Marquise

What defines the cut

A marquise is an elongated shape with a point at each end, brilliant-faceted like a stretched round with two tips rather than one. The often-repeated origin story attributes the shape to King Louis XV of France, said to have commissioned a diamond cut to resemble the smile of the Marquise de Pompadour — a charming story that's difficult to verify historically, but the shape itself is genuinely 18th-century in origin.

Visual characteristics

Marquise cuts tend to have the most pronounced bow tie of any common elongated shape, given how extreme the length-to-width ratio typically is. Well-cut examples still show strong brilliance; the main viewing check is whether the bow tie is distracting or shifts naturally with movement.

Buying considerations

• Both points need protective settings — this is the shape's main practical vulnerability, more pronounced than on a pear since there are two tips instead of one.
• Face-up size relative to carat weight is very favourable for marquise — the elongated shape spreads weight over a large visible area, making it one of the best shapes for maximising apparent size per carat.
• Symmetry between the two halves matters visually, similarly to pear.

Jewellery suitability

Marquise centre stones are less common today than a decade or two ago, but the shape remains popular as side stones and in eternity bands, where the pointed ends interlock neatly along a row.

Related cuts

Dutch marquise is a related but distinct antique term — see that page for how it differs in faceting rather than outline.