A baguette diamond describes both the cut and shape of a diamond. To be a baguette, the diamond will be thin and elongated in a rectangular shape. A baguette is rarely a square, in fact it more commonly reaches a ratio around 3:1 in length to width.
A member of the step-cut family along with emerald and Asscher cuts, the biggest difference with baguette diamonds is that the corners are perfectly square. They traditionally feature 14 cuts made as straight lines. These lines create exceptional clarity with more minimal sparkle and brilliance - a perfect accent look.
The long, narrow faceted cuts produce a clear reflection instead of brilliance, hence why step-cuts are often referred to as embodying the look of a hall of mirrors. Because of their minimal cuts and clean lines, they exude a prismatic reflection full of clarity and light, sure to enhance any cut of center stone in a ring.
You will likely only see baguette diamonds as straight or tapered in shape. Straight baguette diamonds have straight edges, creating a perfect rectangular shape. Tapered baguette diamonds feature edges that angle in on the length sides, creating one shorter width edge in a narrowed trapezoidal shape.
Baguette diamonds are most often used in smaller carat weights since they are rarely used as center stones. This also helps to ensure their quality since the lower number of facets provides less shine and allows for imperfections to be noticed much easier. However, because the imperfections can be more apparent, it’s important to choose a higher quality stone and match the color grade of the center stone, if it’s a diamond, so a difference in the white of the diamonds isn’t obvious.
And although they’re usually a smaller accent stone, because of the baguette diamond’s square corners and larger surface area from fewer facets, they are more vulnerable to chips and cracks. Choosing a more secure setting, like bezel or channel settings, can help to protect these stones against damage.
