SUWA
MARQUISE-CUT DIAMOND, Untreated
The name "marquise" comes from the Marquise de Pompadour.
In this fancy shape, even small diamonds will have strong brilliance.
In 1745, King Louis XV of France bestowed upon Madame Pompadour the title of Marquise. The boat-shaped diamonds that appeared in Paris at that time were named "marquise" in honor of the Marquise de Pompadour.

Diamond cutters polish marquises, pear shapes, and ovals from similarly shaped rough material. This is done in an effort to minimize weight loss, or to allow removal of undesirable portions from the rough material. The cut distributions vary with the size of the rough. For instance, a cutter may decide to cut two-thirds of the material into marquises if the finished weights are expected to be below 0.25 carat, while if the finished weights are expected to be over 0.3 carat, only about one-half may become marquise shapes. If the weights are expected to be over two carats, very few marquises will be cut, and the cutter will opt for pear shapes instead. Compared to rubies and sapphires, where ovals far outnumber other cuts, there are many marquise diamonds, possibly because they have strong brilliance than ovals in small sizes.
Many small marquises are cut to about 4 x 2mm (0.16 x 0.08 in). It would be possible to make an even smaller marquise at 3 x 1.5 mm (0.12 x 0.06 in), but a diamond of that size- no matter how well cut- would lose the beautiful brilliance that is all-important. Furthermore, the marquise shape itself would become indistinct at such small sizes. I believe that 3.5 x 1.8mm (0.14 x 0.07 in) is the smallest viable marquise size. There are optimum cutting styles for gemstones based on size and shape. For example, small round brilliants with diameters of 1.2mm (.05 in) show stronger brilliance as single cuts (18 facets) than as full cuts (58 facets). Currently, India is the main cutting center for small marquise cuts.

The marquise in the photograph to the next page is 1.31 carats, with a beautifully balanced length -to- width ratio of 1.8 to 1. Its face-up outline- the essence of shape- is also well executed, making it a fine example of a gem-quality marquise. Marquise cuts look larger than other shapes in the same weight, but if a stone is too shallow or too deep, or if the culet is too long, an obvious black "bow tie"-shapes area appear in the center of the stone.
Necklace, Platinum
Marquise-Cut Diamond 1pc
0.45ct
Untreated
US $5,000
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