About The Marquise Diamond

The Marquise Diamond, also called a navette cut, is classy variation of the oval cut with a history dating back to early 18th century France. This classic cut retains the 56 facets common to the oval cut but is elongated into a boat-like shape with pointed vertical ends. Although the cut is beautiful in its own right, the style of a Marquise cut diamond ring is also quite specific to its owner. A marquise cut is long and thin with the diamond set lower and closer to finger than most other cuts. This is an elegant style that will flow naturally on a lady with long slender fingers. It may not match as well with shorter and thicker fingers. On the other hand, the Marquise is an equally exceptional cut for earrings and pendants as well.

Loose Marquise Diamond

Loose marquise diamond (source)

Blue Nile is recommended for both quality and affordability as The online source for everything Marquise Diamond. Browse their exquisite Marquise jewelry collection, sort through 1000s of loose Marquise diamonds, or design your own custom Marquise diamond ring, pendant, or earrings. Blue Nile guarantees the lowest diamond prices on the market or they will attempt to match it.

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Four Cs of Marquise Diamonds

When considering clarity, cut, carat, and color, there are several clear priorities that differ from other cuts. These are outlined as follows in order of importance:

Diamond Clarity

This is arguably the most important grade for a Marquise. Due to the thin and elongated nature of a Marquise cut, inclusions in a far more visible than in thicker cuts. Always try to aim for SI1 (Slightly Included 1st Degree) or better for the clarity on your Marquise cut diamond.

Diamond Cut

The nature of the Marquise diamond cut can potentially be an extremely important factor. The ideal length-to-width ratio for this diamond should be between 1.75 and 2.25. The farther a Marquise diamond cut is outside of these parameters, the more problems it will have reflecting light within the stone. This will cause shadows within the stone commonly known as the 'bow-tie effect' because of their shapes. However, within the 1.75 – 2.25 range, there should not be a significant issue with bow tie shadows so the exact ratio should be up to personal preference. Also, since most Marquise diamonds are naturally cut within this ratio, it is often not listed.

Diamond Color

Color is also an important grade for the Marquise Diamond. The highly reflective nature of this cut can increase the apparent color in faint yellow ranges (K, L, M) and even the low near colorless range (I). It is a safe recommendation to select your Marquise diamond at least in the G or H range (high end of near colorless) if not better. On the other hand, color preferences are also quite subjective and some customers even prefer the warmer colors. Another obvious exception is if you are searching for a fancy colored marquise cut diamond, which can be quite splendid in its own right. In the end, simply choose the color grade based on your own preference and what you perceive as a beautiful diamond.

Diamond Carat

Apart from the splendid and unique appearance, a significant advantage of the Marquise diamond cut is that it maximizes the apparent size of the gem, making it appear considerably larger than its actual carat weight. In other words, you don't need a high carat weight in order to get a good sized Marquise diamond.

Marquise Diamond Ring

Marquis: A Simple Misspelling

The Marquise diamond (note the 'e' at the end) is commonly misspelled as 'Marquis diamond' when in fact there is no such thing as a Marquis cut. This is a common source of confusion because both 'Marquise' and 'Marquis' are two different French titles of nobility. However, Marquise diamond is the only correct spelling for this splended cut.

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What Is a Canary Diamond?

The canary diamond is the most pure vivid yellow diamond. Yellow diamonds in general come in four categories (often sub-divided further). In order from lowest to highest-grade hue are Light Yellow, Fancy Yellow, Intense Yellow, and Vivid Yellow. The higher the grade of hue, the more brilliant and valuable the diamond and only the vivid yellow is known as a true canary diamond. True canary diamonds make up only about 0.1% (1 in 1000) of all known diamonds, making this an extremely rare diamond that, combined with high demand, can be difficult to purchase. Nevertheless, the canary diamond engagement ring remains a popular commodity on the diamond market because of the sheer brilliance and color of these diamonds.

Canary Settings

A canary looks its best in a setting that allows as much light exposure as possible. This accentuates the intense vivid yellow unique to this brilliant diamond. When looking for a canary diamond setting, try to avoid enclosed settings that surround much of the gem such as bezel or channel settings. These settings are excellent for some gemstones and styles but will smother the brilliance of canary diamonds. For extremely vivid canary stones, try to avoid yellow gold and opt for platinum or white gold that will contrast and bring out the intense yellow of the canary. On the other hand, for less vivid grades of canary diamonds, a yellow gold setting can enhance the diamond’s appearance. However, this rule is not always true and it depends on the intended effect of the specific jewelry piece.

The Four Cs of Canary Diamonds

Every prospective canary diamond buyer should know the “Four Cs” of diamonds. These are the most important grading categories of a diamond that primarily if not entirely determine it’s value. The four Cs are: cut, carat, clarity and color. The following sections will outline some characteristics of cut, carat, clarity, and color as they uniquely relate to canary diamonds. If you don’t know that the four Cs of diamonds are, learn the basics from the Gemological Institute of America: Learn About The Four Cs of Diamonds

Where to Buy a Loose Canary Diamond?

James Allen is the online authority for Canary Yellow Diamonds.

Canary Cut

Cut is arguably the most important characteristic of a canary diamond. This is because the cut is the single most important factor for a diamond’s brilliance. Sometimes the cut quality of a stone is sacrificed in order to maximize raw carat weight. For canary diamonds it is particularly important to avoid such cases. The canary diamond should always prioritize cut over carat weight because brilliance is the trademark of the canary.

Diamond Carat

The price of a diamond generally rises exponentially with it’s carat weight. Not surprisingly, a higher carat canary diamond can easily be one of the most valuable gems on the market while lower carats, thought still quite costly, are considerably more affordable. A canary diamond engagement ring will often have the highest carats of these breathtaking diamonds but If there is ever a trade-off between cut quality and raw carat, always prioritize the cut because the canary is distinguished by its vivid brilliance.

Canary Clarity

A higher grade of clarity is always more desirable but because of it’s deep color, a canary is considerably more lenient regarding some blemishes and inclusions. It is possible to obtain a quite stunning canary diamond at a bit lower grade of clarity than one would consider for, say, a white diamond. Keep this consideration in mind if you are searching for canary diamonds on a limited budget.

Canary Diamond Color

As previously mentioned, a lighter yellow diamond is not considered a true canary diamond and is considerably less valuable. Likewise, within the range of true canary diamonds, the darker and more vivid the yellow hue is, the higher its value is. Because it is this deep yellow that makes the canary so stunning and unique, color should always be a high priority when searching for your canary.

Canary Diamond Cost and Investment Future

Due to it’s rarity and vivid yellow hue, a good grade canary diamond is currently one of the most costly diamonds, easily surpassing an equivalent white diamond in value. The hefty price tags for canaries keep these gemstones out of the range of a significant number of diamond buyers. However there will probably never be a better time to buy this gemstone than now. There is no indication that the current supply of canary diamonds will improve and by all accounts, the demand for these diamonds will only increase, causing prices to skyrocket further. Therefore, due to the state of extreme rarity and raising demand, canary diamonds are likely one of the best diamonds to invest in if you are ever intending to resell. In short, if you are considering purchasing a canary, despite its already high price, there will likely never be a better time to buy then now.

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