Emerald Cut

The emerald cut was first developed to be used for cutting emeralds, not diamonds. While the emerald gemstone is a relatively hard stone (7.5 - 8.0 on the Mohs scale), it is known for its numerous natural inclusions (naturally occurring internal flaws).  The inclusions make the stone vulnerable to rupturing, making it quite difficult to cut. The rectangular structure with cropped corners (shown above), known as the "emerald cut" was developed to address these issues.  Soon the craftsmen and the jewelers discovered that the emerald cut was also suitable for other stones, and therefore applied also to diamonds. An emerald cut diamond can be absolutely stunning. Because of its long lines, it tends to be less fiery than a "round brilliant" cut, which has a particular way of reflecting the light, but it also tends to have broader, more dramatic flashes of light. The trim lines of emerald cut diamonds provide the stone an elegant, sophisticated air to suit admirably both the simplest and most elaborate ring settings. When purchasing an emerald cut diamond, it's extremely important to pay attention to quality. The ideal would be for you to select the highest grade stone you can afford, thus paying more attention to the quality and not the soze of the diamond. Because of the "openness" and purity of the cut, flaws, color weakness, and a poor cut are more evident to the naked eye than a cut such as the round brilliant. Another bright side of this cut, is that emerald cut diamonds are not as "traditional" as the round brilliant or as trendy as the princess cut -- making their pricing extremely economical, when compared of course to the more common cuts. {gallery}emerald_cut{/gallery}