Marquise Cut Diamonds

Though it's one of the rarest fancy cut diamond shapes, the marquise shape maximizes carat weight, giving you a much larger-looking diamond for your dollar. The ability of marquise-shaped diamonds to look large for their carat weight makes them popular for anyone on a strict budget.

Another aspect that affects the price is the "bow-tie effect", a darkened area across its middle. The amount of darkness, however, varies so look for a diamond with a minimal bow tie to maximize light performance and your investment.

Marquise hides inclusions well. Save on a lower clarity grade and you'll get an eye-clean diamond for less.

The shape was created in the 1700s when King Louis XV of France commissioned a jeweler to design a cut in the shape of his mistress's lips. This unique diamond cut is believed to have represented the soft smile of Madame Marquise de Pompadour. 

Marquise diamonds are gemstones with an elongated curved shape punctuated by points at either end of the diamond. They are faceted for brilliance and most often seen in engagement rings. Because of their elliptical elongated shape, these gems can often appear larger than their diamond carat weight would indicate.

When it comes to rings, marquise cut diamonds are typically worn in a north-south orientation, with the two points of the diamond sitting vertically along the wearer’s finger. For a unique take on marquise diamond engagement rings, some people put the diamond in an east-west setting instead with the diamond’s points sitting horizontally cross the finger. You can also find marquise diamonds in earrings and necklaces with various designs to match any style.

Sometimes a marquise diamond may be called a navette diamond. They are also called football-shaped, boat-shaped or eye-shaped diamonds.