Glossary

Diamond Cut (Shape)

Diamond cut refers to the stone's shape and faceting pattern — round brilliant, princess, oval, marquise, emerald, cushion, pear, radiant, asscher, heart. Cut determines how light interacts inside the stone and is one of the GIA 4Cs alongside color, clarity, and carat. Different cuts photograph differently and AI must respect the cut's signature.

The ten common diamond cuts

Round brilliant — 57-58 facets, the universal sparkle standard, ~75% of engagement-ring market. Princess — square-cornered, modern look, faceted underneath. Oval — elongated brilliant, finger-flattering, trending strongly post-2020. Marquise — pointed elliptical, vintage, looks larger than its carat. Emerald — rectangular step-cut, art-deco, shows clarity prominently. Cushion — square or rectangular with rounded corners, soft romantic. Pear — teardrop, point-up or point-down. Radiant — square emerald-cut hybrid. Asscher — square emerald, distinctive X-pattern in the table. Heart — pointed lobed shape, novelty.

Why each cut photographs differently

Brilliant cuts (round, princess, oval, cushion, radiant, pear, marquise, heart) are designed to maximize light return — they sparkle as moving fire when the stone is rotated. They photograph as bright, with strong specular highlights at the table (top facet). Step cuts (emerald, asscher) prioritize transparency and "hall of mirrors" visual depth over sparkle — they photograph as glassy and reveal inclusions more clearly. Mixing photography style across cut categories breaks visual consistency in a multi-stone listing.

What AI must preserve

Cut shape and facet pattern are the buying decision. A buyer searching for "princess cut engagement ring" who lands on a listing showing an oval stone has been mis-served. AI jewelry retouching preserves the cut's silhouette pixel-faithfully and keeps the signature facet pattern intact (princess's grid of grids; round's kite-and-star pattern; emerald's step-rectangles). Stone color swap (e.g. diamond → sapphire) keeps the cut and only changes the spectrum.

Related terms

Last updated 2026-05-03