Are you Fancy? Do you love fancy shaped diamonds? “Fancies” as they are often called categorize anything other than the round brilliant diamond. Expert bridal fine jewelry designer Sylvie Levine of The Sylvie Collection tells us all about the history of our favorite and trending fancy shaped diamonds.
Marquise Diamonds
Sylvie says the marquise diamond engagement ring originated from France during the reign of King Louis XIV. The king commissioned a jeweler to make a diamond ring shaped like the mouth and lips of his beloved mistress Marquise de Pompadour! The marquise shape diamond is a symbol that holds a beautiful connotation and conjures up intense romantic feelings still to this day. It is also loved for its sleek and sexy visual impact featuring two tips and bowed sides. This fancy cut is known to elongate the finger when set in the traditional north south manner.
The most modern way to wear a marquise shape diamond is in a low profile, East West setting. The diamond crosses over the finger horizontally providing an expected and super chic look.
Oval Diamonds
Sylvie Says the oval cut is a second fancy shape diamond trending today. Like the round brilliant, this cut features 58 facets however instead of a 1.1 width-to-height ratio, the oval’s ratio is approximately 1.33 to 1.66. Because of this ratio, the oval is also prized to make the fingers look longer and more slender. The cut lends itself to the three-stone setting as it looks beautiful with a myriad of differently cut side-stones including two flanking ovals or two flanking half-moons.
Pear Diamonds
Pear shape diamonds originated in the 15th Century. This cut is also referred to as the “teardrop.” It is a hybrid of the round brilliant and marquise shape (see above). The largest and most well-known pear shape diamond engagement ring was of course the 69.42-carat stunner given to Elizabeth Taylor by Richard Burton in the early 60s! For real girls loving this look, there are two new Sylvie Collection styles suited especially for the pear- the split shank as well as the halo. The beauty is that there are always two ways to wear this style, with the point facing up or down!
