How to Pick a Quality Marquis Cut Diamond

Once upon a time, Louis XV became so enamored with the smile of his mistress, Marquise de Pompadour, that he commissioned a special diamond cut in its honor. Over time, this cut became known as the marquise cut. Also known as the boat shape or navette, the marquise cut looks like a variation of the brilliant cut (tapered at both ends instead of rounded). When cut properly, a marquise diamond can be exquisite. The secret is knowing what qualities to look for when choosing a stone.

Instructions

1

Opt for SI1 or higher on the clarity scale. With its unusual shape, jewelers have less space to work with when cutting a marquise diamond. Because of this, any inclusions in the stone become more evident with this shape. Lower levels of the clarity scale have stones with inclusions that can be visible to the naked eye. With a marquise cut, these flaws will be more evident.

2

Shop within D through H on the color scale. This means that you should look at stones that are listed as near colorless and above. Stones that reside lower on the color scale tend to show more of a yellow coloration. When this is paired with the brilliance of a 56-faceted marquise cut, the yellow is highly reflected.

3

Beware the bow-tie. When a marquise diamond is cut too thin, or the table is left too wide, light bleeds out of the bottom of the stone instead of being reflected off the top. The result is a dark shadowing inside the diamond that closely resembles a bow-tie. It is important to realize that all marquise cut stones will exhibit some degree of bow-tie effect. The less apparent the bow-tie, the better the cut of the diamond. Preferable depth percentage for marquise cut diamonds is typically in the lower 60s with a length to width ratio of 2:1.