Select Page

Can lab grown diamonds be cut into fancy shapes for rings?

Can Lab Grown Diamonds Be Cut Into Fancy Shapes for Rings?

In the world of modern jewelry, lab grown diamonds have revolutionized the market, offering sustainable and ethical alternatives to mined diamonds. One common question many couples ask when considering these remarkable gems for their engagement rings is whether lab grown diamonds can be cut into fancy shapes. Let’s explore everything you need to know about fancy-shaped lab diamonds for your perfect ring.

What Are Fancy Shaped Diamonds?

Fancy shaped diamonds refer to any diamond cut that isn’t the traditional round brilliant cut. These distinctive shapes include oval, princess, cushion, emerald, pear, marquise, radiant, asscher, heart, and many more creative variations. Each fancy shape has its own unique characteristics, fire patterns, and aesthetic appeal that can dramatically transform the look of your engagement ring.

At Bopie’s Fine Jewelry in Fayetteville, NC, we’ve seen growing interest in these non-traditional shapes as couples seek to express their individuality through their jewelry choices. The distinct personality of each fancy shape allows for a truly personalized expression of love and commitment that goes beyond the classic round diamond.

These fancy shapes aren’t just beautiful alternatives—they can also appear larger than round diamonds of the same carat weight due to their elongated proportions and different surface area distributions. This makes them particularly appealing for those seeking maximum visual impact from their lab grown diamond investment.

Lab Grown vs. Mined Diamonds: Structural Differences

The remarkable truth about lab grown diamonds is that they are chemically, physically, and optically identical to their earth-mined counterparts. Both types consist of carbon atoms arranged in a crystal lattice structure, resulting in the same hardness (10 on the Mohs scale), brilliance, and fire that diamonds are famous for.

This identical atomic structure means that lab diamonds can absolutely be cut into any fancy shape that mined diamonds can. In fact, some advanced growing techniques used by premier lab diamond manufacturers produce exceptionally pure crystals with fewer inclusions, making them excellent candidates for elaborate fancy cuts that might reveal flaws in lesser-quality stones.

The only significant difference lies in their origin—lab diamonds are created in controlled environments that replicate the natural conditions under which diamonds form in the earth, but at a much faster rate. This controlled process can sometimes result in more consistent quality, which benefits the cutting process for more complex fancy shapes.

Available Fancy Shapes in Lab Grown Diamonds

The exciting news for jewelry enthusiasts is that virtually every fancy shape available in mined diamonds can be found in lab grown diamonds. The most popular fancy shapes include:

Princess Cut: This square or rectangular cut with pointed corners offers exceptional brilliance and a contemporary look, making it a top choice for modern engagement rings.

Oval Cut: Elongated and elegant, oval diamonds create the illusion of greater size and can make fingers appear longer and more slender. Their rounded edges also make them less prone to chipping than shapes with points.

Cushion Cut: With its rounded corners and larger facets, the cushion cut offers exceptional fire and brilliance with a romantic, vintage appeal that pairs beautifully with custom designed settings.

Emerald Cut: Known for its step-cut facets and rectangular shape, the emerald cut creates a hall-of-mirrors effect and showcases the diamond’s clarity rather than sparkle, offering sophisticated elegance.

Pear Cut: Combining the brilliance of round and marquise cuts, the teardrop-shaped pear cut is distinctive and flattering on the hand, especially when set with the point facing outward.

Marquise Cut: This elongated cut with pointed ends maximizes carat weight appearance and creates a stunning, dramatic look that stands out from more common shapes.

Beyond these, you’ll find heart shapes, radiant cuts, asscher cuts, and even more unique options like trapezoid and kite-shaped diamonds. At Bopie’s Fine Jewelry, we offer an extensive selection of these fancy shaped lab grown diamonds to suit every taste and style preference.

The Cutting Process for Lab Diamonds

The cutting process for lab grown diamonds is identical to that used for natural diamonds, requiring the same expertise and precision. Master cutters analyze each rough diamond crystal to determine the optimal shape that will maximize its beauty while minimizing waste.

For fancy shapes, the cutting process is often more complex than for round brilliants because each shape requires specific proportions and facet arrangements to achieve ideal light performance. This process begins with planning and mapping the rough diamond using advanced 3D scanning technology, followed by cleaving or sawing to create the basic outline.

The diamond then undergoes bruting (or girdling) to create the girdle edge, followed by faceting—where the diamond’s numerous facets are cut and polished to create the distinctive light patterns characteristic of each fancy shape. The final steps involve polishing to perfect brilliance and inspection to ensure the cut meets quality standards.

What makes lab diamonds particularly suitable for fancy cuts is that they can be grown to specific dimensions and qualities. In some cases, labs can even grow rough crystals in shapes that lend themselves better to certain fancy cuts, potentially reducing waste and improving yield—a benefit reflected in the competitive pricing of fancy-shaped lab diamonds.

Quality Considerations for Fancy Cut Lab Diamonds

When shopping for fancy-shaped lab grown diamonds, it’s essential to understand that the traditional 4Cs (cut, color, clarity, and carat) apply, but with some nuances specific to fancy shapes:

Cut Quality: Unlike round brilliants, fancy shapes don’t receive official cut grades from gemological laboratories. Instead, look for proper proportions and symmetry that maximize the shape’s beauty. For example, emerald cuts should have clear, straight facets and well-defined corners, while oval cuts should avoid the “bow-tie effect” (a dark shadow across the center).

Color Considerations: Fancy shapes tend to retain more color than round brilliants, particularly in corners and deeper areas. This means you might want to select a slightly higher color grade for shapes like princess, cushion, or emerald cuts to ensure they appear colorless in their settings.

Clarity Implications: Each fancy shape reveals inclusions differently. Step cuts like emerald and asscher act like windows into the diamond, making inclusions more visible, while brilliant cuts like princess and cushion can mask minor flaws with their faceting patterns. At Bopie’s, our gemologists can help you balance clarity considerations with your budget.

Length-to-Width Ratio: This crucial measurement determines the overall appearance of elongated fancy shapes. For example, oval diamonds typically look best with ratios between 1.3:1 and 1.5:1, but personal preference plays a significant role in choosing what looks best to you.

We find that many customers appreciate lab diamonds for fancy shapes because they often offer better clarity at more affordable price points, allowing for larger, more impressive center stones in their custom designed rings.

Cost Factors: How Shape Affects Price

One of the most compelling reasons to consider fancy shaped lab grown diamonds is their value proposition. Different shapes are priced differently based on several factors:

Cutting Yield: Shapes that preserve more of the original rough diamond generally cost less. Round brilliants lose up to 60% of the rough during cutting, while shapes like princess cuts lose less, making them more affordable per carat.

Demand Factors: Round diamonds traditionally command premium prices due to their popularity and established standards. Many fancy shapes offer a 20-40% discount compared to round diamonds of the same quality and carat weight, allowing you to get a significantly larger stone for your budget.

Manufacturing Complexity: Some fancy shapes require more skilled cutting or present unique challenges. Heart shapes and perfect cushion cuts, for example, demand exceptional craftsmanship and may command higher prices than simpler shapes like princess cuts.

At Bopie’s Fine Jewelry, we’ve observed that fancy shaped lab diamonds typically offer 30-50% savings compared to mined diamonds of the same specifications. This remarkable value allows our customers to either save significantly or upgrade to a much larger or higher-quality stone than they initially thought possible.

For example, a 1.5-carat oval lab diamond might cost about the same as a 1-carat round mined diamond, giving you 50% more diamond for your investment. This value equation makes fancy shaped lab diamonds particularly attractive for engagement rings and statement jewelry pieces.

Custom Shape Options and Limitations

The versatility of lab grown diamonds extends into the realm of custom design and specialized cuts. While all the standard fancy shapes are readily available, there are also possibilities for more unusual or customized options:

Modified Cuts: Standard fancy shapes can be modified with additional facets or slight alterations to their proportions, creating unique variants like the “crushed ice” cushion cut or the “hybrid” princess cut. These modifications can enhance certain qualities like brilliance or create distinctive light patterns.

Proprietary Cuts: Some manufacturers create patented or branded fancy cuts exclusive to their production, offering truly unique options for those seeking something different. These might include special facet arrangements or unusual combinations of cutting techniques.

Limitations to Consider: While lab diamonds can be cut into virtually any shape, extremely unusual or completely custom cuts may require specially grown rough material or may result in significant waste during cutting, increasing costs. Additionally, very small sizes (under 0.5 carats) may not showcase the nuances of complex fancy shapes effectively.

At Bopie’s Custom Design Studio, we work closely with leading lab diamond producers to source or create the perfect fancy shaped diamond for your vision. Our custom design process begins with understanding your aesthetic preferences and then matching them with the ideal diamond shape and proportions.

For truly one-of-a-kind pieces, we can even combine colored lab diamonds with fancy shapes, creating stunning unique gemstone alternatives that would be prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable in natural colored diamonds.