Few rings symbolize romance and love better than a heart shaped diamond ring. That’s the beauty of the shape, after all. If you’re thinking of buying a heart shaped diamond for someone special to your heart, you may be wondering how this unique cut fits into your budget compared to others.
Are heart shaped diamonds more expensive than other cuts? The answer is: yes and no.
A heart shaped diamond is one of the most expensive diamond cuts. But it’s not the most expensive—that honor goes to the popular brilliant round cut. If you have your heart set on a heart shaped diamond, this guide will help you understand the cut, how it’s shaped, and why it tends to be more expensive than other cuts.
What Factors Determine a Diamond’s Price?
Before we talk about why a heart diamond might be priced higher than other cuts, it’s worth knowing what factors affect the price of diamonds to begin with. Maybe you’ve heard of the 4Cs of Diamond Quality. These are the main factors that determine a diamond’s price. They include:
Cut – When we talk about cut in the 4Cs, we’re referring to cut grade, or the quality of the diamond’s cut. This quality will affect how your diamond interacts with light and can have a profound effect on the overall look of your diamond. Cut grades range from highly precise cuts (ideal cuts) to sloppier cuts (overly shallow or deep cuts).
Color – Ideally, you want your diamond to have no color at all. However, perfectly colorless diamonds can be tough to come by, meaning many diamonds will have a slightly brown or yellowish tint. This is graded using a scale that goes from D (colorless) to Z (noticeably yellow). The lower the grade, the cheaper the diamond will be.
Clarity – Clarity refers to the number of inclusions, or minor blemishes, that can be seen in a diamond. While the ideal diamond will have no inclusions (flawless), this is rare to find. While many inclusions will not be immediately noticeable to the naked eye, they can sometimes be noticed in how your diamond interacts with light.
Carat – Carats are used to measure the diamond’s weight. The larger the diamond, the more expensive it will be. However, there are times when you may want to opt for a smaller carat, either for aesthetic reasons or because a smaller carat diamond may better hide other imperfections.
You may have noticed that nowhere in this list was the diamond’s shape. That’s because these initial factors will affect the price of your diamond regardless of its shape. Each diamond is different, and that is reflected in its 4C grades. That goes for mined diamonds and for the lab grown diamonds you’ll find at 12FIFTEEN. Each diamond is unique.
However, if all 4C considerations were judged to be equal, the cut shape would also affect the price. By looking closer at the cut shape, we can understand why heart shaped diamonds tend to cost more than other shapes.
Round Cut vs. Fancy Cuts
The beauty of diamond jewelry is that the diamond itself comes in different shapes. If diamond shapes are confusing to understand, it may lead you to questions like, what is a marquise diamond? or what is an emerald cut diamond? But don’t worry, diamond shapes aren’t as confusing as you think.
When discussing diamond shape, every shape falls into one of two categories, round cut or fancy shape cut. So what’s the difference between these two cuts?
Round Cut
The round cut is a cut shape that is, as the name implies, round in shape. There are two ways to create a round cut diamond:
- Single cut – A simple way to cut the diamond that creates 18 facets.
- Round brilliant – A much more complex and prized cut that ends up creating 58 facets in the diamond. This cut is the most expensive cut available and is often thought to be the best looking because of how it interacts with light, creating a high level of brilliance (white light reflected back to the eye after interacting with the stone). The more facets, the sparklier the stone.
Because the round brilliant is the most popular stone, it’s the one we’ll focus on. Its popularity and brilliance are two reasons it is also the most expensive diamond shape. Additionally, this style of cut wastes the highest amount of rough stone (up to 60%). This discarded material is factored into the price even though it will not be part of your final ring.
Fancy Cuts
Any cut that is not a round cut is classified as a fancy cut. This is the category you will find heart shaped diamonds. In addition, many other shapes fall into this category. Some of the more popular ones include:
- Oval Cut
- Cushion Cut
- Princess Cut
- Emerald Cut
- Pear Cut
Each cut has its advantages and disadvantages, which affect its pricing. However, all fancy cuts are less expensive than round brilliant cuts.
Price of Heart Shaped Diamonds Compared to Other Fancy Cuts
Since every fancy cut is less expensive than a round brilliant cut, obviously heart shaped diamonds are not the most expensive. However, when you compare them to other fancy cut diamonds, they are often either the most expensive or very close to it.
Let’s look at what you might expect a heart shaped diamond price to be compared to a couple of other cuts at different carat weights to get a clearer picture of their comparative expense. For this comparison, all stones are excellent in terms of cut grade and have a color rating of G.
At 0.50 ct:
- Oval: $1,204
- Emerald: $1,023
- Heart: $1,324
At 1.00 ct:
- Oval: $5,362
- Emerald: $4,476
- Heart: $5,536
At 2.00 ct:
- Oval: $23,861
- Emerald: $24,133
- Heart: $19,613
As you can see, things start to vary the higher the carat weight. At lower carat weights, the heart shaped diamond is the most expensive, but this starts to flip as the carats go up, with heart shaped diamonds increasing more slowly in price.
This can be explained when you consider face-up size, or the size you will see once the diamond is in its setting. At lower carats, the heart shape has a large face-up size, but with higher carat stones, to achieve the heart shape, the face-up size will be lower than some other fancy cuts.
Things to Know When Choosing a Heart Shaped Diamond
While the price of heart shaped diamonds will tend to be high when compared to other fancy cuts, there are many reasons why it can justify its high price tag.
However, before you simply go out and buy the first heart shaped diamond you see, there are some things worth knowing about this shape:
- Parts of the diamond – The heart shaped diamond is made up of seven different parts. They include:
- Cleft – This is the point formed on the top of the stone. The point is directed at the center of the stone.
- Lobes – There are two lobes, one on each side. These rounded top portions of the stone create the heart shape.
- Belly – This is the center of the stone.
- Wings – There are two wings, one on each side. They are the lower portions of the stone that come together to form the button of the heart.
- Point – This is the sharp bottom of the stone where wings meet. The point is directed down below the stone.
- Cleft – This is the point formed on the top of the stone. The point is directed at the center of the stone.
- Interaction with light – Heart shaped diamonds are prized for their interaction with light and can be a very sparkly cut. They are also a good cut for hiding imperfections. Just be sure that the cut is completely symmetrical to ensure the best light interaction.
- Length-to-width – When choosing a heart shaped diamond, you will want to find one with a length-to-width ratio close to 1. This means that the length is the same as the width and it is the best ratio for the clarity of the heart shape. If you veer too far from this ratio, your heart shape will start to look squished.
- Carat size – Trying to save money by opting for a lower carat may not be a good option with this shape. Too small, and the heart shape is liable to get lost, making your diamond less distinct.
- Color – Heart shaped diamonds are good at hiding color. This means you may be able to opt for something with a lower color rating if you’re looking to save some money.
- Bowtie effect – The bowtie effect in diamonds is a trick of the light that makes it appear that there is a dark spot in the center of your diamond in the shape of a man’s bowtie. While other cuts, such as oval, have a more pronounced bowtie effect, heart shaped diamonds are also susceptible. Opt for the highest quality cut grade to make sure this effect is minimized.
Heart Shaped Diamonds at 12FIFTEEN Diamonds
Whether you’re looking for a heart shaped diamond engagement ring or diamond necklace, you now know how expensive the heart cut can be. One way to ensure you get the highest quality diamonds at the lowest possible cost is to opt for lab grown diamonds instead of mined diamonds. Lab grown diamonds share the same physical, optical, and chemical properties as those found in the earth. They just have a lower cost, both financially and ethically.
So if the heart shape speaks uniquely to your love story, check out the heart shaped lab diamond options we have at 12FIFTEEN Diamonds. You may just find the diamond of your dreams at a price that’s equally dreamlike.
Whether you’re shopping around for unique mens wedding bands or a round cut diamond necklace for yourself, find your perfect jewelry at 12FIFTEEN Diamonds.
Sources:
12FIFTEEN Diamonds. THE 4C’S OF DIAMOND QUALITY. https://www.1215diamonds.com/learn/the-four-cs/
Britannica. Diamond Cutting. https://www.britannica.com/art/diamond-cutting
12FIFTEEN Diamonds. What Is the Most Expensive Diamond Cut. https://www.1215diamonds.com/blog/what-is-the-most-expensive-diamond-cut/
International Gem Society. Different Diamond Shapes: Ultimate Guide with Size & Price Chart. https://www.gemsociety.org/article/diamond-shapes-price-size/
International Gem Society. Buying a Heart-Cut Diamond (Tips and Tricks). https://www.gemsociety.org/article/heart-cut-diamond-buying-guide/
Who. What. Wear. The Pros and Cons of Every Type of Engagement Ring Cut. https://www.whowhatwear.com/types-of-engagement-ring-cuts
The Diamond Pro. Heart Shaped Diamond Guide. https://www.diamonds.pro/education/heart-shaped/