Baguette Diamonds for those looking for something different

Owing to their resemblance to French bread stick or baguette, this particular diamond cut was named Baguette after the French word. Baguette diamonds are usually rectangular in shape and people often make the mistake of confusing them with the emerald cut. The baguette cut is usually elongated and can be viewed as a modification of the step cut which used to be the standard for all stones of rectangular shape. The reason why step cut was so popular is that it was simple to implement and a step cut diamond retained most of its carat weight. The continuing developments in technology brought more and more refinement to the whole process of diamond cutting and soon the emphasis was on cutting the diamonds in such a way so as to obtain the highest degree of sparkle from them. The baguette cut diamonds were expected to fizzle out of the fashion scene within a few years, just like any other trend, but surprisingly, not only have these diamonds survived, their popularity has been seeing a surge in the recent years.

A major reason for the huge success of the baguette diamonds is that the cut allows the diamond to retain most of its carat weight, making them a much better buy for any customer. Baguette diamonds are also available in the market at considerably lesser prices as compared to other diamonds. This may be attributed to their relatively poor appearance. A stone of the same quality exhibits a difference of about 25% in its brilliance when it is cut according to the baguette cut and when it is cut brilliantly. The baguette is favored by jewelers and diamond cutters because of its simplicity which consumes less time and is hence cost efficient. Jewelers usually prefer to use a number of smaller baguettes around a single larger stone used as a centerpiece. The overall effect works to augment the brilliance and beauty of the centerpiece. Baguette diamonds are also used by jewelers for creating ballerina rings. These diamonds leave very little, if any, space between them when they’re set side by side and are therefore great for channel settings. Sometimes jewelers like to taper the square end of the baguette diamonds if the stone is of very high quality. Such baguettes with tapered ends are referred to as taps or tapers and can be used along with regular baguette diamonds.

Summing it up

All said and done, it is amply clear that baguette diamonds are usually preferred by those who’re looking for something different. Their high sales indicate that there is no dearth of such people who are drawn by its sophistication and understated elegance.

Baguette Diamonds

The very word baguette has a very long and interesting history behind it. It’s actually a French word which means ‘long rod’. However the French word is itself derived from a Latin word baculum which means ‘a stick’. So the baguette can mean a cut resembling a long rod or a stick. Take your pick! The baguette cut grabbed the attention of many during the 20s when people were under the influence of the Bauhaus movement and preferred geometric designs in fashion and architecture. The baguette cut is similar to other cuts such as the emerald cut with its clean rectangular shape and square corners and step cut. The baguette diamonds are primarily used as side diamonds.

Historically speaking

The baguette diamonds owe their huge popularity to the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements of the early 20s. This cut was accepted widely during this period because of its simple rectangular shape that gelled well with the prevailing taste and trend. Owing to their rectangular shape and clean cuts, jewelers and designers were inspired to use these stones as side stones or accent stones and designed pieces that used a large number of baguette stones around a single centerpiece.

Some useful facts

The baguette diamonds are usually sold in smaller sizes and are hence measured not in terms of their carat weight but their dimension in millimeters and are usually characterized by length to width ration of around 1.5. The baguette cut also has less number of faces which at around 14 is considerably less than other cuts such as the emerald cut. The stone used for baguette cut should be of impeccable quality since the clean geometric cuts of baguette can expose even the tiniest flaws of the diamond.

As mentioned earlier, baguette diamonds are more often than not used as side stones or accent stones to accent the beauty of a single larger stone used as the centerpiece. The baguette diamonds serve the purpose of hiding the shoulders and joints of the centerpiece. Since the baguette cut diamonds are of uniform shape and size, these can be easily set in a piece either side by side or end to end without leaving any gap. This makes the setting of the whole piece a lot easier and also allows the jeweler to experiment more easily with the designs. A large number of baguette diamonds in a single piece create a magical effect of light and colors and really augment the beauty of the centerpiece.