When it comes to choosing between traditional cuts and fancy cuts, the choices are personal, as some may appreciate the timeless beauty of traditional cuts while some might be hooked with the modern charm of fancy cuts. Two of the most popular fancy cuts are emerald and baguette cut that got their names from their characteristic shape. The geometric shape of the cuts makes them stand out among cuts like oval, pear and round.
In this session, we make a comparison of emerald cut and baguette cut, two popular fancy cuts that are mistakenly considered to be the same due to the similarities in outline and cut pattern.
Shape
Baguette cut has a characteristic long rectangular cut with octagonal corners and the cut gained popularity in the 1920s and 1930s during the art deco movement that emphasized geometric shapes with clean and straight lines.
Emerald cuts can be square or rectangular, and both baguette and emerald cut shape are step cuts. The facets of the cuts look less like triangles and more like steps with the bold shape of the cuts accentuating the look of diamond rings and bracelets.
Baguette shapes are cut with sharp corners while emerald cuts have finely polished wedge shaped corners, and when you compare the sizes, emerald cuts look larger. Baguette cut are narrower than emerald cut and hence they look more elongated than rectangular emerald cuts.
Facets
Baguette cut diamonds have 14 facets that give it an appreciable luster whereas the emerald cut has 50 to 58 facets. Although the facet number of emerald cut is much higher than that of baguette cut, both shapes differ from princess and round cuts in terms of style and look.
Clarity
Since both the emerald and baguette shapes are step cut, the inclusions in the diamond are more visible restricting you from going many ranks down in the clarity scale. Always choose a clarity grade of VS1 or better for step cut diamonds to ensure that your diamond is eye clean.
The peculiarities of the table of emerald cuts enables the beholders to see through it like you see through a window .Hence the inclusions at the center the diamond will be clearly visible and you have to stick to the clarity recommendation lest your diamond clarity will be compromised.
| Parameter | Baguette | Emerald |
| Shape | Rectangular/square | Rectangular/square |
| Suitable clarity grade | VS1 | VS1 |
| Suitable color grade | D to G | D to I |
| Length to width ratio | 1.50 to 2.40 | 1.30 to 1.6 |
| Facets | 24 | 50 to 58 |
Suitable Ring Styles
Due to their characteristic elongated look, baguette cut diamonds are excellent choices for accent stones and shoulder stones. They fit so well in side bands due to their thin structure and like you set them parallel to the side bands, you may also set them in the opposite direction to give a bold wide look to the ring.
Emerald cuts suit eternity style diamond rings so well as its characteristic shape enables the stones to rest against each other enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the eternity style rings. Emerald cuts are widely used in multistone arrangements like five stone or three stone rings.
Length To Width Ratio
There is no denying that the most common baguette shape is rectangle but square shaped baguettes are also available at RockHer. The length to width ratio of rectangular baguette is 5:1 and sometimes the ratio can be even higher according to the length and slenderness of the cut. The standard ratio range is between 1.50 to 2.40.
The ratio range for a classic emerald cut is between 1.30 and 1.60 and the ratio close to 1.50 is mostly preferred. The ratio that one chooses depends on the shape they like better. Fondness for rectangular shapes motivate people to go with higher length to width ratios while the fans of square shape often choose smaller ratios that are often close to 1.
Color
The baguette diamond rings are preferred more for their luster and less for their brilliance as the step cut of the diamond doesn’t contribute much to its sparkle. As the sparkle is less, tints of color can be seen easily with the naked eye, and you would have to select good color grades to maintain the charm of the cut. Always select color grades like G or better for baguettes and make sure that the multiple baguettes you use in a ring belong to the same clarity and color grades.
The color in an emerald cut is an attribute that can be noticed easily in an emerald shape and on inspection, you can see the natural color of the diamond clearly. The GIA color grades of diamonds range from D to Z and as we go from D to Z grades, the color retained by the diamond increases. If you choose color grades beyond J, you can easily notice a slight yellow tint in the emerald cut. Make sure you always choose color grades like I or better for emerald shapes.
Both baguette ring and emerald cut rings are excellent choices for people who love geometrical shapes with perfect symmetry that adds elegance to diamond rings.
