Rounds vs. Fancy Shapes- Why Are Rounds More Expensive?

Rounds vs. Fancy Shapes

Hey everyone, this is Daniel Namdar with #Diamondtalk and I wanted to share some super relevant information about Rounds vs. Fancy Shapes. So if you had to think of THE classic diamond shape, it would be a round. Rounds are the most requested and sold shape worldwide. There are a couple reasons.

1. They shine more

What makes a diamond shine is its faceting. It’s ability to receive light, and shoot it back at you from the different angles made by the cutter. But to get the extra faceting that a Round has, the cutter needs to start out with a heavier piece of rough. So to get a 1ct Round, you’d need to start out with a heavier piece of rough, then what you’d need to get a one carat Cushion for example.

2. Things that are popular, become more popular.

The fact that as time went by, rounds became more popular- this spurred an exponential popularity. And it became “funky” to get a different shape for an engagement ring. (Even though that’s slowly changing and ovals have been crushing it in the past two years.)

So given these two factors: the more expensive cutting process, and higher demand- rounds are more expensive than the other shapes.

Now all of this is true when it comes to color diamonds, and more. A color diamond is not cut in the same way a white diamond is. A good cutter for a color diamond will angle the facets in a certain way to retain the color more in the center of the stone, and less of it shooting out. For example in color diamonds- it’s not a desirable thing to have a “Oval brilliant” or “cushion brilliant” etc, (which is a plus with whites) but rather you have “Oval MODIFIED Brilliant” and “Cushion MODIFIED Brilliant”, because it’s cut slightly differently than a white. But to be fair, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will shine less, rather that the faceting will look different.

Remember how we said a Round diamond shines more because it shoots out more light? Well this is also true about shooting out the color! So to get for example a “Fancy Yellow” Round, you’d need to start out with a more saturated piece of rough to get that grading. A piece of rough that when cut into a cushion let’s say, might be graded as a Fancy Intense..

So to sum it all up; to get a 1ct Fancy Yellow Round, you’d need to start out with a more saturated and heavier piece of rough, than you’d need to get a 1ct Fancy Yellow Cushion. This brings up the price from the side of the weight, and the color. Fancy Color Rounds can trade anywhere between 50-100% more (depending on beauty) than other shapes in Fancy Color. The plus side is; even though you’re paying more- you’re getting more in terms of value. So don’t think you’re paying a lot more without getting anything in return; you’re getting a more valuable diamond.

Do we recommend Rounds over Fancy Shapes?

Not really. In general I hate telling people what they should buy, because a diamond is such a personal thing, and you need a diamond that talks to you. That being said- if you want a Round- go for it, they’re more rare, asked for, and are classic. But I personally prefer Fancy Shapes, because in my eyes they show more life when it comes to color diamonds, and focus more on the color than the cutting.

Thanks for reading, and for more information always feel free to contact us at Namdar Diamonds.