Marquise Cut Diamonds

Legend says that the Marquise diamond was commissioned by King Louis XV to honor his mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour. The diamond has an elongated shape with pointed ends supposedly inspired by the smile of Marquise de Pompadour. It is often used as a solitaire in engagement rings or enhances by smaller diamonds. As a standard it has 58 facets, and requires a larger, rough diamond to to be cut from in order to insure the proper pavilion angle proportions for maximum light display. It creates a more fragile diamond than other cuts, especially if the pointed ends are left exposed.