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Unlike a typical ring cut round or square, marquise cut engagement rings feature an elongated body ending in pointed tips giving the wearer an illusion that they are larger than any other diamonds of equal size in carats. Additionally, the marquise cut may be referred to as the “navette” cut, a French word meaning “little boat”, because its shape mimics that of a small ship. Originally, this shape was only a cut for diamonds, but the shape became popular for other gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Although a marquise diamond does not shine the brightest of all the cuts of diamonds, it does have an allure created from its special shape. This sparkle brings a new level of sophistication to the diamond world. A marquise cut diamond engagement ring is particularly flattering as it makes the wearer’s fingers appear longer and slenderer. However, the pointed edges do make chipping more likely. The marquise cut diamond has a royal origin as it dates back to King Louis XV in the 18th century. His commission of a diamond led to a shape that mimicked the shape of his mistress’s lips. The name “marquise” refers to regality as well. It was considered to be a rank between a count and a duke. These courtiers were commonly seen showing off their marquise diamonds in order to flaunt their rank in society. This regal and historical connection brings a fascination and appeal to the modern bride, as seen by the plethora of celebrities proudly displaying a marquise engagement ring on their left hand. Because of the antiquity of the ring’s history, many buyers prefer to add a tint of color instead of purchasing the typical colorless diamond. When purchasing a marquise diamond engagement ring, Cut remains most important out of the Four C’s (Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat). Buyers should be careful of the bowtie cut, a slightly broader body than that of the marquise cut, which creates large dark spot in the middle of the stone resembling a bowtie. Buyers should also avoid the football cut, a body that is too narrow to be considered marquise, because the radiance is significantly lowered. The perfect marquise cut has enough surface space for light to properly reflect without causing the bowtie effect.
The history of the marquise cut is very unique compared to other diamond cuts. In the 18th century, King Louis XV reigned over France. During this time, the king spent a lot of time with Jeanne Antionette Poisson. She was historically known as the Marquise de Pompadour. She ruled France as the Chief’s mistress for a long time, 20 years to be exact.
This woman had a huge influence on French style during these 20 years, in so many different aspects. The arts, fashion, entertainment, architecture, and even politics were influenced by her. She was the very last Chief Mistress that a French King had.
Her intellect and artistic abilities are what originally caught the King’s eyes, and captured his heart. In addition to her mind and heart, the King loved her smile as well. Her smile alone is what inspired the elegant marquise cut gemstone. This is what gave the Marquise cut its royal status. It is also extremely feminine, which makes sense since it was inspired by a woman’s lips.
Marquise is the feminine form of the word marquess in French. Some people, especially in French-speaking countries, call the marquise cut “navette.” This French word translates to “little ship.”
The Marquise cut can be set in many different styles depending on personal preference. However, when choosing a setting, you have to take the stone into consideration, due to its pointed tips. If you aren’t mindful of the stone, the setting you choose might make it difficult to preserve and protect the marquise cut diamond.
Here are some popular setting options that take the safety of the stone into consideration:
V-Tip Prongs - Settings that feature a V-prong are very protective for the diamond. It covers both tips of the diamond entirely, providing maximum protection. Not all styles can incorporate V-Tip Prongs though. For example, a tension setting cannot. Both two v-prongs or four standard type prongs will work for providing protection.
Bezel Settings - Bezel settings are amazing because they truly do the best job at highlighting the interesting and elegant shape and style of the diamond. The bezel provides the diamond with a metal halo that goes around the entire diamond, which provides protection to not only the tips of the diamond but also the sides of it. Even though bezel settings are typically used for other diamonds (especially round brilliant ones), this setting fits perfectly with a marquise diamond. The bezel setting can work for either horizontal or vertical marquise cut diamonds.
Solitaire Settings - The classic solitaire setting will never get old. You can combine the solitaire setting with a bezel setting around the diamond to provide it with even more elegance and protection. You can have small accent diamonds on the solitaire ring as well to amplify the drama that this ring comes with.
Halo Setting - We can’t forget about the beautiful halo setting. Halo settings have the perfect frame for the marquise cut diamond. It’s a gorgeous way to provide the ring with more protection while adding elegance and beauty at the same time. Diamond halos add more sparkle, and they can really give a ring a vintage-inspired look if that’s what you’re going for.
The two most popular types of metals for marquise cut engagement rings are platinum and white gold. These two metals really provide magnification for the gorgeous color of the diamonds. This is especially true is the marquise cut is a colored gemstone such as sapphire.
However, if you have a marquise cut diamond that isn't the highest quality, you might be better off going with yellow or rose gold metals instead. This is because these yellow colors have the power to camouflage any yellow undertones that the lower quality marquise cut diamonds might have.
When buying a marquise cut diamond, it’s important to consider the fact that marquise cuts have been known to show more inclusions (and more color too) than other cuts, especially brilliant cuts. It’s not uncommon to see inclusions in the center facets of the ring. These are generally much larger than any inclusions that would be in the pointed end areas of the diamond. At the pointed end facets, it’s much easier to hide inclusions and harder to see them.
Another thing to consider is that if you don’t choose the right setting that provides protection, your diamond can be chipped easily. The pointed ends are prone to chipping and damage if they are just left as is. When buying a marquise cut diamond, pay attention to symmetry. The two ends of the diamond should be perfectly aligned with each other. Any defects or problems with the symmetry can have a negative effect on the diamond’s overall equilibrium. It won’t look as balanced either. The symmetry should be excellent, or at least in the “very good” grade.
The Twisting Solitaire Diamond Ring is a modern twist on a classic ring style. Similar to other white, yellow, or rose gold marquise cut engagement rings, this style allows for ample room to personalize the diamond. Marquise cut solitaire engagement rings give the vintage diamond shape plenty of space to be the centerpiece of the engagement ring. This style features tightly woven metal crisscrossing up to pointed edges of the center marquise diamond, highlighting the shine of the diamond.
Similarly, with the Grace Solitaire Diamond Engagement Ring, all eyes are glued to marquise diamond. This ring features an open solitaire setting with cathedral style windows allowing the diamond to steal the spotlight of the ring. It is perfect for a buyer looking to have a simple, but still beautiful, sparkling engagement ring.
For a buyer looking for a bit more sparkle to the ring, the Under Bezeled Accent Diamond Engagement Ring is a popular choice. Prong accent diamonds flank the center stone, adding on to the marquise diamond’s shine to create a ring that is sure to dazzle.
For a similar look, the Tapered Diamond Engagement Ring offers accent diamonds as well. However, these diamonds taper off at the ends, highlighting the points and edges of the center stone, making this style a perfect choice for a diamond marquise cut engagement ring.
The Twisting Vine Diamond Ring adds even more shine with its tightly wound diamonds crisscrossing up to the center stone. Covering the entire band, these accent diamonds give the ring a delicate sparkle without going overboard.
For the same radiance but a more simplistic band, the Marquise Plain Shank Halo Diamond Engagement Ring, offers a plain metal band leading up to the diamond-encircled center stone. Marquise cut halo diamond engagement rings showcase 16 stones, making the main diamond appear larger and more radiant than a marquise diamond standing alone.
The Marquise Split Shank Halo Diamond Engagement Ring offers all of the same beauty as the plain shank halo diamond ring, but with two extra rows of accent diamonds to create an unbeatable luster.
If the plain shank is too simple and the split shank is too extravagant, the Marquise Pave Halo Diamond Engagement Ring is a perfect option. Accent diamonds on the band lead up to the center diamond, making it perfect for the buyer looking for more traditional marquise cut halo engagement rings.
Another popular choice for the marquise cut diamond is the Triangular Three Stone Diamond Engagement Ring. This ring features not only accent diamonds leading up to the center of the ring, but also two triangular diamonds flanking both sides of the center stone to accentuate the pointed edges even further.
The marquise cut looks especially fitting in the Four Points Diamond Engagement Ring. The center stone is flanked by two diamonds perpendicularly which mimic the points of a marquise diamond. The accent diamonds continue throughout the band surrounded by a milgrain design, creating a more complex engagement ring.