Marquise Cuts... These Beauties Deserve a Second Look

Whenever I hear the phrase “9 carat D - flawless diamond”, my heart skips a beat. Ok, when I hear “(any size) D - flawless diamond” I get excited. These stones are the rarest of the rare, one in a billion. But few are as spectacular as this one. 9.22 carats, D in color, Internally Flawless you can’t get a whole lot better when it comes to adjectives. The price alone is staggering. This beauty sold for nearly $1 million. But beyond all of those adjectives, what really grabbed me about this stunner was its shape, Marquise. *swoon*

Photo : Bonham's

Legend has it that Louis the XIV of France was in love with love. And during his reign one of his biggest loves was a woman by the name of Marquise de Pompadour. Now the Marquise was undoubtedly a handsome woman, but her best feature was her smile. It so bewitched the king that he commanded his artisan jewelers to create a diamond that looked just like it. And so the marquise cut diamond was born. 

The marquise hasn’t changed much in the hundreds of years since its creation. It is elegance personified, with sparkle for days. With such a beautiful cut it is frustrating to hear its proportions likened to a football, or even worse, a canoe. In truth, the perfect marquise should look like neither. It should be roughly twice as long as it is wide, and show a healthy amount of brightness and fire. Although I have to admit, all perfect proportions aside, that I have a certain fondness for the chubby marquise stones that come through our office.

But beyond all of the beauty of the cut, and the fantastic history full of royal intrigue, there are a few other reasons to give the marquise a second look. First up, size, A 1 carat marquise will look substantially larger than a 1 carat round brilliant. For example, the 1 carat round brilliant will be ~6.5mm in diameter while the 1 carat marquise will be ~10.5mm in length x ~5mm in width. That is a huge visual difference! And what girl would turn down a bigger diamond? Another bonus is that the longer shape has a very slimming effect on the fingers and can even make them look longer. I have extremely small hands and short fingers, so small I can wear child size gloves, and marquise stones make my hands look so elegant it’s fantastic! And last but not least, money. For you budget conscious guys out there, seriously consider a fancy shape like the marquise. Due to a variety of factors, they can be far cheaper for the same carat weight. That means more size for less money and you can’t beat that!

In case I’ve piqued your interest, and I sincerely hope that I have. I’d just like to point you towards a ring that we have in our case that I think is perfect. It is my dream, to one day own a beautiful example of every diamond shape. And when that day comes, once I’ve won the lottery, a gorgeous marquise diamond will be coming home with me, in this setting. I love everything about it. From the substantial halo, adding that extra sparkle, to the step and brilliant cut alternating side stones adding some extra visual interest and it’s all set in luxurious Platinum. It’s my perfect movie-star worthy look. And let’s not forget those finger lengthening qualities! 

So what are you waiting for? Take a chance on love… marquise love that is!