By Vennette Lailani Seprado
Often, a diamond’s cut is decided by the stone’s original rough shape. Diamond cutters will consider flaws, inclusions, preservation of carat weight as well as popularity of a certain shape in deciding the appropriate cut of a stone while buyers will often consider budget, the recipient’s taste as well as personality in selecting the perfect stone for that perfect ring.
The diamond cutting industry has been around since the Middle Ages, in fact a guild of diamond polishers were first recorded in Nuremberg, Germany as early as 1375. The turn of the 20th century witnessed developments in design creation and innovation that continues to the present day. New technology such as laser cutting and highly sophisticated computer programs have enabled diamond cutters to come up with cuts increasing diamond brilliance and luminosity paving the way for fancier shapes popularized by celebrities in the entertainment industry, music and social sets.
To continue our special feature on diamond engagement rings this month of April, let’s take a closer look at the fancy cuts and shapes on these celebrity fingers:
Pear
American rapper Cardi B received a surprise proposal from fellow rapper, Offset, at his concert in October of 2017 in front of thousands. The couple was later revealed to have had a secret wedding at their home a month prior but that didn’t stop Offset from presenting a massive ring to his larger than life wife. Cardi B’s ring is an 8-carat pear shaped diamond with a double halo setting in white gold or platinum. Made by Manhattan jewelers, Pristine Jewelers NYC, the unique ring also boasts of two 1-carat pear cut stones on each side and additional 2-carats worth of pink and white diamond melee stones forming the halo. In total, the 12-carat sparkler is reportedly valued at $500,000.
Heart
Music superstar, Lady Gaga and longtime boyfriend Taylor Kinney got engaged on Valentine’s Day, 2015. Lady Gaga was presented a sentimental ring with all the trappings of romance. Designed by Lorraine Schwartz, the rings consists of a rare 6-carat heart shaped diamond center stone with a full diamond set band estimated at $500,000. If the declaration of love by the diamond’s shape isn’t obvious enough, Taylor even managed to profess his love by having the base of the ring band encrusted with diamonds and shaped into the letters “T” and “S” (Lady Gaga’s first name is Stefani) with a heart in between. Sadly, the pair didn’t get the chance to walk down the aisle. They called off their engagement in July of 2016.
Emerald
Emerald cut diamonds are one of the most unique yet recognizable diamond cuts in the world. Unlike other diamond cuts with more facets, emerald cuts have a more subtle sparkle. The unique step cut technique employed to create this shape produces a hall of mirror effect. This cut needs a considerably sized stone to truly shine and this was what Brad Pitt exactly had in mind when he proposed to his then longtime partner and mother of his children, Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie. Angelina’s ring took about a year to design. Brad Pitt sought the help of designer Robert Procop to design an edgy yet sophisticated ring reflective of Angelina’s personality. The result was a ring totaling 16-carats. It features an emerald-cut diamond center stone flaked by brilliant trapezoid side diamonds that extend down both sides of the shanks, encircling Angelina’s finger.
