Which Diamond Cut Has The Most Sparkle?

One of the reasons people like diamonds so much is, of course, sparkle. A rock that dazzles, catches the eye and adds a luxurious touch to any outfit or setting. 

When light hits a diamond, it reflects through the myriad of facets to emit an eye-catching sparkle. But not all diamonds are created equal. So, what makes certain diamonds sparkle more than others? Let's take a look.

The most brilliant cut 

The first diamond cut we are going to discuss is the round brilliant. It is the most popular and most brilliant diamond cut.                  

How does this cut create such a brilliant sparkle? It is called the round brilliant for a reason. With 57-58 facets in the stone, light hits the diamond and distributes through each facet.

The result is a light reflection of 92% and ultimate sparkle. If you are looking for a diamond that sparkles above the rest, the round brilliant is for you.

Diamond cuts with an exceptional brilliance

Although these diamonds are not you´re traditional round diamond shape, they have similar cutting patterns. Usually these diamond cuts are less expensive than round cut diamonds.

The following are 3 diamond cuts with exceptional brilliance: 

Pear: 

With the same amount of facets as the round brilliant, a pear diamond cut, reflects a good amount of light, which means a stunning sparkle.

Marquise: 

The oldest diamond cut. Its shape is between a pear and oval cut and has a brilliant sparkle.

Oval:  

As the name suggests, it is oval in shape. It has a very good sparkle and is usually budget friendly and appears larger than a round cut.

Do heart and princess cut diamonds sparkle as much as the round, oval, marquise and pear cuts?

Classified as highly brilliant, these two shapes reflect roughly 70% of light. That is 22% less than the round cut diamonds, but the heart and princess cuts are extremely popular.

Diamond cuts that are brilliant

Let's talk about middle tier diamond cuts for sparkle. There are four cuts that generate a good amount of brilliance. Although they won’t sparkle as much as any of the diamonds mentioned above, they do have intriguing selling points that make them excellent candidates for engagement rings.

Brilliant diamond cuts include cushion, radiant, asscher and emerald. Looking at the top of the asscher and emerald diamond cuts, you’ll notice some similarities in the way the diamonds are cut. That’s because they are defined as step cuts, which means they have long facets around the diamond. These diamonds have a dimmed sparkle, but they create a unique visual effect. When light hits the diamond, it looks like a hall of mirrors. If sparkle is not your main priority, the asscher and emerald cuts offer a fancy alternative.

Other sparkle factors

The diamond cut is the most important factor, there are other factors to consider. A higher quality cut, of course, sparkles more than a lower quality cut.

If you see a dark line across the center of a pear, marquise or oval diamond, you won't get that sparkle factor you're looking for. This line is known as the bow-tie. The bow-tie effect occurs due to a poor quality cut.

To sum it up, all good quality cut diamonds sparkle, but the diamond that sparkles the most is definitely the round cut.