Pros

1. Better light return and sparkle than any other shape.
2. Good surface area by carat weight.
3. Extremely versatile, can be matched with any shape of accent diamonds, on any style of ring setting.

Cons

1. None! Only thing to look out for here is price. If you over-allocate budget to Color or Clarity, you’re going to pay a premium for indistinguishable features.

Pricing

• 1 carat Lab: Roughly $750 – $1,000
• 1 carat Natural: Roughly $3,000 – $4,000
• 2 carat Lab: Roughly $1,500 – $2,000
• 2 carat Natural: Roughly $20,000 – $25,000
• 3 carat Lab: Roughly $5,000 – $6,000
• 3 carat Natural: Roughly $60,000

Check out our 10-Step Guide for help picking Color and Clarity Grades for different-sized Diamonds.

Pros

1. Elongated shapes look bigger than non-elongated shapes of the same carat weight!
2. Good light return (Ovals especially).
3. Very popular on hidden halo or accented ring settings.

Cons

1. Careful with bowties! Poorly-cut elongated shapes can have super noticeable ones. Follow these Proportion guidelines to find the best-cut elongated diamonds.

Pricing

• 1 carat Lab: Roughly $650 – $900
• 1 carat Natural: Roughly $3,500 – $4,000
• 2 carat Lab: Roughly $2,000 – $2,500
• 2 carat Natural: Roughly $20,000 – $22,000
• 3 carat Lab: Roughly $11,000 – $13,000
• 3 carat Natural: Roughly $55,000 – $60,000

Pros

1. Great light performance (Princess-Cuts and Cushions especially).
2. Generally much cheaper than an equivalent Round or Elongated-Brilliant Diamond.

Cons

1. Square shapes look smaller than other shapes at the same carat weights, so you’ll need a larger one for the same look.

Pricing

• 1 carat Lab: Roughly $600 – $800
• 1 carat Natural: Roughly $3,500 – $4,000
• 2 carat Lab: Roughly $1,500 – $2,000
• 2 carat Natural: Roughly $15,000 – $20,000
• 3 carat Lab: Roughly $8,000 – $10,000
• 3 carat Natural: Roughly $50,000 – $55,000

Pros

1. The elongated facets make for extremely elegant engagement rings.
2. Emerald-Cuts appear larger than Rounds or square-shape diamonds of the same carat weight.
3. The most affordable diamond shapes.

Cons

1. Poor light performance. The elongated facets look elegant but don’t reflect light as well as brilliant-cut diamonds.
2. Poor clarity imperfection masking. Long facets do a poor job or hiding inclusions and blemishes, so you’ll need a higher Clarity Grade than on a brilliant-cut diamond of the same carat weight.

Pricing

• 1 carat Lab: Roughly $500 – $750
• 1 carat Natural: Roughly $3,500 – $4,000
• 2 carat Lab: Roughly $1,500 – $2,000
• 2 carat Natural: Roughly $15,000 – $18,000
• 3 carat Lab: Roughly $3,000 – $3,500
• 3 carat Natural: Roughly $55,000 – $60,000