The Briolette Cut Diamond Buyer's Guide

What Is The Briolette Diamond Cut?

The briolette cut diamond, also known as the “drop cut” is a drop shaped diamond solely composed of triangular facets. In contrast to the crown and pavilion facets as well the flat table characteristic in round cut diamonds and pear shaped diamonds, the briolette diamond is composed of facets that cover the entire surface of the diamond. Because of their complete symmetry and the fact that they maximize the reflection of light, the briolette cut is particularly popular when mounted as a diamond pendant and diamond pair of earrings. Recently, fancy color briolette cut diamonds have become increasingly popular, presenting a creative option for customers.

The History Of Briolette Diamonds

While today the round and pear cut diamonds are the most popular and common, this has not always been so. The same is true for the “Fancy” shaped princess and radiant cut diamonds. It was the briolette cut that was most popular among the royal and noble families during the 17th century. The briolette cut was not commonly used as a center stone for a ring or necklace due to the fact that it did not have a flat surface or a conventional style culet.
However, they were popular as decorations for exquisite diamond necklaces. For example, Napoleon presented to Empress Marie Louis a beautiful diamond necklace containing 10 briolette diamonds each weighing 4 carats. While briolette diamonds are rarer today, they are becoming more popular, especially large stones ranging from 8 to 12 carats.

Fancy Color Briolette Diamonds

Fancy color briolette diamonds are becoming increasingly popular. While it makes a great center stone for a pendant, others may choose to have several different colors of briolette diamond set onto one necklace. If you are looking for a large fancy color briolette diamond, you may be interested in this fancy 4.24 carat brownish orange SI1 clarity GIA graded briolette cut diamond.

4.24 Carat Fancy Brownish Orange, SI1 Clarity, GIA Graded Briolette Cut Diamond

Diamond Briolette Setting Ideas

When briolette cut diamonds are used in a necklace or pendant, they are commonly set by drilling a small hole near the top of the diamond and a chain is then threaded through that hole. This maximizes the brilliance of the diamond and highlights the unique triangular facets throughout the diamond. When set as diamond earrings, a hook is inserted through the hole at the top of the briolette shaped diamond. A unique way to utilize this special cut is to set 0.5 carat briolette shaped diamonds into a diamond bracelet.

Buyer’s Tips For Purchasing Loose Briolette Diamonds

Because briolette diamonds are so unique and there are no other diamond cuts with the same facet arrangement, it is important to keep in mind a few tips when purchasing a briolette diamond:

Diamond Briolette Holes

Some briolette cut diamonds come with a small hole near the top. While this would tend to bring down the value of a round or princess cut diamond, this is perfectly acceptable with briolette diamonds. Due to the way most briolette cut diamonds are set, the hole is necessary in order to insert a bracelet or pendant chain as well as a hook or hanging wire from an earring setting through the stone. When purchasing a briolette diamond remember to make sure that the hole in the briolette diamond is large enough to use for your setting. If it is a particularly large hole then the jeweler should inform you.

Check The Cut Grade

The briolette cut is a beautifully crafted shape and it is important that the stone is well cut and has a lot of brilliance. A “Good”, “Very Good” or “Excellent” cut graded diamond will be in the shape of a drop, with a roundish base and a narrower top. A diamond briolette graded less than that can still have great brilliance and should not necessarily be disregarded.

If you have any questions about briolette diamonds, we can always be contacted on 1-800-557-7095 where one of our expert diamond jewelers will be happy to assist you. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected] with any questions you may have.