The Marquise: A Diamond With a Story

Elongated, pointed at both ends, and designed in 18th-century France. What a marquise cut does for the hand, and what to check before choosing one.

Among the fancy shapes, the marquise is the one with a biography. It emerged in 18th-century France, an elongated stone with curved sides drawn to a point at either end, and it has never entirely gone out of fashion since.

We are fond of it for reasons that have nothing to do with history.

It uses its weight well

A marquise is long and comparatively shallow through the middle, which means more of its weight sits where you can see it, spread across the finger rather than buried below the setting. Carat for carat, it presents larger than a round stone.

For a client working to a number, that is not a small thing. Two stones can weigh the same and differ noticeably in how much finger they cover. The marquise is one of the shapes that wins that comparison.

It flatters the hand

Set lengthwise along the finger, a marquise draws the eye down the hand. Fingers read as longer and more slender. Very few shapes do this as decisively.

Length to width, the number that decides the look

Every elongated stone has a ratio: its length divided by its width. It is printed on most grading reports and it tells you more about the character of the stone than the carat weight does.

A lower ratio gives a rounder, fuller marquise. A higher one gives a narrow, dramatic stone that reads almost like a sliver of light. Neither is correct. What matters is that you choose the ratio deliberately rather than discovering it when the ring arrives.

Ask for the measurements in millimetres, not just the weight. Two one-carat marquises can look like different shapes entirely.

What the paperwork will not tell you

The round brilliant is the only shape that receives an overall cut grade, because its proportions have been studied exhaustively and the relationship between geometry and light return is well established.

A marquise does not get one. You will see polish and symmetry grades, and both are meaningful, but no single letter summarises how well the stone handles light.

This is not a defect in the system. It means the judgement transfers to your eye and to whoever is advising you. With a marquise, looking at the actual stone matters more than it does with a round.

What to watch

The points. They are the thinnest part of the stone and the most vulnerable. A marquise should be set with prongs that cover both tips, not for looks, but because an unprotected point can chip against a door handle.

Symmetry. Because the shape is defined by two curves meeting at two points, any asymmetry is immediately visible. Look down at the stone from directly above and check that both halves mirror each other. Then turn it ninety degrees and check the points sit on the same axis.

The bow tie. Most elongated shapes show a darker band across the centre where light does not return evenly. A faint one is normal. A heavy one will bother you forever.

Judge the bow tie in ordinary room light, not under the spotlights above a display case, which are engineered to fill in exactly the darkness you are trying to see.

Living with one

A marquise sits higher and reaches further than its carat weight suggests, which is the whole appeal and also the thing to plan around.

If it is going on a hand that works, ask for the points to be properly shielded and consider a slightly lower profile. If it will sit next to a wedding band, bring the band to the design conversation, because a pointed stone and a straight band need to be drawn together rather than bought separately and reconciled afterwards.

Our own

The marquise solitaire we build sits on a slim band that splits and sweeps up into the setting, so the stone appears to float rather than sit. Six slender prongs, two of them guarding the points.

It is not a shape for someone who wants to be discreet.

Book a complimentary design consultation at our Kuala Lumpur atelier: 010-766 7448 · hq@cgarden.com.my

C'Garden is an independent bespoke jeweller in Kuala Lumpur. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by any organisation, laboratory or brand named in this article. Third-party names are used only to refer factually to those organisations and their published standards. All text and imagery in this article is original work created by C'Garden.

Reference

Gemological Institute of America. (n.d.). Marquise diamond buying guide: How to choose the best. GIA 4Cs. https://4cs.gia.edu/en-us/blog/choose-marquise-diamond/