What better way to celebrate the love for your significant other than by giving heart shaped jewelry and diamonds this Valentine’s Day? As the world’s foremost expert in gems and jewelry, GIA offers a few tips and best practices before you set foot in your neighborhood jewelry store.

The unique beauty and appeal of fancy cut diamonds make them the perfect choice for gifts of the season. Shoppers now have a wide array of choices, so there is something for every taste. In this installment of our 2013 Holiday Buying Guide series, you will learn about some of the special characteristics of fancy cut diamonds before you ever step into a jewelry store.

Earlier this week, we discussed fancy colored diamonds making an appearance at auction houses this season; however, today we would like to highlight fancy shaped diamonds. The most common diamond shape is round, with all other shapes referred to as “fancy.” These include marquise, pear, oval, rectangular, and a variety of others gaining popularity, such as triangle.

Some diamond cut’s never go out of style, especially when they boast a royal heritage and have been redesigned and reinvented. Such is the case with the popular Asscher cut.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt made headlines earlier this year when they finally announced their engagement. Soon thereafter, Jolie was spotted wearing an engagement ring that featured a large, Emerald cut diamond center stone. While an Emerald cut center stone is not the traditional look for an engagement ring, non-traditional engagement rings seem to be making news more frequently.