Having perfect nails to match your ring on the big day is a must! Especially if you consider how many photos will be taken of the ring on your hand. In this article we’ll briefly cover choosing the perfect nail shape and colour to match your ring’s gemstone.
Round Brilliant and Oval Cut
Round brilliant cut diamonds maximise the light on the diamond due to the number of facets (57) this type of cut boasts. On the other hand, oval cut gemstones are an elongated version of the round brilliant cut gemstone.
Rounded and oval-shaped nails are recommended for these types of cuts as they complement the rounded curves of the gemstone.
Pear-shaped and Marquise Cut
Due to the number of cuts, a marquise cut gemstone can actually appear larger than what it is. It is a long-shaped cut gemstone whereas a pear cut gemstone has a larger bottom that tapers into a smaller point at the top – think of the shape of a pear.
Longer, almond shaped nails (or stiletto shaped) are your best choice to match these gemstone cuts.
Cushion Cut and Princess Cut
The princess cut consists of a symmetrical square shape with four sharp corners and over 70 facets. This design helps give it maximum sparkle and is also fast becoming one of the most popular cuts for engagement ring gemstones. Cushion cut diamonds are not all too different with the major difference being that they have rounded corners instead of sharper corners.
Square shaped nails that are flattened at the top with sharp corners and straight sides are recommend for these gemstone cuts as they help compliment the sharper angles of cushion and princess cut gemstones.
Emerald Cut
Emerald cut gemstones have a larger table on the upper side of the stone (learn more about different gemstone cuts here). An emerald cut gemstone has 57 facets and an elongated rectangular shape with cut-off corners.
A squoval nail shape would match this cut perfectly. It’s similar to a square cut nail shape but is slightly rounder.
What About Nail Colours?
Your nail colours can also be used to compliment your gemstone even further. Natural nail colours (nude colours and pinks) are the tried and tested colour as they often pair perfectly with a wide variety of gemstone colours.
However, bright and bold nail colours are also an excellent option – especially if your gemstone is a coloured on like a blue sapphire, green emerald, or red ruby. Some options include blending dark green or red nails with green emeralds; deep maroon shades for rubies, and red colours such as crimson or brick red for sapphires.
In general, if your gemstone is coloured, then choosing a bold nail colour can compliment the stone wonderfully. However, at the end of the day it doesn’t mean you must choose a bold colour for your nails, it just means you can if you like having bold colour nails.
Conclusion
There are countless articles and guides on choosing the best shape and colour to match your gemstone (not to mention matching your skin tone to your ring and jewellery). There are no set rules and its always best to choose what you like for your big day.
Pop by our workshop on 5 Mary Street to find out more about the different cuts and colours available for your engagement ring’s gemstone.
