Last time our longtime sponsor (and all-around fun group of humans to work with) Joseph Jewelry taught us everything we wanted to know about lab grown diamonds.

This time, we're going to talk about everything you need to know about diamond shapes.

From the popular shapes to “fancy cuts” to custom shapes that Joseph Jewelry dreamed up themselves, check these out and see which one's your favorite…

Popular ring shapes

Round diamond

Let's start with the most popular… The round diamond can also include round brilliant, Old European Cut, Old Miners Cut, rose cut, as well as other specialty cuts. Long story short: Though it's the most popular shape, round diamonds can still be pretty unique.

Cushion

Aka Megan's favorite cut. It's square with rounded corners — like a pillow! Hence, “cushion.” (Little trick I learned: If you tell Joseph Jewelry that you want your round diamond to look like a cushion cut, they'll do a special prong setting that does that trick.)

Princess

I like to believe they call this a “princess cut” because “square” sounds… well… too square.

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Marquise

Marquise diamonds are football-shaped, and super-vintage style. I happen to like them when they're set lengthwise. Like so…

Oval

Straight-up oval-shaped, natch!

Pear

These are round, but with a taper, and they're quirky as all get-out.

Radiant

The Radiant cut is a rectangle diamond with a brilliant cut pattern.

Emerald

The Emerald cut is a rectangle with step cuts on each side, rising towards the top.

Assher

The Assher diamond is the bad-ass cousin to the emerald diamond.

Baguette

I like to think of baguettes as little sausage diamonds, because they're long and skinny, and they're often served up as side settings to the main diamond.

Fancy shapes:

Heart

You guessed it… they're heart-shaped. This cut is often best with larger diamonds, though.

Trillion (aka trilliant)

A very cool name for a very cool looking triangle diamond.

Bullet

Kind of like a baguette, but it's a pentagon shape. Little known fact about these: They make for EXCELLENT castle rings.

Half Moon

Check out those side stones… those are half moon diamonds. They're like a round diamond cut in half.

Trapezoid

We're also checking out the side stones on this ring. Trapezoid diamonds make for great side stones.

Extra diamond shape facts

• If you're looking for a bigger shape: Marquise, oval, or pear are the best, because they are cut to maximize area of the shape. They are more shallow, so you may get a better deal for a bigger gem.
• Different shapes are cheaper than others: Round is definitely the most expensive, proportionally.
• Most gemstones can be cut into these common shapes, too: Sapphires, anyone?
• You can always look into custom cut diamonds (like the one pictured above) and these can be natural or lab grown.

Whatever your favorite diamond cut, Joseph Jewelry has it, or can make it. So pick your favorite diamond shape, and start designing your own unique diamond engagement ring with it!

About the Author: Megan Finley Horowitz

@meggyfin @thedashanddine @meggyfin

When Megan's not writing, traveling, and sleeping, she's eating like the fate of the world depends on it. (You're welcome, world!) You can snoop into her personal life over on her website The Dash and Dine!