TL;DR: A briolette is a teardrop-shaped diamond faceted entirely in triangular facets with no flat table, designed to be viewed from every angle rather than face-up like a conventional stone. It's one of the oldest known diamond cutting styles and remains rare today, typically suited to drop earrings or pendants rather than a ring setting.
What Makes a Briolette Different
Almost every modern diamond cut has a flat table facet at the top, designed to be viewed primarily from directly above. A briolette has no table at all — it's covered entirely in small triangular or rhomboid facets running around its full teardrop shape, meant to be seen and to catch light from every direction rather than one dominant face-up view.
This makes the briolette fundamentally different in how it's worn and set. Because there's no flat top to mount face-up in a conventional prong setting, briolettes are typically drilled through the narrow top and suspended — as a drop earring, a pendant, or occasionally a dangling element within a more elaborate ring design.
A Genuinely Ancient Cutting Style
The briolette is one of the oldest diamond cutting styles known, with historical roots stretching back centuries before modern faceting techniques existed. Its persistence into contemporary fine jewellery, largely unchanged in concept, is unusual among historical cuts — most have been superseded by more optically efficient modern alternatives, but the briolette's specific all-angle sparkle has kept it relevant.
Why Briolettes Are Rare
Cutting a briolette well requires significant rough diamond material relative to the finished stone's carat weight, since the teardrop shape and all-round faceting waste more of the original crystal than a conventional cut optimised for yield. This makes briolettes genuinely less common and typically more expensive per carat than an equivalent conventional shape.
Where Briolettes Work Best
Drop earrings are the most natural setting for a briolette, allowing the stone to move and catch light from every angle exactly as it's designed to. Pendants work similarly well. As a ring stone, a briolette is unconventional but not unheard of — typically incorporated as a dangling or east-west element within a larger, more elaborate design rather than a standard prong-set centre stone.
Sourcing a Briolette at À Vie Diamonds
Briolette-cut stones require more specialist sourcing than conventional shapes. Get in touch to discuss availability and realistic timelines if a briolette is part of your brief.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a briolette cut diamond? A teardrop-shaped diamond faceted entirely in small triangular facets with no flat table, designed to catch light from every angle rather than primarily from above.
Can a briolette be used in an engagement ring? It's unconventional but possible, typically incorporated as a dangling or east-west element within a larger design rather than set as a standard face-up centre stone. Drop earrings and pendants are the more natural setting.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · À Vie Diamonds