Choosing Your Stone

A Guide to Finding the Diamond That Speaks to You.

Selecting a diamond is more than choosing a gemstone — it’s choosing a feeling, a moment, and a piece of your story. Whether you’re drawn to warm champagne diamonds, antique cuts with heirloom charm, or modern brilliance, this guide will help you understand what makes a stone truly yours.

Shape & Silhouette

Every diamond shape carries its own emotion — soft, bold, romantic, modern.

Popular Shapes

Cushion Brilliant
Timeless, romantic, full of soft fire.

Old Mine Cut / Antique Cushion
Chunky facets, candlelit glow, heirloom charm. For the soul who loves stories.

Oval Brilliant
Elongated, elegant, and bright — flattering on every hand.

Pear Brilliant
Graceful, unique, and feminine, with a delicate taper that elongates the finger.

Moval (Marquise + Oval)
A rare hybrid. Soft, elongated, and irresistibly romantic.

Emerald Cut / Step Cuts
Architectural, refined, and understated. A quiet luxury.

Your stone’s silhouette sets the tone for your entire ring — choose the one that makes you feel something the moment you see it.

Carat & Dimensions: Understanding Spread

Carat weight tells part of the story. Dimensions tell the rest.

A 1.00ct stone can look dramatically different depending on its spread. At MAIA + LYRA, not only do we we list the carat weight but we also include:

  • Length × width × depth (in mm)
  • Proportions and silhouette
  • Cut style and face-up presence

This helps you understand what the stone will actually look like on your hand, not just on paper.

Color: Mood, Tone & Aesthetic

Color is one of the most expressive parts of choosing your diamond.

Color Profiles

D–F: crisp, icy, bright white
G–J: soft white with subtle warmth (a favorite for antique settings)
K–M: warm, romantic, candlelit tones
O-Z: deep warmth, resembling light champagne
Champagne Diamonds (C ratings): earthy, golden, rare, and full of personality

Choose the color that matches the mood you’re drawn to — not just the grade.

Clarity: Character & Transparency

Clarity reflects how clean or included a diamond is — but it doesn’t dictate beauty.

VVS–VS: extremely clean, even under magnification
SI1–SI2: natural inclusions, full of character
I1+ (for antique stones): inclusions that tell a story, part of their historic soul

Antique stones often have inclusions that feel like tiny fingerprints from another era - perfectly imperfect in the most romantic way.

Cut Style: Modern Energy vs Antique Glow

Cut style defines how a diamond plays with light.

Modern Brilliants

  • crisp sparkle
  • symmetrical fire
  • bright, clean flashes

Antique Cuts (Old Mine, Old European, Antique Cushion)

  • hand-cut
  • chunky facets
  • soft candlelit shimmer
  • romantic, organic movement

We often fall in love with the feeling antique cuts evoke — warm, soulful, storied.

Ethical Sourcing & Provenance

Transparency is a cornerstone of our Diamond Reserve. While a majority of diamonds on the market come from an unknown origin, we do our best to source stones that have a known starting point and will list the mine that they come from.

We proudly feature a few stones that are ethically sourced from:

  • Ekati Mine (Canada)
  • Gahcho Kué Mine (Canada)

Canadian diamonds are known for:

  • strict environmental standards
  • conflict-free certification
  • exceptional traceability

Your diamond should feel as good as it looks.

Trusting Your Intuition

A stone is “the one” when:

  • your eyes keep coming back to it
  • its sparkle makes your heart warm
  • it feels like something you’ll love forever
  • it feels like you

You’re not just choosing a diamond - you’re choosing your future heirloom.