes to purity, the better its clarity

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Diamond Cut

Achieving the best cut for a diamond reflects in the stone’s final beauty and value.

Diamonds are renowned for their ability to transmit light and sparkle so intensely. We often think of a diamond’s cut as shape (round, heart, oval, marquise, pear), but what diamond cut actually does mean how well a diamond’s facets interact with light. Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry and polish deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a diamond.

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Carat Weight

Diamond carat weight measures Diamonds Apparent size.

To put it simply, diamond carat weight measures how much a diamond weighs.

A metric “carat” is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat is subdivided into 100 ‘points.’ This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its ‘points’ alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a ‘twenty-five pointer.’ Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as ‘one point oh eight carats.’

All else being equal, diamond price increases with diamond carat weight because larger diamonds are rarer and more desirable. However, two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and prices) depending on three other factors of the diamond 4Cs : Color , Clarity , and Cut

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