Natural Marquise Diamonds

Weight for weight, a marquise shows more surface than any other shape. Two pointed ends, a wide middle, and almost nothing hidden underneath in depth — a 1.00ct marquise can face up close to a 1.30ct round. If your priority is presence on the hand rather than a number on a report, this is the most efficient shape in the case.

The efficiency comes with two conditions. The first is symmetry. A marquise is defined by its outline, and the eye catches an uneven one immediately: if the two halves are not mirrored, or the points do not sit on the same axis, the stone looks wrong even to someone who could not say why. Read the symmetry grade, then confirm it in the 360° video.

The second is the points themselves. They are the thinnest part of any diamond and they chip. V-prongs are not a style choice on this shape, they are structural, and every marquise here can be set in a mount that protects both ends.

Ratios of 1.85 to 2.10 give the classic silhouette. Shorter reads stubby; longer exaggerates the bow-tie that sits across the centre of almost every marquise.