The Most Popular Shapes for Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Rings
When shopping for the perfect engagement ring in Fayetteville, NC, understanding diamond shapes is essential to finding a ring that matches your personal style and preferences. Lab grown diamonds have become increasingly popular due to their ethical sourcing and identical physical properties to mined diamonds. Here at Bopies, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to help you discover the most sought-after lab diamond shapes for engagement rings.
In this guide:
Round Brilliant Cut: The Timeless Classic
The round brilliant cut remains the most popular choice for lab grown diamond engagement rings, accounting for approximately 75% of all diamond sales. This shape has stood the test of time for good reason – its 57 or 58 facets are specifically designed to maximize light return, creating unparalleled sparkle and brilliance. Round engagement rings offer versatility that complements any setting style, from classic solitaires to elaborate halo designs.
What makes round brilliant lab diamonds so desirable is their ability to hide color and minor inclusions better than other shapes. For couples seeking a custom designed engagement ring with maximum fire and brilliance, the round cut is a fail-safe choice. At Bopies, we’ve noticed that round lab diamonds continue to be the preferred option for those who appreciate traditional elegance combined with optimal light performance.
Round brilliant lab diamonds also maintain their value exceptionally well. Their timeless appeal means they’re less susceptible to changing fashion trends, making them a wise investment for the future. When set in a classic Fayetteville engagement ring design, the round brilliant cut creates a look of enduring sophistication.
Oval Shape: Elegant Elongation
Oval shaped lab grown diamonds have surged in popularity, becoming the second most requested shape for engagement rings in recent years. This elongated brilliant cut offers the same fire and sparkle as round diamonds but with a distinctive, eye-catching silhouette. One of the oval’s most appealing features is how it creates an illusion of greater size – appearing larger than round diamonds of equal carat weight.
Many couples visiting our Fayetteville jewelry store choose oval lab diamonds because they elegantly lengthen the finger. The soft, rounded edges make this shape less prone to chipping than pointed corners, offering excellent durability for everyday wear. When designing custom engagement rings, we often recommend oval cuts for those wanting something slightly unconventional yet classically beautiful.
Oval lab diamonds can sometimes display a “bow-tie effect” – a dark area resembling a bow tie that appears across the center of the stone. However, skilled cutting can minimize this effect, resulting in a stone with exceptional brilliance throughout. At Bopies, we carefully select oval lab grown diamonds in Fayetteville with minimal bow-tie effect to ensure stunning visual performance.
Cushion Cut: Vintage Appeal
The cushion cut combines a square or rectangular shape with rounded corners, resembling a pillow – hence its name. This romantic shape has enjoyed a significant revival, becoming the third most popular choice for lab diamond engagement rings. Cushion cuts offer exceptional fire and brilliance, often displaying more prismatic light dispersion than many other shapes.
Customers at Bopies frequently select cushion cut lab diamonds for their unique blend of vintage charm and modern brilliance. This shape pairs beautifully with unique gemstone accents and works wonderfully in halo settings, creating a luxurious look. When designing custom jewelry in Fayetteville, we often recommend cushion cuts for those drawn to romantic, antique-inspired aesthetics.
Modern cushion cut lab diamonds are available in various proportions, from nearly square to more elongated rectangular shapes. The “crushed ice” variant features a distinctive faceting pattern that creates a sparkling, textured appearance, while “chunky” cushion cuts have larger, more defined facets. Our collection of Fayetteville engagement rings includes diverse cushion cut options to suit every taste.
Princess Cut: Modern Geometry
The princess cut ranks fourth in popularity for lab grown diamond engagement rings and represents the perfect marriage of tradition and contemporary design. This square shape with pointed corners was developed in the 1970s and features a brilliant faceting pattern similar to that of round diamonds, resulting in exceptional sparkle. Princess cuts appeal to those who appreciate geometric precision with maximum brilliance.
At Bopies, we’ve observed that princess cut lab diamonds are particularly popular among younger couples seeking a modern aesthetic. The clean lines of this shape make it ideal for custom design jewelry with architectural elements. Additionally, princess cuts are among the most efficient diamond shapes in terms of rough diamond utilization, often making them slightly more affordable than round brilliants of similar quality.
When setting princess cut lab grown diamonds, we pay special attention to protecting the pointed corners, which can be vulnerable to chipping. V-prong settings or bezel settings offer excellent protection while highlighting the diamond’s unique shape. For those interested in colored diamonds, princess cuts also beautifully display fancy colors in lab grown stones.
Emerald Cut: Sophisticated Elegance
The emerald cut features a rectangular shape with stepped facets and cropped corners, creating a distinctive “hall of mirrors” effect. This sophisticated cut has seen a resurgence in popularity, especially for lab grown diamond engagement rings. Unlike brilliant cuts that focus on sparkle, emerald cuts emphasize clarity and color, showcasing a diamond’s inherent beauty with elegant flashes of light.
Clients seeking engagement rings in Fayetteville with understated luxury often gravitate toward emerald cut lab diamonds. Their elongated shape creates a slenderizing effect on the finger, and their open table (top facet) makes the diamond appear larger than other cuts of equal carat weight. Emerald cuts pair exceptionally well with side stones in three-stone settings or with jade jewelry accents for a unique look.
Because of their step-cut faceting pattern, emerald cut diamonds require higher clarity grades to ensure a clean appearance. At Bopies, we carefully select emerald cut lab grown diamonds with excellent clarity characteristics, ensuring that their transparent beauty is showcased to full advantage. For those interested in custom jewelry design, emerald cuts offer a sophisticated canvas for creating truly unique engagement rings.
Pear Shape: Unique Teardrop Design
Pear shaped lab diamonds combine the brilliance of a round cut with the elegant elongation of a marquise, creating a distinctive teardrop silhouette that’s both unique and flattering. This shape has gained significant popularity in recent years, particularly among those seeking engagement rings with personality and character. When worn with the point facing outward, pear diamonds create a slenderizing effect on the finger.
At Bopies, we’ve helped many couples select the perfect pear shaped lab grown diamond for their engagement ring. These diamonds require careful evaluation to ensure proper symmetry – the point should align perfectly with the apex of the rounded end. Well-proportioned pear cuts display exceptional brilliance and fire, making them a stunning centerpiece for custom designed jewelry.
Like oval diamonds, pear shapes may exhibit a bow-tie effect, though skilled cutting can minimize this characteristic. When set with prongs that protect the delicate point, pear shaped lab diamonds offer excellent durability. For those interested in colored diamonds, pear cuts beautifully showcase fancy colors in lab grown stones, creating truly unique engagement rings.
Radiant Cut: Brilliant Hybrid
The radiant cut combines the elegant shape of an emerald cut with the brilliant faceting pattern of a round diamond, creating a rectangular or square shape with trimmed corners and exceptional sparkle. This versatile cut has become increasingly popular for lab grown diamond engagement rings, particularly among those who appreciate the clean lines of step cuts but desire more brilliance.
Visitors to our Fayetteville jewelry store often select radiant cut lab diamonds for their impressive light performance and modern aesthetic. The faceting pattern of radiant cuts helps mask inclusions and color, making them an excellent choice for those prioritizing brilliance over perfect clarity. When creating custom engagement rings, we find that radiant cuts complement both traditional and contemporary settings.
Radiant cut lab diamonds display particularly vibrant fire and are excellent choices for colored diamonds, as their faceting pattern intensifies color. Their trimmed corners also provide excellent durability for active lifestyles. At Bopies, we offer a diverse selection of radiant cut lab grown diamonds in Fayetteville in various length-to-width ratios to suit individual preferences.
Asscher Cut: Art Deco Flair
The Asscher cut, with its octagonal shape and stepped facets, embodies sophisticated vintage appeal with strong Art Deco influences. This distinctive square cut with deeply trimmed corners creates a “hall of mirrors” effect similar to emerald cuts but with a different geometric profile. Though less common than other shapes, Asscher cut lab grown diamonds have a dedicated following among those who appreciate architectural elegance.
At Bopies, we’ve noticed increased interest in Asscher cut lab diamonds for engagement rings as vintage and antique-inspired styles have gained popularity. Like emerald cuts, Asscher cuts emphasize clarity and color rather than brilliance, making them ideal for showcasing the exceptional purity of lab grown diamonds. Their unique faceting pattern creates a distinctive “windmill” pattern visible when viewed from above.
Asscher cut diamonds pair beautifully with unique gemstones in vintage-inspired settings. When designing custom jewelry in Fayetteville, we often recommend Asscher cuts for those drawn to Art Deco aesthetics or seeking a sophisticated alternative to princess and cushion cuts. Their deep pavilions create exceptional depth and character that appeals to connoisseurs of fine jewelry.