Marquise Diamond Engagement Rings

Steeped in historical romance, the Marquise shape, sometimes referred to as the navette shape diamond, dates back to 18th century France. King Louis XV ordered royal jewellers to cut diamonds to resemble the lips of his love, Marquise de Pompado. Marquise shaped diamonds are also said to closely resemble an eye shape, or the ‘navette’ which translates from French into English to ‘little ship’.

Since then, Marquise diamond engagement rings have only continued to grow in popularity. Its unique presence commands attention and its elongated is known to flatter the wearer by making the finger appear longer and slimmer. The marquise is a rare diamond shape to use in an engagement ring, but for an alternative bride looking for something unique, the marquise is irresistible.

The marquise diamond is one of the fancy shapes, which is a term labelled to every other diamond shape besides a round brilliant cut. Being one of the fancy shapes, the marquise is not as in demand as the round brilliant, often times making it more affordable. The marquise is not any less spectacular though, with the shape featuring 60 facets throughout, giving it a wonderful brilliance sure to catch anyone’s eye.

As well as being more affordable than a round brilliant cut, the marquise shape has the visual appearance of looking larger than its carat weight. So for those who are looking for a ring on the larger side, a marquise is a great choice.

Marquise cut diamonds can exhibit something called a ‘bow-tie effect’ which occurs when light doesn’t bounce into the middle of the diamond because of the angles on which the diamond’s facets are cut.

This creates a bow-tie shaped darkness visible at the diamond’s centre. While most agree that this is part of a Marquise diamond’s beauty, a severe bow tie effect is undesirable. All of our diamonds are hand-inspected to ensure they do not possess an overwhelming bow-tie effect.

Another consideration when choosing a marquise diamond is the colour. Because of the way it’s shaped, the marquise stone tends to have more depth in the middle and is shallow at the end, causing the stone to show more of its colour at the tips. It depends on the specific stone, but when choosing a marquise diamond it’s a good idea to choose a colour grade that is one step higher than preferred, to make sure that your gemstone doesn’t display any tints of grey or yellow. We would recommend choosing between D and G for an optimum colour.

Another element to pay attention to when picking a marquise diamond is the symmetry and cut of the shape. With a marquise diamond, it is easier to notice an asymmetrical cut if the two pointed ends of the stone don’t line up. The diamond must have either excellent or a very good symmetry grade. A marquise diamond should also have a length to width ratio of 1.75-2.15.

A versatile diamond shape, Marquise diamonds can be set vertically, horizontally, or even as accent side stones. Stars such as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Portia de Rossi both wear Marquise diamond engagement rings in a modern east-west setting.

So if you’re looking for a large presence on the finger, look no further than the Marquise shaped diamond. This shape has a larger spread on the finger than many others of equal carat weight and is a totally unique choice, making it a total win-win!

A marquise cut diamond would pair well with almost any accent stones. Baguette diamonds would create a sharp, edgy look, or you could go with ethereal half moons to enhance the marquise’s eye shaped look. Pear shaped diamonds would also perfectly suit a marquise centre diamond.

A marquise would look amazing as a simple solitaire, with a halo or as a trilogy. The marquise is a versatile stone that packs a punch as a statement piece of jewellery.