History & Characteristics of Baguette Diamonds

  This stunning cocktail ring strikes a beautiful chord with its classic combination of white gold, white diamonds, and blue sapphire. The central stone, set in a 4-prong claw setting, is a 1.55-carat, oval-cut natural blue sapphire which is only lightly included and radiates in 90% blue and 10% violet color. The Dali-esque square setting is accented with 24 round brilliant diamonds in a pyramidal design. Four sharply cut baguette diamonds are set diagonally in line with the prongs holding the sapphire in place. The baguette cut evolved from an antique cut called the hogback, a slender cut which featured a long rectangular table with a simplified crown featuring either a ridge or a single row of steps. Dating as far back as the 16th century, hogbacks were most frequently used to form crosses, letters, and figures. According to Randle Cotgrave's French-English dictionary from 1673, a bague was a "ring or jewel set with one precious stone, or more" {cited}, and one definition of baguette was "little jewel" {cited}. However, the word baguette was not used to refer to a diamond cut until the early 20th century, when the geometric designs of the Art Deco movement lent themselves perfectly to the development of the modern baguette cut. Baguette stones are miniature table cuts and therefore have 14 facets and are most frequently used as accent stones, especially in channel- and pavé-set designs. Though the fire of a baguette diamond is often subdued, the clarity and luster elicited by this cut makes it a stunning accent stone, as demonstrated in this brilliant sapphire and diamond cocktail ring.