Marquise vs Round Diamonds: Which Should You Choose?

A round brilliant is cut as a circle with 57 or 58 facets, arranged to return as much light to the eye as possible. A marquise uses brilliant facets too, in a long, narrow outline that tapers to a point at both ends, like a boat seen from above.

The round reads as classic and symmetrical; the marquise as bold and a little vintage.

The marquise. In our search a typical 1 carat marquise measures about 10.5 by 5.2 mm face-up, against about 6.4 mm across for a 1 carat round. At 2 carats it is about 13.2 by 6.6 mm against 8.1 mm across. The marquise covers much more of the finger's length, which makes it look larger for its weight and the hand look slimmer; the round is wider and more compact.

Our guide Understanding Diamond Size Before You Buy explains face-up size.

• Cut grade. Cut decides how much a round sparkles, so choose Excellent or Ideal.
• Clarity and color. A round's many small facets hide inclusions well, so an eye-clean VS2 usually looks the same in a ring as a higher grade, and G or H color faces up white in most settings.
• Prongs. Four prongs show more of the diamond; six hold it in more places.

Compare stones in our round diamond search, or read Round vs Pear Diamonds.

A round sits in four or six prongs and suits almost any setting. A marquise needs its two points protected: a V-shaped prong over each tip, or a bezel, a thin rim of metal around the stone. Many of our designs come in both shapes, so you can compare like for like: Estelle as a split-shank solitaire, Celestia on a V-shaped band, Isadora as a sculptural bypass and Eclipse on a band that coils around the finger.

Read Engagement Ring Setting Types for every setting style.