2004

According to Fashion Trends: It's (Still) Hip to Be Square

Sep. 2004

As seen at the JCK Las Vegas show in June, there’s no break in sight for the popularity of square-cut stones. Princess cuts remain the favorite of bridal and fashion designers alike, as they set the stones in new ways—like corner to corner for a symmetrical diamond shape.

Cushions, essentially rounded squares, are the industry’s up-and-comers, meanwhile, as consumers and manufacturers alike rediscover the appeal of this age-old shape that lost favor with the rise of the round brilliant.

The trend for square-shaped diamonds is also expanding beyond these classic cuts, as manufacturers—increasingly obsessed with differentiating themselves from competitors—develop new square cuts. The most popular are versions of the cushion, which does not have standard parameters, and squared modifications of other stones—like square emeralds or Asschers.

Jewelry manufacturers reports several trends in diamond bridal rings. Consumers are increasingly looking for larger center stones—2 carats and larger—and are especially enamored with designs that incorporate color—either colored diamond or other precious stone accents to a center stone.