02 September 2026
The Shape of Love: A Guide to Garrard’s Stone Shapes
Every aspect of an engagement ring symbolises the unique love story it's chosen for. With a string of high-profile proposals and weddings sparking renewed interest in engagement ring cuts and shapes, we take a closer look at the variation and creativity shape offers to express meaning, celebrate personality, and set intention.
Whether you are searching in secret or considering options together, we hope you feel inspired as you explore the six distinctive shapes in the Garrard Engagement Ring collection.
"Garrard’s Bespoke service is an opportunity to work with our senior team of designers to create a new design inspired by your story."
Claire Scott, Senior Design and Development Director
Round Shape
dazzling & vibrant
The most popular engagement ring shape. A round diamond, also known as a brilliant cut, is the quintessential symbol of commitment. Beloved for its energetic show of light and classic style, this perfect circle represents a love that has no beginning and no end. Holding the highest value of any diamond cut, this shape is effortless to pair with wedding bands and ideally suited to alterations and additions when marking life’s most memorable milestones throughout married life.
Round shape ring of note: Queen Elizabeth’s engagement ring.
Cushion Shape
candlelit romance
Georgian elegance never fails in the realm of true romance. The cushion cut, also known as the brilliant cut, was a natural evolution of the Old Mine Cut originating in the 1700s. An exceptional classic with sentimentality, remarkable allure, and heritage craftsmanship at its root, the cushion cut is an emblem of love that defies trends.
Cushion shape ring of note: Zendaya & Taylor Swift’s diamond cushion-cut engagement rings.
Oval Shape
deep devotion
A true original prized for its individuality, an oval shape enhances colour drawing out the unique hues within a gemstone. It is chosen to reflect and bounce light within the stone, enhancing radiance while never cutting harsh corners. Its softer shape symbolises an elongated and unbroken circle for a love that endures, evolving with time. Garrard is now synonymous with the oval cut blue sapphire cluster design, showcased in the 1735 collection.
Oval shape ring of note: Princess Diana’s 12-carat oval cut blue Ceylon sapphire, now worn by the Princess of Wales.
The Emerald Shape
heritage glamour
Distinctive and alluring, the emerald cut is for those who appreciate refined elegance. It prioritises clarity and lustre of the stone over sparkle. Featuring a subtle step cut, its flat top acts as a window for a breathtaking hall of mirrors effect. This is a stone for minimalistic glamour that’s clean, transparent, and subdued. Composed and discerning, the emerald cut is an iconic and cultured centrestone well suited to discerning collectors.
Emerald shape ring of note: Grace Kelly’s 10.48-carat rectangular emerald-cut center diamond flanked by two tapered baguette side stones.
The Pear Shape
expressive & unique
A shape that’s expressive, individual, and highly creative. One of the most challenging cuts, each Garrard design ensures protection of the stone and enhancement of its length to width ratio. While the pear’s tear drop shape is designed for the tip to face up, slenderising the hand, the ring can be worn either way and has notably been tilted to the side in contemporary bespoke designs.
Pear shape ring of note: Elizabeth Taylor’s Taylor-Burton diamond ring.
The Princess Shape
Bold & Geometric
The square, geometric princess cut has distinctive chevron-like facets that casts light beautifully, creating a dazzling show of light in an inverted pyramid pavilion. One of the newest diamond cuts, the princess cut originates in the 1960s, inspired by the French cut. When looking directly from above, the stone appears to have an ‘X’ shape. Striking in halo settings, as seen in Evermore, we also recommend considering a princess cut centre stone for three stone engagement rings.