Marquise Diamonds

Also known as a “navette,” Marquise cuts may be slender and long, or plump and wide. However, the majority are around twice as long as they are in width. The most important aspect of a Marquise is its graceful cut. This will ensure it shows its noble birth and sparkles!

Like other fancy cut diamonds, the GIA does not grade Marquise cut quality. For this reason, it is important to note that any jeweler that advertises a GIA-certified Marquise with a cut grade is offering their own opinion of its cut. In other words, a GIA certificate will not have a cut grade. There is also no industry standard for what makes an “Ideal Cut Marquise.” However, there are tips and tricks to choosing a great stone.

BOWTIES

• All marquise diamonds have a bowtie area. This is because the width facets are shorter and steeper than the length facets.
• Overly dark bowties should be avoided as they are distracting.
• Watery bowties should be avoided as they lose sparkle.

Here is an example of a beautifully cut marquise with even contrast and brilliance, compared with a distracting, dark marquise cut bowtie:

Here are additional table and depth percentages we recommend to our couples:

The color grade of a diamond refers to how much color (or lack of a color) the diamond shows. D, E, and F color diamonds are “colorless,” like water. Stones in the G through Z ranges have increasing amounts of yellow tint.

Like most diamonds, smaller Marquise hide more color than larger stones. However, because of the way Marquises are cut, they look larger than other diamonds. So, couples may wish to select a D-F color for a more truly colorless, ice-white appearance. The color of your setting also plays a role: if you choose a warm metal (like yellow or rose gold) you can hide some diamond color! If you choose a white metal (like platinum, palladium, or white gold), you want to stick with more colorless options.

Here is an example of an E colored marquise next to an I colored marquise diamond:

Here is a chart of what we recommend, based on size and setting color:

The clarity of a diamond is how “crystal clear” the diamond is. Almost all diamonds have “inclusions”, or internal markings, that are the birthmarks of a gemstone. The less inclusions a gem has, the more “flawless” it is. Many inclusions are too small to see without magnification. Fortunately, as Marquises are brilliant cut, they hide blemishes fairly well within their sparkle.

It is harder to see flaws on smaller diamonds than larger ones. So, a smaller Marquise may have a lower clarity rating and still maintain an eye-clean appearance. However, as Marquise diamonds look larger than other diamonds, you still want to be cautious and have us (or your jeweler) verify that the diamond meets your clarity expectations. The chart below can help you select the right Marquise, based on your preference of clarity.

Here is an example of an SI1 clarity marquise next to a VS1 clarity marquise:

Here is what we recommend to our couples: