Eternity Bands & Diamond Cuts: A Short Guide

Styles in fashion come and go, and one of the styles in jewelry that is enjoying immense popularity right now is the eternity band trend.

Whether you’re looking for a wedding band, something like a promise ring, or just a nice statement piece to celebrate an important milestone for a friend or loved one, an eternity band can make an appropriate offering.

But, before you commit to that baguette eternity band that has caught your eye, here are a few things you should know if this style is new to you.

What Is an Eternity Band?

Eternity bands are rings made of bands of precious metal, often gold, silver, or white gold, which are completely encircled by precious or semi-precious stones. Popular stones for eternity bands include emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. Occasionally, one might encounter a variant of an eternity ring known as a “half eternity ring,” in which only the top surface is set with stones.

Though the style is enjoying a fair amount of popularity in the present day, the basic design of an eternity band is actually nothing new. In fact, it is believed that rings resembling modern eternity bands were given as gifts as far back as 4,000 years ago, in Ancient Egypt.

While that may be, the specific popularity of diamond eternity rings is traceable to the 1960s when De Beers (a prominent global diamond merchant) promoted diamond eternity rings as a symbolically appropriate gift, specifically from husbands to wives.

Interestingly, these offerings were believed to carry the same significance that they carry in the modern era. Since most eternity bands do not have a readily apparent top or bottom surface and are continuously patterned, they can be seen as symbolic of a thing that never ends and continues infinitely.

Consequently, eternity rings are often given as a token of undying love, eternal affection, or as promise rings.

When Is It Appropriate to Give an Eternity Band?

Eternity rings are often given as a method of commemorating an important milestone in life or in a relationship.

They are often given as promise rings, as a statement of eternal love. Consequently, the eternity ring has become a popular form of wedding band in the modern era. Since they connote eternity (and a promise) they are also popular as engagement rings.

It is also appropriate to give an eternity band in observation of important personal and professional milestones. For instance, you may choose to gift an eternity band to celebrate the birth of a new child, to celebrate a promotion or even the acceptance of a new job.

Since they are associated with neverending love, eternity bands are also popular as anniversary gifts. Specifically, diamond eternity bands are appropriate for 60th wedding anniversaries, in which the appropriate gift is diamond-themed. However, they can make meaningful gifts at other anniversaries as well.

While eternity rings are typically given as symbols of romantic love, today it is also common for some friends to give each other eternity rings to celebrate important achievements, or simply as tokens of affection. Eternity bands, set with birthstones, can also make unique gifts for birthdays or other occasions, as well.

Diamond Cuts: What the Cut Affects

You’ve probably heard of the “Four C’s” of diamond grading: color, cut, clarity, and carats. Cut, it follows, is one of the most important factors of diamond quality.

The cut of a diamond has a profound impact on four important aspects of a diamond: brightness, fire, scintillation, and price.

Brightness refers to the level of light reflected from the diamond; fire refers to the ability of a cut to split the white light that enters it into the different colors of the rainbow, and scintillation to how much “sparkle” a diamond produces. The style and intricacy of diamond cut also impact how much a diamond costs.

About Popular Cuts of Diamond

Some of the most popular diamond cuts are:

• Round: The round cut is by far the most popular diamond cut. With 58 facets, the round cut is considered ideal for brilliance, fire, scintillation, and brightness.

• Princess: Princess-cut diamonds appear square-shaped and have between 50 and 58 facets. They also produce great brilliance, fire, scintillation, and brightness.

• Emerald: Emerald-cut diamonds have long, simple facets and are less brilliant than round and princess-cut diamonds, making them relatively more affordable.

• Oval: Oval-cut diamonds, which are oval in shape, are highly durable and often appear larger than they actually are, making them highly popular.

• Baguette: Baguette-cut diamonds are small, thin, and rectangular and typically have only 14 facets. Baguette eternity bands (and other jewelry featuring baguette-cut stones) offer a more modern style.

• Pear: Rounded on one end and pointed at the other, pear-cut diamonds are also called teardrop diamonds. They produce great brilliance, but they are relatively rare.

• Cushion: Cushion-cut diamonds can be either square or rectangular and appear to have “softer” edges. Cushion-cut diamonds were once the most popular style of cut, and so are popular amongst those that appreciate vintage pieces.

• Radiant: Radiant-cut diamonds look a lot like emerald-cut diamonds, but they have extra facets which produce greater brilliance, fire, and scintillation.

• Asscher: Asscher-cut diamonds are also like emerald diamonds, except they have more facets and are often more squared than elongated. This style of cut produces better brilliance and fire than emerald-cut diamonds.

• Marquise: Marquise-cut diamonds, like cushion-cut diamonds, are an older style. Marquise-cut diamonds are elongated, with pointed ends, and feature 58 facets that produce excellent brilliance, fire, and scintillation. The elongated cut also produces a slimming effect that flatters the hand.

Commemorate Your Undying Appreciation with an Eternity Band from Our Collection

Explore a world of peerless fashion and timeless designs in our collection of eternity bands. We carry sapphire, ruby, emerald, and diamond eternity rings, sporting a wide, creative range of cuts.

Give a baguette eternity band and enjoy the modern styling or stick with a more traditional cut that gives a nod to the bygone while making a timeless promise in the process. There’s a gem for any taste waiting to be discovered in our collection.