Marquise cut

The marquise or navette cut was established in the 18th century at the court of Louis XV of France. His mistress, Marquise Jeanne de Pompadour (1721-1764), had a weakness for this special cut, which was therefor named after her. It is said that the two pointed ends reminded the king of his lover's smile.

What are the CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD NAVETTE CUT? The color of the diamonds has to be chosen with special care, as yellow stains are very noticeable. A color between D and H is recommended. Impurities, on the other hand, are mainly visible in the center and less noticeable towards the edges.

For the marquise diamond to display a beautiful and harmonic form, the LENGTH-WIDTH-RATIO should be between 1.75 and 2.25. It is also important that the gem is neither too high nor too flat. Otherwise, the so-called bow-tie-effect could happen: a dark spot in the center of the stone that cannot reflect light.

The navette requires experience and skill of the cutter. The quality of the cut is therefor very important when purchasing a marquise or navette cut.