Heart Shaped Diamonds: A Guide to its Brilliance and Symbolism

Key Takeaways

• The Heart shape is possibly the most divisive and controversial of all the diamond shapes out there. While some people adore its whimsicality and romance, others find it a little too gimmicky for an engagement ring.
• The Heart is also a tricky shape to get right. If the proportions are off even by just a little, the entire shape can look wrong – either too wide, too narrow, too squat, or too long.
• If you’re shopping for a Heart, it’s vital you pay close attention to the diamond’s proportions.
• Keep in mind that the bottom point of the heart represents a vulnerable spot for this diamond shape. Your jeweler will likely recommend a setting that will protect and cover this point from any potential knocks or scrapes.

Planning a proposal has the uncanny ability to turn us true romantics at heart. Suddenly, the rose petals and candles don’t seem so cheesy, while the thought of hiring a Frank Sinatra lookalike doesn’t sound like overkill, and the desire to make the moment as special as possible takes over.

Even if we’ve never given any thought to confetti, flower arches – or even what time the sun actually sets over our hometowns – before, it’s all a part of that bundle every soon-to-be-fiancé finds themselves holding in the build-up to popping the question.

Somewhere along this course, you’ve probably encountered the epitome of romance: the Heart shaped diamond. But, is it a little too much? Or the perfect way to showcase your love for your bride-to-be on her finger?

• The Shape
  • What is a Heart Shaped Diamond?
  • Do Heart Shaped Diamonds Sparkle?
• Heart Shaped Diamond Engagement Rings
  • Are Heart Shaped Diamonds Tacky?
  • How Much is a Heart Shaped Diamond Ring?
  • Which Way Do You Wear a Heart Shaped Diamond Ring?
  • What Does a Heart Shaped Engagement Ring Mean?
• Our Summary

The Shape

Possibly the most obvious diamond shape out there, the Heart represents love and commitment through the very symbol of romance itself. There are, however, a few finer details to know before you fall head over heels for this shape.

What is the Heart Shaped Diamond?

Like the Marquise and Pear cuts, the Heart features a precise point, but it also features a totally unique shape – that of the two curved edges meeting above the diamond’s center.

Not only does this create the unmissable heart shape, but it also means that these diamonds offer a distinctive light performance. A well cut Heart will produce a lot of sparkle as the light moves over its surface.

While a Heart diamond ring will appear pretty modern, diamonds have been cut into heart shapes for hundreds of years – although, at first, they weren’t a symbol of love, but of royalty. These days, however, modern cutting techniques mean that the Heart is far more refined than it once was.

One thing to note – and we will look at this in more detail below – is the fact that these diamonds are not the easiest to get right. Their proportions can all too easy miss the ‘ideal’ ranges that are needed to create the most beautiful cuts possible, meaning that finding a beautiful Heart is not always easy.

And, of course, the elephant in the room: their lack of popularity. It’s pretty uncommon to see someone flashing a Heart shaped diamond ring, primarily because a lot of brides and grooms consider them to be a trend that comes in and out of style, rather than something timeless and classic. 

Do Heart Shaped Diamonds Sparkle?

Yes, heart shaped diamonds create a lot of brilliance and fire.

This cut is an example of what is known as a ‘modified brilliant’ cut, which means that its facet pattern is based on the one found on the very sparkly Round cut.

No modified brilliant diamond, whether an Oval or Pear, Marquise or Heart, will be able to sparkle quite like the Round, so if you’re looking for maximum sparkle you’ll want to focus your search on this shape. However, unless you scrutinize these two cuts side-by-side, then the Heart won’t disappoint with it’s incredible flashes of white and colored light.

Heart Shaped Diamond Engagement Rings

Finding the perfect shaped diamond is only half the battle – the rest lies in making sure that it can be transformed into the perfect diamond engagement ring.

Are Heart Shaped Diamonds Tacky?

No diamond is tacky, although the Heart shape is slightly more divisive than other shapes.

This likely stems from the fact that the Heart takes the romance of engagement and commitment literally, while the other shapes are a little more refined. So, while the heart is the most widely understood symbol of love that we have, many brides and grooms don’t feel as though such a strong symbol is needed on their engagement ring.

The Heart cut certainly has its admirers, though, with Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani both favoring this shape. What’s more, the heart-shaped Coeur de la Mer – as seen on Kate Winslet’s character, Rose, in Titanic – remains one of the most famous diamonds in cinematic history.

So, no, while Heart diamonds are not a common choice among brides and grooms, they are not tacky.

How Much is a Heart Shaped Diamond Ring?

Considerably cheaper than the most popular shapes, like the Round, although, as always, price depends entirely on cut, clarity, color and carat weight.

Remember how we mentioned that finding a well-cut Heart diamond is not always easy? This is down to a couple reasons – that the Heart is a difficult cut to get right in the first place, and that the Heart does not experience a lot of demand from engagement ring shoppers.

So, while you’ll find plenty of choice if you look specifically at Round, Oval or even Emerald cut diamonds, there will be significantly less choice for the Heart – particularly once you’ve ruled out any diamonds with less-than-ideal proportions.

Nonetheless, the high level of brilliance and fire offered by the Heart shape is pretty effective at masking any minor inclusions, so you’ll be able to save money on a lower clarity grade (while still going for eye cleanliness) like VS2 or SI1.

Which Way do You Wear a Heart Shaped Diamond?

Typically, the Heart is worn so that the point is directed toward the body, so that the heart appears upright when the wearer looks down on it.

The traditional Irish Claddagh ring, a style characterized by a crowned heart held between two hands, is typically worn in this position when the wearer is no longer single. While it is not typical for the Claddagh to be worn as an engagement ring, many people choose to embrace this tradition wen wearing other pieces featuring hearts.

There are, of course, no rules when it comes to styling an engagement ring, and they should always be worn in the manner most comfortable to the wearer.

Heart diamonds can make a bold enough statement on their own within on a diamond solitaire or cathedral setting but, whichever way they are worn, they can be a little more prone to snagging on clothing than other shapes.

What Does a Heart Shaped Engagement Ring Mean?

The only thing it could possibly mean: love.

It’s pretty much impossible to miss the symbolic meaning of an engagement ring – let alone one that bears the universal symbol of romance and commitment.

Our Summary: Are Heart Shaped Diamonds Good?

For most people, the Heart diamond doesn’t sit high on their list of priorities, although they do experience waves of popularity every now and again.

There’s nothing wrong or bad about Heart shaped diamonds. It’s just that, for most people, they take that timeless sense of love and romance a little too far in the right direction, so to speak. The result, while beautiful and unique, may not stand the test of time like some of the other, more traditional shapes.

In other words, if you know that the intended wearer has already fallen for the Heart diamond, then it could be the perfect choice. But, unless your future bride has already expressed her love for this divisive shape, it’s probably best to scratch this one off your list and to take a look at some of the more popular diamond shapes out there.