Heart Shaped Diamond Guide: Ratio, Size, Colour and Settings

What is a heart shaped diamond?

A heart shaped diamond is a modified brilliant cut. That means it uses the same kind of triangular and kite-shaped facets as a round brilliant, but arranges them around a heart outline instead of a circle. If you are curious about where that faceting style came from, our page on how the round brilliant grew out of the Old European cut tells the story. Most hearts have between 56 and 59 facets, depending on the cutter and whether the stone has a culet (a tiny flat facet at the very bottom).

Every heart has the same five parts: two rounded lobes at the top, the cleft (the dip between them), the wings curving down each side, the belly across the middle and the point (or tip) at the bottom. How well those parts are balanced decides whether the stone looks like a heart from across the room or like an uneven triangle.

Diamond itself is the hardest natural material, 10 on the Mohs scale, with a refractive index of about 2.42, which is what gives brilliant cuts their strong sparkle. Hardness is not the same as toughness, though: diamond can still chip along its cleavage planes if a thin edge takes a knock, and a heart has two thin areas, the point and the cleft. That shapes most of the advice below.

The heart belongs to the elongated and fancy brilliant family, and it is one of the shapes covered in our guide to every one of the 34 diamond cuts. Any term here you have not met before is also explained in our jewellery glossary.

What is the best length-to-width ratio for a heart diamond?

The length-to-width ratio compares how long the stone is (from the top of the lobes to the point) with how wide it is across the lobes. Divide the length by the width on the grading report. A ratio of 1.00 means the heart is exactly as long as it is wide.

There is no single right ratio. GIA does not give heart shapes an overall cut grade the way it does for rounds, so you have to judge the cut from the ratio, the proportions and, above all, the symmetry. As a rough guide, many well-cut hearts sit at a total depth of about 56–62% and a table (the large flat top facet) of about 53–63% of the width, but the stone's appearance matters more than any single number.

Many hearts also show a bow-tie: a dark band across the belly where light leaks out instead of returning to your eye. A faint bow-tie that comes and goes as the stone moves is normal and adds contrast. A dark band that stays put in every position is a sign of poor proportions. Photos rarely show it, so watch a 360° video and keep your eye on the middle of the stone as it turns.

Why does symmetry matter so much in a heart shaped diamond?

A heart is two halves mirrored down the middle, so any imbalance is easy to see, much easier than in an oval or a round. When you look at a heart, check four things:

• Lobes: both the same size and height, with smooth, evenly rounded tops.
• Cleft: clearly defined and centred, not shallow or pushed to one side.
• Point: lined up directly below the cleft, so the stone does not look like it leans.
• Wings: gently curved on both sides, not bulging on one side and flat on the other.

The symmetry grade on a report (Excellent, Very Good, Good and so on) helps, but it mainly describes how precisely the facets line up and is not a full judgement of whether the outline looks balanced. A heart can grade Excellent for symmetry and still have one lobe a little fuller than the other. Our heart symmetry checklist walks through each check with examples, so you know what to look for before you compare stones.

How big should a heart shaped diamond be?

Under about half a carat, the cleft and lobes become so small that a heart can read as a rounded triangle, especially once claws cover part of the outline. That is why most people choose 0.50 carat or more for a heart shaped engagement ring, and many go to 1 carat. Our guide on how big a heart needs to be to show its shape covers this in detail.

These are typical figures for a heart around 0.93 in ratio. A stone cut deeper carries more weight underneath and looks smaller face-up (the size you see from above), while a shallower stone spreads wider but can lose brightness. Because hearts are wide for their length, they face up a little larger than a round of the same weight; our comparison of which diamond shapes look biggest for their weight puts the numbers side by side.

Smaller hearts, from about 0.10 to 0.30 carat, still work well where they are seen up close: as studs, in a pendant or as accent stones either side of a centre diamond.

What colour and clarity should you choose for a heart?

Fancy shapes show body colour more than rounds, and in a heart the warmth tends to collect in the lobes and the point, where the stone is thinnest and the facets are crowded together. In white gold or platinum, most people are happy from H colour or better; if you are particularly sensitive to a warm tint, look at G or higher. In yellow or rose gold, I or J can look just as white, because the metal warms everything around it.

For clarity, the goal is an eye-clean stone, meaning no inclusions (internal features) you can see without magnification at normal viewing distance. In a heart that usually means VS2 or a carefully chosen SI1. Brilliant faceting hides small inclusions well. The exception is the point and the cleft: an inclusion there is easier to see and, if it reaches the surface, can weaken the thinnest part of the stone. Ask to see the plotting diagram on the report, which maps where each inclusion sits.

• White metal: G–H colour, VS2–SI1 eye-clean.
• Yellow or rose gold: I–J colour can look white, VS2–SI1 eye-clean.
• Avoid: feathers (small internal cracks) at the point or deep in the cleft.

What about a heart shaped pink diamond?

Hearts are a favourite shape for coloured diamonds, and the heart shaped pink diamond is one of the most searched. Fancy shapes like the heart can be cut to concentrate colour, so a pink heart often looks richer than a round of the same grade. GIA grades coloured diamonds by intensity, using grades such as Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Deep and Fancy Dark.

Natural pink diamonds are very rare. Australia's Argyle mine in Western Australia supplied most of the world's pinks until it closed in 2020, and a natural pink of any real size costs far more per carat than a colourless diamond. Some natural diamonds are also treated to turn them pink, which must be disclosed on the report.

Lab-grown pink diamonds are widely available in heart shapes. Their colour is usually created or enhanced after growth, and the report will say so. They cost a small fraction of a natural pink and are still real diamond, with the same hardness and refractive index. If you want pink at a lower price again, a natural or lab-created pink sapphire (9 on the Mohs scale) is a durable alternative for everyday wear.

What is the best setting for a heart shaped diamond ring?

The point is the most fragile part of a heart, so the setting's first job is to protect it. The usual options for a heart shaped diamond ring:

• Three or five claws: one at each lobe and a V-claw (a V-shaped claw) that wraps the point. Five claws add one either side of the cleft for extra security.
• Bezel or half-bezel: a thin rim of metal around the edge. Very secure and modern, though it hides a little of the outline.
• Halo: small diamonds around the heart make it look larger and frame the shape; the halo also shields the edge.
• Side stones: baguette and tapered baguette side stones give clean lines that point towards the heart.
• Pendants: a heart sits naturally point-down on a chain, much like the faceted briolette drop used in earrings.

A heart shaped engagement ring also needs a wedding band that sits comfortably beside it, because the lobes are wide and the point can catch a straight band. See side-by-side heart setting examples and our guide to wedding bands that sit flush beside a heart. Contoured or slightly curved bands are common choices.

How does a heart compare with pear, oval and marquise diamonds?

If you love the heart's softness but want something that reads more simply, the closest alternative is the pear: see our pear cut diamond guide and the heart vs pear guide, point by point. For a smooth outline with no point at all, look at oval diamonds; for something more dramatic, the marquise cut and our marquise vs pear comparison are worth a read.

Newer shapes are blurring the lines too, such as the moval, a cross between marquise and oval. To see every shape side by side, start with our overview of every diamond shape.

How much does a heart shaped diamond cost, natural or lab-grown?

Hearts are cut from both natural and laboratory-grown diamond, and the two look identical to the eye. Lab-grown diamonds are real diamond, grown in a laboratory rather than mined; they cost much less and are easy to find in larger sizes. Natural hearts are rarer. Both should come with an independent grading report from a lab such as GIA or IGI.

These are broad ranges only; prices move with the market and with the exact grades. A heart usually costs less per carat than a round of the same weight, colour and clarity, partly because demand is lower and partly because more of the rough crystal can be kept. Within hearts, what moves the price most is carat, colour, clarity and how well the outline is cut. Our price differences between diamond shapes page sets out the pattern across all the main cuts.

How do you choose a heart shaped diamond? Step by step

1. Read the report. Confirm the shape, measurements, colour, clarity, polish and symmetry, and whether the diamond is natural or lab-grown.
2. Work out the ratio. Divide length by width from the report's measurements; aim for about 0.90–1.10.
3. Check symmetry by eye. Even lobes, a centred cleft and a point sitting directly below it.
4. Watch a 360° video. Look for a bow-tie that stays dark and for inclusions near the point or cleft.
5. Check the face-up size. Compare the millimetre measurements, not just the carat weight.
6. Plan the setting. Make sure the point is protected by a V-claw, bezel or halo before you commit to the stone.