How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (2024)

If you are shopping for an engagement ring or diamond ring, you’ll want to choose one that flatters your hand - after all, you’ll be wearing it all the time!

The ten most common diamond shapes include:

  • Round
  • Emerald
  • Cushion
  • Oval
  • Princess
  • Radiant
  • Asscher
  • Marquise
  • Pear
  • Heart

Round-cut diamonds are the most popular diamond shape. They’re also a universally flattering shape, no matter what your hands look like.

You should also choose a ring that suits your tastes as well as your lifestyle.

Do you want a ring that’s subtle and doesn’t draw too much attention, or do you want a dramatic show-stopper?

Are you low-key? Do you use your hands regularly? You might opt for a solitaire setting that has fewer accent diamonds.

If you’re looking for an opulent, dramatic ring, you have plenty of options filled with bling like a halo, three-stone or vintage setting.

Halo settings pair nicely with any sized hand or finger. They are one of Ritani’s best-selling styles.

Best Diamond Shapes & Engagement Rings For Smaller Hands or Short Fingers

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (1)

Proportions are important when it comes to smaller hands. Luckily for your budget, petite hands or short-fingers typically look best with a smaller-sized diamond.

Try these diamond shapes for small hands or short fingers:

  • Pear-shaped diamonds, marquise-shaped diamonds, or oval-shaped diamonds. Oval-shaped diamonds are currently trending!
  • Pear, marquise, and oval-shaped diamonds are flattering on hands as they create the illusion of a longer, slender finger.
  • These diamonds have larger surface areas than other diamond shapes, so they look bigger than diamonds of the same carat weight.

Try these engagement ring setting styles for small hands or short fingers:

  • Thin bands will complement small hands. A band that is too wide can look awkward and take up too much space on a small hand.

Best Diamond Shapes & Engagement Rings For Wider Fingers

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (2)

If you identify as someone with chubby fingers, don't stress. Having wide fingers means you can easily pull off bolder, bigger rings - you’ve got more room for bling.

Try these diamond shapes for wider fingers:

  • Fancy diamond shapes, like ovals, marquise-shaped diamonds, teardrop diamonds, radiant cuts, or emerald cuts can create the illusion of a longer, slimmer hand.
  • You may want to consider a larger diamond to complement your wide fingers. Luckily, lab-grown diamonds allow you to get an even bigger diamond for your budget.

Try these engagement ring setting styles for wider fingers:

  • Three-stone rings flatter wide fingers. Two-stone rings, also called toi et moi engagement rings, are also a great choice.
  • Medium to wide bands look better on wider fingers. While thin bands are trendy, they can make your hand look larger than it really is.
  • Consider an east-west engagement ring. This unique engagement ring orients an elongated diamond on the hand horizontally rather than vertically, providing an aesthetically pleasing balance between your hand and your ring.

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Best Diamond Shapes & Engagement Rings for Long Fingers or Skinny Hands

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (3)

Those with long, thin fingers are in luck - you have a lot of freedom when it comes to the shape and size of your center stone. Larger stones will appear more proportional to your hand.

Try these diamond shapes for long fingers or skinny hands:

  • Any diamond shape will work nicely on thin fingers.

Try these engagement ring setting styles for long fingers or skinny hands:

  • Long fingers can benefit from thicker, heavier bands or double rows of diamonds.
  • Opt for large, bold designs and statement pieces.
  • Long fingers also have more room for split shanks that won’t overpower your hand.

Best Diamond Shapes & Engagement Rings for Square Fingers Or Hands

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (4)

Square hands can easily be transformed through the right diamond shape and setting.

Try these diamond shapes for square fingers or square hands:

  • Oval-cut diamonds, marquise-cut diamonds, or pear-cut diamonds create the illusion of a longer, slender finger. The soft silhouette of these shapes will counteract the squareness of your hand.
  • Avoid square-shaped diamonds, like princess-cut diamonds or Asscher-cut diamonds. These diamonds can amplify the square shape of your fingers/hands.

Try these engagement ring setting styles for square fingers or square hands:

  • If you’re looking to add a feminine touch to your hands, try a classic sidestone engagement ring.
  • Try a tapered band if you want to distract from your hand’s square shape.
  • Avoid very wide bands.

Best Diamond Shapes & Engagement Rings for Large Knuckles

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (5)

Those with large knuckles still have plenty of options when it comes to diamonds and settings.

Try these diamond shapes for large knuckles:

  • Use the above tips depending on the size and length of your hand. Again, round-cut diamonds are universally flattering.

Try these engagement ring setting styles for large knuckles:

  • Wide, ornate bands will distract from large knuckles. Consider rings with a split shankor double rows of diamonds.
  • Note that it can be difficult to find the right ring size for a hand with large knuckles - you need to find a ring that will slide over your knuckle, but not be so big that it will slide up and down your finger. Adding sizing beads to your engagement ring can help with this issue. Contact us to add sizing beads to your ring.

While shopping for an engagement ring, choose whichever one speaks to you. There are no strict rules as to which diamond shape or ring style you should buy - this guide is just here to give you recommendations if you have no idea where to start.

Need help choosing the right ring? Get in touch with our Diamond Concierge team today!

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand (2024)

FAQs

How To Choose The Best Diamond Shape And Setting For Your Hand? ›

If you have longer, skinnier fingers, radiant, round, and heart diamond shapes

diamond shapes
A diamond cut is a style or design guide used when shaping a diamond for polishing such as the brilliant cut. Cut refers to shape (pear, oval), and also the symmetry, proportioning and polish of a diamond. The cut of a diamond greatly affects a diamond's brilliance—a poorly-cut diamond is less luminous.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Diamond_cut
are best. If you want to make your fingers look a bit longer, the best diamond shapes to consider are pear, marquise, and oval, set vertically on the finger.

What shape diamond looks best on my hand? ›

Wider or longer fingers, and larger hands are generally flattered by diamond shapes that have an elongating effect such as oval, marquise, pear, and emerald cuts. If you feel your fingers are a bit too long, then go for shapes like round, princess or asscher cuts. Their width will help balance out the length.

What size diamond is right for my hand? ›

Our Sizing Recommendations

If your hands are smaller than a 6.5 ring size you might want to consider a 1.0 carat or a stone that is under 1.50 carats. However, if your hands are larger than a 6.5 ring size you can go with something larger, like a 1.50-2.0 carat.

What setting makes a diamond sparkle most? ›

If you're dreaming of eye-catching sparkle, prong settings deliver. No other setting allows light to enter a diamond from as many angles as prongs. The result? Captivating brilliance and fire that dazzles from every direction.

What shape diamond holds the best value? ›

Popularity On The Market

For example, because round diamonds are the most popular and desired diamond shape, a round diamond will fetch a higher price on the secondhand market than, say, a marquise diamond with the exact same attributes. The more popular the diamond shape, the more those diamonds will fetch.

What diamond shape gives the most sparkle? ›

Round Brilliant Cut

The round cut is the most brilliant or the most sparkling diamond cut. Fifty-eight facets (including the culet) are cut into brilliant round diamonds to allow light to pass through and reflect off each facet.

What setting makes a diamond look biggest? ›

As we mentioned above, high settings can make your diamond look bigger to the naked (and untrained) eye. So basically, you can get away with a smaller rock if you want to. And here's how… If you want to show off your bling, pair your high set diamond with a thin band or ring shank.

What is the best size diamond for everyday wear? ›

While larger studs can be worn daily, they are often more suitable for special occasions due to their size and impact. What are the most common carat weights for everyday diamond studs? Diamond studs for everyday wear are commonly found in sizes ranging from 0.25ct to 1ct per earring.

How many carats is a decent diamond? ›

Popularity fluctuates depending on region, with European countries preferring a smaller average size of 0.5 carats and American's preferring an engagement ring size between one and two carats.

Is a 2 carat diamond too big? ›

That being said, and as big and bold as it may be, a 2-carat diamond ring shouldn't feel too large or bulky on your finger, especially if you opt for a diamond cut that is a bit shallower and is placed in a setting that doesn't protrude too high off the band itself.

Which cut of diamond is most expensive? ›

The most expensive diamond shape is by far, the round brilliant cut diamond. This cut has 58 facets to reflect the maximum amount of light, making it the most sparkly and brilliant of all the diamond cuts. The round cut diamond requires a lot of skill and precision to cut correctly, which adds to its high cost.

What cut of diamond looks the biggest? ›

The marquise diamond shape has the largest appearance of any shape. It has a similar elongated look as the oval and pear shapes, but both ends form tapered points. The marquise shape will always look the largest because those tapered points create the largest surface area of all the shapes.

What is the best setting to show off a diamond? ›

For example, the classic prong setting gives a diamond greater prominence while reducing the appearance of the metal, while a bezel setting creates the illusion of a larger diamond and adds a more dramatic effect.

What is the classiest diamond cut? ›

1. ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND. By far the most popular cut is the Round Brilliant, with it's fifty-seven perfectly aligned facets it's brilliance really does out-shine the others. Total internal reflection is the key here; light travels through the stone giving optimum sparkle and scintillation.

Which diamond shape is timeless? ›

Always Timeless: Round Brilliant

The round brilliant is the most popular diamond and a great choice for the woman who appreciates classic style. A round brilliant cut diamond maximizes the amount of reflected light, giving it incredible sparkle, especially when compared with other cuts.

What is the least popular diamond shape? ›

The three least known diamond shapes
  • Ashley Bean. Pear.
  • Emerald.
  • Gray Box Studios. Emerald Halo Ring.
Mar 10, 2021

How to know what diamond cut looks best on you? ›

If you have longer, skinnier fingers, radiant, round, and heart diamond shapes are best. If you want to make your fingers look a bit longer, the best diamond shapes to consider are pear, marquise, and oval, set vertically on the finger.

How do I know if a diamond suits me? ›

Zodiac Signs and the Diamond

If your zodiac sign is Aries, Pisces or Scorpio, you should not wear the diamond because according to astrology, diamonds can bring disharmony to your life. Diamond is the gemstone for those who are born under Virgo and Libra as it bestows good luck and prosperity.

What is the most beautiful diamond shape? ›

ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND

By far the most popular cut is the Round Brilliant, with it's fifty-seven perfectly aligned facets it's brilliance really does out-shine the others. Total internal reflection is the key here; light travels through the stone giving optimum sparkle and scintillation.

What diamond shape has the most finger coverage? ›

For the love of finger coverage, we stan for round, ovals, and pears with a bit of elongated cushion action sprinkled in for good measure. Choosing a diamond with more finger coverage means more bang for your buck and a larger look carat for carat.

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