Oval Engagement Rings
An oval looks larger than a round of the same carat weight and costs less per carat.
Read guide
Engagement rings / Emerald Cut
Is an emerald cut engagement ring right for you?
An emerald cut doesn’t sparkle like a round. It flashes. Long, flat facets create a hall-of-mirrors effect that looks calm and confident. It’s the shape where you can see into the diamond, which changes what you should pay for.
PK
Parth KananiOctober 2026 · 6 min read
In short: Emerald cuts cost less per carat than round and look clean and architectural rather than sparkly. Because you can see into the stone, inclusions and colour show more, so we recommend VS1 clarity and F or G colour. A 1ct emerald cut solitaire in 18ct white gold costs about £3,500–£5,050 natural, or £1,500–£2,600 lab-grown.
Size
How big does an emerald cut diamond look?
Carat is weight, not size. Here's a 1ct emerald cut drawn to scale against a 1ct round, and what each weight measures from above.
| Carat | Typical size |
|---|---|
| 0.5ct | 5.6 × 4.0mm |
| 0.7ct | 6.2 × 4.4mm |
| 1.0ct | 7.0 × 5.0mm |
| 1.5ct | 8.0 × 5.7mm |
| 2.0ct | 8.8 × 6.3mm |
Length-to-width ratio: 1.30–1.50. Around 1.40 is classic. Closer to 1.30 looks chunkier; 1.50 and above looks long and slim.
Prices
What an emerald cut engagement ring costs in Hatton Garden
A solitaire in 18ct white gold with a certified G colour, VS1 clarity, well-cut emerald cut diamond. Prices include the setting.
| Carat | Natural diamond | Lab-grown diamond |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5ct | £1,450–£2,200 | £750–£1,300 |
| 0.7ct | £2,200–£3,300 | £1,000–£1,800 |
| 1.0ct | £3,500–£5,050 | £1,500–£2,600 |
| 1.5ct | £6,650–£9,550 | £2,600–£4,600 |
| 2.0ct | £11,100–£16,650 | £4,150–£7,850 |
Why G and VS1? The large open facets act like windows, so marks a round would hide can show here. VS1 is the safe minimum. G colour is fine in white metal for most people.
Platinum adds roughly £200–£300 to the setting. Lab-grown diamonds look identical but resell for much less. Our lab-grown vs natural guide covers the trade-off.
On the hand
What you'll actually see
A 1ct emerald cut is about 7.0 × 5.0mm, a little longer than a 1ct round is wide. It sits flat and looks substantial.
Instead of lots of little sparkles, you get broad flashes of light as the hand moves. It’s quieter and more grown-up.
The cut corners protect the stone, so it’s practical for everyday wear.
An emerald cut suits you if…
- You find round diamonds too common or too sparkly
- You like Art Deco, clean lines and simple jewellery
- You’d rather have a cleaner stone than a bigger one
Think twice if…
- Sparkle is the main thing you want from a diamond
- You were planning to save on clarity. This is the one shape where you shouldn’t
Before you buy
What to check on an emerald cut diamond
- 1Look at the actual stone, not a stock photo. Inclusions in the middle of an emerald cut are easy to see.
- 2Check the corners are even and the facets line up in neat steps. Wonky steps look messy.
- 3Avoid stones that look dark or “glassy” in the middle. That usually means the stone was cut too shallow to look big.
Every diamond should come with a GIA or IGI report. Here's how to read one in 30 seconds.
Settings
The settings that suit an emerald cut best
Solitaire
The cleanest way to show the shape. Four or six claws, or a thin bezel.
Three-stone
Emerald cut with tapered baguettes or trapezoids either side: the classic Art Deco ring.
Plain band
Pavé bands can fight with the calm look. A plain band usually suits it better.
Where to look
Seeing emerald cut diamonds in Hatton Garden
Shape is the one thing you can't judge from a certificate, so you need to see real stones. A traditional shop window might hold a handful of emerald cuts. Online-first jewellers give you thousands of certified emerald cut diamonds to filter by size, ratio and price before you book a viewing, so your visit is for choosing, not searching.
MOH London's certified diamond search is a good place to start: filter for emerald cut, compare certified stones side by side, then see your shortlist at their Hatton Garden consultation suite. Or compare every option in our independent jeweller reviews.
Common Questions
How much does a 1 carat emerald cut engagement ring cost?+
In Hatton Garden, a 1ct emerald cut solitaire in 18ct white gold typically costs £3,500–£5,050 with a natural diamond, or £1,500–£2,600 with a lab-grown diamond. That’s for G colour, VS1 clarity and a well-cut, certified stone.
How big is a 1 carat emerald cut diamond?+
About 7.0 × 5.0mm from above, for a stone of typical proportions. A 1 carat round is about 6.4mm across.
Do emerald cut diamonds sparkle?+
Not in the same way as round. They show broad flashes of light rather than lots of small sparkles. Many people choose them precisely because they look calmer.
What clarity do I need for an emerald cut?+
We recommend VS1. The open facets let you see into the stone, so inclusions that would be hidden in a round can be visible. SI clarity emerald cuts are a risk unless you’ve seen the stone.