Fancy cut Diamonds

The information provided on a diamond report pertaining to proportions is critically important for round brilliant cut diamonds. Unfortunately, it is only of minimal use with fancy shapes, (marquise, pear shape, emerald cut, princess cut, ect.). For fancies, you must rely on your own eye to tell whether or not the proportioning is acceptable, to pick up flatness or dark spots such as "bow-tie" which results from poor proportioning.

Within the popular fancy shapes, certain deviations have been established as standard. Some fall within acceptable range, while other do not. Deviations, which exceed acceptable tolerances, can seriously reduce a diamond's beauty and value. One of the most obvious deviations in fancy shape proportioning is the "bow tie", or "butterfly" affect, a darkened area across the center or widest part of the diamond. The bow tie is most commonly seen in the pear shape or marquise shape and may exist in other fancy shapes. The degree of disproportion is directly related to the degree to which the bow tie is pronounced. The larger the bow tie, the greater degree of the incorrect proportion.

Fancy shape diamonds can be cut too broad or too narrow, and the pavilion can be cut too deep or too shallow. The Dimensions for fancy shape diamonds are not as important as they are for round diamonds. However, there are length to width ratios that are considered normal and deviations may result in lower prices.

Marquise: 1.75:1 to 2.25:1
Pear Shape: 1.50:1 to 1.75:1
Emerald Cut: 1.50:1 to 1.75:1
Oval: 1.50:1 to 1.75:1

Prices for fancy shape diamond generally are 15% to 20% below round diamond prices at the wholesale level, holding the quality constant, depending on trends and fads.