I have a confession to make: If I could go back in time and pick out a different engagement ring, I would definitely choose an emerald-cut diamond. There’s something so elegant and unique about them. On top of that they’re actually way more economical than you think! Read on to find out why we love emerald cut engagement rings, along with our favorite ring styles for 2022.
Are Emerald-Cut Diamond Engagement Rings Popular?
Emerald cut engagement rings (not to be confused with emerald engagement rings, the green stone) are very popular and consistently rank in the top five alongside round, princess cut, cushion cut, and oval. However, it’s important to note that those terms refer to the shape and NOT the cut. (More on that below.)
The emerald-cut was originally created for, you guess it, emeralds! Since emeralds were more brittle and difficult to cut, jewelers began using step cuts (with rows of facets that look like steps), allowing them to put less pressure on the stone itself. Fast forward to the 1920s when diamonds became the stone to have, and the shape and cutting style became a popular choice for diamond rings, giving way to the Art Deco look we associate with them today.
Emerald cut engagement rings are also a celebrity favorite, and have been worn by Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Amal Clooney, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, and Victoria Beckham.
The Most Popular Engagement Ring Styles
From emerald cut to round, princess, and oval engagement rings, see which ones fit your style and budget on Blue Nile.
Does an Emerald Cut Diamond Look Bigger?
First, lets get into the basics.
A diamond cut, if you’re not familiar with the term, is part of the “4 C’s” used for diamond grading. The 4 C’s are cut, color, clarity, and carat. (Read more about the 4 C’s of diamonds here).
While diamond cut is often commingled with the shape, they are technically two different things. A jewelry expert will tell you a diamond cut refers to the brilliance, dimension, facets and symmetry of the stone…basically how sparkly and beautiful it is. Terms you’ll hear to describe those characteristics are brilliance, fire, and scintillation. The cut is then graded based on that, from excellent to very good, good, fair, and poor. An excellent cut diamond will be fiery and brilliant. A poorly cut diamond will be dull.
The diamond shape, on the other hand, refers to the geometric outline of a diamond. This is influenced by how the diamond is cut, which is why it can get a little confusing.
When it comes to size, it’s the shape of emerald-cut diamonds that make them look bigger than others. The same goes for oval, marquise, and pear. These shapes tend to look larger than princess, cushion, or Asscher cuts because they have an elongated surface area and diameter to carat weight.
WGM Says: While an emerald cut has similar facets to an Asscher-cut diamond, emerald-cuts are more rectangular in shape while the Asscher is square. That’s why you’ll often see the Asscher referred to as a “square emerald-cut.”
Do Emerald Cut Engagement Rings Cost More?
It depends! Compared to some shapes, emerald cut engagement rings can be more affordable. For comparison, we priced out similarly-graded emerald-cut, round, and cushion diamonds on Blue Nile (one of our favorite sites to shop loose diamonds) to see the difference.
All three stones we priced were 1 carat with a ‘Very Good’ cut, ‘D’ color, and VS1 clarity. (Remember those 4 C’s we talked about before? That’s them!). This was the price difference:
WGM Says: Emerald-cut diamonds tend to show inclusions more than other shapes, so the clarity grade is important. You’ll want to stick to VS2 or higher for the best quality.
- Emerald-cut Diamond: $4,220
- Round Diamond: $5,898
- Cushion-cut Diamond: $3,417
Looking for a 2-carat emerald cut engagement ring? We found a similarly graded emerald-cut diamond as above for around $20,000 on Blue Nile. Shop by carat weight here.
So, you can see that emerald-cut diamonds tend to be around 30% less expensive than round diamonds, but 20% more expensive than cushion-cuts.
Now that we’ve gone through the basics of emerald cut engagement rings, lets get to our favorite styles!
The Best Emerald Cut Engagement Rings for 2022
When shopping for emerald cut engagement rings, keep in mind that there are a variety of styles you can choose from when it comes to the setting. You can choose a classic solitaire, halo, threestone, or sidestone setting. You can even come up with your own unique style. To get a sense of what you like, start by using a ring builder to design you own.
ZAC ZAC POSEN Knife-Edge Solitaire Engagement Ring
Looking for a classic with a twist? You found her. This unique setting from the Zac Posen collection on Blue Nile looks gorgeous in platinum or 14k gold and can be accommodated to fit most diamond shapes (though emerald-cut is our fave). With a clean knife-edge shank, the ring features an 18k gold accent for an unexpected surprise.
Tiffany Soleste® Emerald-cut Halo Engagement Ring
Bling on bling on bling. That’s what you get with this ring from Tiffany that features an emerald-cut center stone set in a beautiful diamond-studded halo setting.
Emerald-Cut and Trapeze-Cut Three-Stone Engagement Ring
Why have one stone when you can have three? This platinum ring from Zales features an emerald-cut center stone flanked by trapeze-cut smaller side stones.
Two Stone Engagement Ring
We hate to play favorites…but okay, okay. This might be it! The oval-cut sapphire can be paired with a round, princess, pear, Asscher, radiant, cushion, marquise, heart, oval-cut or emerald cut, pictured. We’re in love. And if our husband is reading this, there’s only 33 more years until our sapphire anniversary! 🙂
Luna Engagement Ring
For brides looking for a simple yet modern engagement ring, the Luna setting from Brilliant Earth is a great pick. While it works with a variety of diamond shapes, we think the emerald-cut gives the band an extra chic look
Two Stone Engagement Ring
Every time you look at this engagement ring you’re guaranteed to smile. While you can choose the center stone shape of your choice, what’s not to love when you pair an emerald-cut diamond with French pavé-set diamonds.
Clutch E.W. Emerald
East-west emerald cut engagement rings are having a moment, and this sculptural setting from Frank Darling takes it to the next level.
Blue Nile Studio Emerald Vintage Fleur de Lis Halo Engagement Ring
Did someone say vintage? This beautiful Fleur de Lis engagement ring is from Blue Nile Studio, a unique collection created by leading designers. Featuring an emerald-cut stone of your choice and surrounded by a halo of 20 round brilliant diamonds, it’s straight out of Downton Abbey.
Old Bond Street Emerald Cut Diamond Ring
Budget no object? Add this De Beers ring to your wishlist. Styled after DeBeers original diamond ring, it’s designed to allow the most amount of light to go through it to maximize the shine.
Three-Stone Emerald Cut Diamond Engagement Ring
Go big or go home. At least that’s what you can tell all your friends when they see this gorgeous three-stone stunner from Blue Nile. Featuring two emerald-cut side stones and an emerald-cut (or other diamond shape) of your choice, this ring is all about the diamonds.
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They are the same! Trapeze-cut is just another term for trapezoid. 🙂
Trapeze side stones? I thought it was trapezoid.