Eating A Plantain

From time to time, I bet every home cook gets tired of his/her own cooking. That's when I'm open to trying a new food or dish. New York is such a mish-mash of cultures I really love it! This week I received two plantains, a staple in African, Asian, and Latin American cuisine. 

To tell you how unfamiliar I am with this fruit, during my 1st year in Manhattan I bought one by mistake, thinking it was a large, oddly shaped banana. It took longer to ripen, was harder to peel, and tasted raw ... after I waited a long time for it to soften, then bit into it. Because. It was raw, and I didn't know I was supposed to cook it!😂

So flash forward to our present day. Lucky me, I got not one, but 2 plantains. One was yellow, the other green. 

So this time around, I knew the plantains had to be cooked, but I still didn't know how best to do it. Well ... that's what Google is for ... to tell me how!

Photo: AllRecipes

The yellow one I sliced and grilled both sides in a 12" skillet brushed with extra virgin olive oil on a stovetop. I could have sprinkled it with sugar and cinnamon; instead, I kept it plain and ate it with leftover cauliflower, lima beans, and carrots. Not bad in lieu of potatoes or rice. Good in taste and texture. Yep, I'll eat it again.

Now I must figure out how to eat the 2nd green plantain. If sliced thin with a mandoline, I could bake it into plantain chips seasoned with salt, dried garlic, and red pepper flakes. Or if I wait too long and it begins to soften, as I understand it, plantains can be mashed like potatoes, or not dilly-dally and use it green to thicken soups or stews. It's a brand new plantain world in the Turner household! The spicy plantain crispy baked chips are tempting!

Photo: BigOven

As it turns out, plantains are a complex, starch-resistant carbohydrate that keeps your glucose index (blood sugar) in a healthy range.

They are rich in iron, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, and the B vitamins, as well as, fiber. Plantains naturally contain beneficial plant compounds, such as polyphenols and flavonoids (which act as antioxidants) to help fight free radicals that otherwise damage the body. Eating plantains also lowers blood pressure, reduces constipation, and prevents iron deficiency anemia. The green plantains are low in sugar. As they ripen and turn yellow, plantains get softer and sweeter but stay mild in flavor. You can use ripe plantains like bananas in baking but they don't taste like bananas although they are in the same genus Musa family. 

The word "plantain" indicates the fruit is a cooking banana. In other words, the name, "plantain," itself means fruit that must be cooked. Oh, right, NOW you tell me! Not when I needed to know as a young, innocent transplant to New York City. Thanks, universe.🙂

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Another Of Nature's Pretties: Peridot

Photo: Cartier

Over millions of years, Mother Nature has formed a variety of gorgeous rocks that the artistry of man turns into sparklers. Peridot, available for many types of jewelry, is one of its more affordable and lively green gemstones. Today let's learn more about this semi-precious beauty, which is a silicate mineral [(MgFe)2SiO4], as well as, a magnesium-rich variety of olivine that forms in molten rock on the earth's upper mantle (as do diamonds, and not further down in its crust like amethyst). Peridot's green hue comes from iron, which is also part of its chemistry (see the formula above👆). In fact, the gemstone occurs in only one color: olive green. However, the intensity and tint of the green can vary from yellow-green -- to olive green -- to brownish-green, and the purer the green, the more valuable the stone.

 

Most of the finest colored peridot comes from Myanmar (Burma) and the Himalayas of Pakistan. Other countries where it is found include China, Tanzania, Vietnam, and the USA. Intriguingly, peridot is sometimes found in meteorites that fall to earth, meaning the gemstone also forms in outer space! Some land on the beaches of Hawaii.

If you like wearing bigger gemstones you are in luck because without breaking the bank, you'll find large pieces of pure green peridot with excellent clarity on the market. You will pay a couple of hundred, as opposed to, thousands of dollars for bigger carat sizes of peridot in a ring, earrings, bracelet, or necklace than you would for emeralds, rubies, sapphires, tanzanites, or diamonds.

Readily visual black spots (i.e., not eye clean) are inclusions to look out for in this stone, as they substantially lower its value.

Peridot rates a 6.5 - 7 on Moh's Scale of Hardness, the same as Tanzanite, Citrine, Tourmaline, Tiger's Eye, Zircon, and Onyx. Harder than opal and pearls, peridot is cut into a variety of standard shapes including round, oval, emerald, cushion, pear, triangle, and marquise.

Peridot is the modern birthstone for everyone born in the month of August. 

Everything featured (except for the top necklace) is available in Macy's online jewelry department. Posted are some of my favorite pieces from Macy's budget-friendly and sophisticated designs. Wow, peridot looks equally flattering in white, yellow, or rose gold. Do you agree?

What a beautiful twinkling, green gemstone ... and less common than the usual suspects! It's budget-friendly because the supply is good and not everybody knows to want it!

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Anti-Aging Beauty To Put On Your Radar: 3 Products For Daytime

As readers know, a focus of THE SAVVY SHOPPER is to find over-the-counter skincare that really works, i.e., serums and moisturizers which contain all the potent anti-aging ingredients medical science says are effective for less. Not every product is dirt cheap, yet when sold at retailers like Target, Walmart, Ultra, local drugstores, and Amazon, you can take advantage of deals to further lower the cost of already well-priced products. When you see the 2-for-1 deals and markdowns, etc., it's the time to pounce!

The following are 3 Anti-Aging Skincare Items For Your Daytime regiment:

1) Roc Multi Correxion Revive + Daily Glow Vitamin C -  Forumated with 10% vitamin C to brighten and tighten skin. Dermatologists tell us the only true serum we need for our daytime skincare routine is a vitamin C serum with the right combination of other ingredients like vitamin E to help the vitamin C work better. As we age the production of our collagen and skin cell turnover slows down. A potent vitamin C blend used daily helps to speed it up again! The serum is all you really need to buy but in winter some customers may like to apply a heavier cream formula to fight dry skin.

The next 2 recommendations are for 2 sunscreens -- our numero ono, most important, bar none, anti-aging skincare potion. The skin doctors recommend wearing sunscreen every day of the year: summer days, sunny days, autumn days, winter days, snowy days, spring days, and rainy days. Why is something like the sun's golden rays that feels so good so aging to the skin especially noticeable on our face where we don't want lines, wrinkles, and age spots? It just is! 

It's vital to let 15 minutes of the sun hit our skin about twice a week for the very necessary production of vitamin D for our overall good health, yet if the sun hits the area of my face, personally I react like the Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch of the West as she is melting because she got hit with a bucket of water! To avoid the drama and public spectacle, I take the preventative step of wearing visors and hats outdoors in summer for the purpose of shielding my face from the sun, averting the alarm followed by a meltdown; and no one is the wiser!😉

2) Cocokind Daily SPF 32 - A mineral-based sunscreen that uses non-nano zinc oxide; protects against UVA and UVB rays; defends skin against blue light and pollution; plus is lightweight and non-greasy.

3) Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen 30+ (or 50+) Sensitive Skin - A mineral sunscreen containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide offering both UVA and UVB protection for sensitive skin. The formula goes on white yet turns invisible as you rub it into your skin. Sun protection of 30 is plenty. What is important with sun protection is reapplying sunscreen every few hours. The dangers of the higher numbers include they don't provide much more or greater protection to the degree people think, and people then don't reapply sunscreen as often as they should. This brand is also water-resistant.

Knowledge (equipped with plenty of elixir choices) is a consumer's best friend in finding the best deals. You'll know which brands are stellar and recognize a good price. So put these 3 additional beauty products on your radar for daytime use.  When the price is right, try them!

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Plastic Spray Bottles, Yeah!

Sometimes the most basic home accessories make life sweeter. Extra power circuit breaker strips strategically placed throughout your home are an example. Plastic spray bottles are another. 

To make household cleaning efficient and easy, I have 4 plastic spray bottles, the 32-ounce size, which I bought several years ago at Home Depot. I don't recommend going bigger or smaller in size. Smaller, you'll be refilling your bottle every time you turn around, and bigger gets heavy to lift and less nibble to point and spray as you clean.

I fill my 4 spray bottles with (1) white vinegar and water (keeping bottles in both my kitchen and bathroom; (2) ammonia and water (kept in the kitchen to remove sink and countertop stains like coffee); and since the pandemic began, (3) bleach and water (stashed near the front door and bathroom). 

Before the pandemic, I cleaned my kitchen; bathroom; and apartment floors with white vinegar and water only; and my glass and mirrors with ammonia and water (homemade Windex) ... but the pandemic has given me a newfound respect for bleach -- adding 4 tablespoons to 32-ounces of water is an inexpensive Center For Disease Control (CDC) approved disinfectant of the coronavirus. At the beginning of Covid when we were less sure of how the virus spread, I used the breach and water to spray the soles of my shoes and entryway of my apartment. (If you recall, we couldn't buy alcohol or hydrogen peroxide until the supply chain caught up with demand.)

Spray bottles are the perfect tool to disinfect and clean surfaces, big or small, with a powerful fine mist of household cleaners. You get the surface very wet with a cleanser while using less product. There's no waste of the liquid going everywhere else, nor of leaving spots of surface dry. Instead, it's an even saturation of cleaner/disinfectant ... bullseye, right where you need it!

And during COVID, these spray bottles make disinfecting like crazy easy. Who knew when I bought them they'd get such a workout?!

I'm also a fan of putting spray triggers on the tops of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide bottles in my home. I liked the practice so much when cleaning, I transferred the idea over to wound sanitizing. For an even application of disinfectant on boo-boos without waste, I'll point the trigger: Pscht ... bullseye!🎯🙂

Now, let's discuss when to splurge and save on buying plastic spray bottles:

For home cleaning mixtures, I went to Home Depot to select professional plastic bottles with sturdy spray triggers, but for the smaller job of disinfecting abrasions with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, I simply repurpose the spray triggers from personal care items (like hair heat tamers, etc,) for free - screwing them directly onto their new products! (That way you also keep the original alcohol and hydrogen peroxide bottles with warning labels.) Wash and rinse the spray triggers well before repurposing them. Save a few bucks if they fit and do the job.

However, the plastic spray bottles for your household cleaners need to be bigger and better as they get used on bigger surfaces frequently, so invest in professional durable bottles and triggers for these tasks. Simplify your life further by buying bottles for all the areas of the home where you'll use them. At about $2 each, they're cheap; and convenience is worth every penny.

Truly, you'll wonder why you didn't buy plastic spray bottles to do your chores sooner!

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Test Kitchen's Cast Iron Baked Ziti with Charred Tomatoes

All photos courtesy of America's Test Kitchen (Click ATK to watch.)

America's Test Kitchen, the television show, shared this recipe as a non-subscription freebie. It's a one-cast-iron-skillet dinner that promises to be as delicious as the more complicated, multi-pots-and-pans method of making baked ziti. The only other kitchen tools you'll need are a cutting board and a sharp knife. As usual, I like to post a winning recipe on THE SAVVY SHOPPER so I, too, can return here to make it again.

Food takes a big bite out of a budget, yet knowing how to cook ensures you eat healthy and delicious meals without a struggle. Now let's get cooking ...

Cast Iron Baked Ziti with Charred Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs grape tomatoes

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

12 oz of uncooked ziti

3 cups of water

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

4 oz of mozzarella cheese, grated

1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Heat the tomatoes mixed with extra virgin olive oil and salt in a preheated 12 inch cast iron skillet and cook on medium-high for about 10 minutes, stirring periodically until the tomatoes are charred.

2) After the tomatoes are charred and start to break up, add the minced garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds more, or until you smell the garlic.

3) Turn off the heat and using a potato masher, mash the charred tomatoes into a sauce.

4) Next toss the uncooked ziti pasta into the skillet along with 3 cups of water.

5) Turn the heat back on high to bring it to a boil.

6) Reduce the heat and let the pasta cook under a lid, stirring often to prevent sticking until the noodles are al dente. This takes about 10 -12 minutes. Make sure the ziti cooks under the liquid to tenderize and watch as the liquid evaporates for consistency that is not too wet or too dry.

7) Next mix in the parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil.  Also, salt and pepper to taste.

8) Top the dish with mozzarella cheese.

9) Finally place the cast-iron skillet into a preheated broiler setting in the oven. Stay with it by the stove. Let the cheese melt and brown, but watch carefully so neither the cheese nor pasta burns.

Cast iron skillets get blazing hot, and after pulling the ziti out of the oven, you'll have to wait for it to cool down. 

How I adore one-pan meals ... definitely, a keeper recipe, and an easy-peasy cleanup! The only tweak I made was to reduce the recipe by 1/3 so it fits into my 10 1/2 inch cast iron skillet. I also charred small plum tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes.

My Italian readers will cringe over a few substitutions: Although it is baked ziti, you could use curly noodles if it's what you have in the pantry or jarred tomato sauce in the winter. When I need a quick meal for just myself, I'm not above using #8 spaghetti noodles, and after plating it, melting the topped mozzarella in the microwave. [Yikes, did I just admit it? It is my way of making one tasty serving of pasta with no leftovers.] However, for guests make the dinner the Test Kitchen restaurant-worthy way. So easy and delicious. Enjoy!

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A Hearts And Arrows Cut Diamond: What Is It?

All post photos courtesy of James Allen, including this Hearts and Arrows diamond.

As I researched diamond cuts for my last jewelry blog, I ran into the term hearts and arrows cut, so I thought it would be a fun topic to explore, letting you know what it is. Although gemstone browsing is a joy, I'd never seriously consider buying this cut of diamonds. Such cut stones cost a bundle, and you don't need such precision to get a nice sparkly diamond. {Now if I received one in a suite of jewelry like a royal bride from Arabian princes, I wouldn't turn it down. Hey Emir, right-hand ring!}

See the hearts and arrows yet?

A Hearts and Arrows diamond is a 57 faceted round brilliant cut. The diamonds are cut to "Ideal" proportions. In the face-up (crown) position, there is a near-perfect pattern of 8 symmetrical arrows and when looking at the stone in its tabletop (pavilion - see top image) position, there is a near-perfect pattern of 8 symmetrical hearts. The diamonds have good optical symmetry, polish, and this exacting, precision, repeating pattern. A hearts and arrows cut diamond looks bigger than non-Ideal cuts because it reflects more brilliance (i.e., white light) across the diamond.

Yes, it sparkles and dazzles like mad, but since only 1% of the world's diamonds are hearts and arrows cuts, you can guess the expense. Want to mortgage your house today to buy one? 

So what adds to the cost? The 1% rarity of the diamonds for one. More of the rough diamond is lost to produce a hearts and arrows diamond, and it takes an expert, experienced diamond cutter and polisher to cut and polish the diamond. As expected, deep pockets are going to pay for it. 

Here's why you may want to select a more common, closer to budget-friendly diamond. It takes a specially designed light-direction viewer called a Hearts and Arrows scope to see the near-perfect precision pattern of this super Ideal-cut diamond. So this might mean 2 purchases ... and what are you going to do, carry around a scope to offer people a look?😁😃😆  

Certainly, we can cherish a peek at rarity, symmetry, and skillfully cut diamonds, but when it comes to pulling out my wallet, I'll go with eye clean every time. I can enjoy stones that are not as rare or absolutely perfect because I get to keep my home, as well as, wear my sparklers with more abandon!

To me, buying jewelry and gemstones is similar to buying computers. I can only afford to pay the piper up to a certain amount and could never keep up with the latest, the greatest, the apex of quality, Great Britain's Spencer sisters, or LA's Kylie Kardashians. But I bet I love my affordable bling just as much! They don't stay in a box.

Here's an extra diamond buying tip: Be flexible on color. A rating of E, F, or G color may not be where you want to spend your money. Consider up to a "J" rating, which is still colorless, yet costs far less. Buying a HUGE diamond is where you'll notice the difference between an E and J color. Save money by sticking with eye-clean, and perhaps you will be able to afford a bigger diamond for the money. Mother Nature produces a range of beauties. Out in public, nobody notices a diamond as a J color! 

Likewise, while you need a good cut, only a bionic eye could spot a hearts and arrows pattern. But hey, whenever you have the chance to feast your eyes on the top of the heap, do! Twinkle, twinkle, little star (of the show) !!! It's free ... a JOY to behold! ... and your money stays in the bank!!

Here's the Hearts and Arrows Diamond on a hand, dream-sized! 😍

By the way, within the Hearts and Arrows diamond cut, there's an even rarer cut called the Decagon 10. It's a 111 (as opposed to 57-58) faceted diamond with 10 hearts and arrows (instead of 8) that reflects fire (color light) and flashes of white light like no other diamond cut. The Decagon 10 Hearts and Arrows diamonds are only cut in the D - G colors, VS2 clarity (flawless), and certified with triple ideal (0) stones (i.e., shimmers enough to blind you!). See what I mean by can't keep up with the latest, the greatest, the pinnacle, the most expensive? The bar always rises!

Photo: JannPaul - Hello, gorgeous!

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The Classic Cardigan Sweater

Photo: Lands' End 

Even as an adult, my mother sometimes gives me, shall we say, "unsolicited advice." She might adopt, then cling fiercely to a puzzling obsession for a period of time, pleading her case in the most relentless and funny way every chance she gets. One year her obsession was to get me to wear more turtleneck sweaters. And we couldn't watch the Nightly News together without her pointing out, how the accomplished Ms. Diane Sawyer (the anchor of the broadcast) was wearing a turtleneck. Said Mom, "See, every successful woman wears one! It's why she has such an important job."

Photo: Appleseed. If my Mom sees this image, she might say, Look how happy this woman is in her turtleneck! 😊

Poor Mom to have a daughter unlike herself. In fact, a turtleneck isn't my favorite style of sweater. I think I only have one in my wardrobe. I haven't seen it in a while as I only pull it out on the coldest day of the year.

My favorite style of sweater is a cardigan. I have many of them in red and neutral colors for winter including black, navy blue, and gray; and in bright pastel colors for summer, such as turquoise, hot pink, red, sapphire blue, and teal. 

I have a couple of pullover sweaters, but it's the cardigans I wear. Having a front opening and being able to button and unbutton a sweater helps me to regulate my body's temperature, I suppose. If I get hot in lieu of taking off my sweater, I can simply unbutton it.  And, I also like the understated, polished look of a cardigan sweater, which you can dress up or down with the right skirt, trousers, shoes, and accessories. Easy, stylish dressing!

I like 100% Supima cotton cardigans for the summer and 100% cashmere or 100% merino wool cardigans for the winter. An ex-sailor (of the U.S. Navy) once told me that 100% wool sweaters keep you the warmest on moist rainy days. A good tip! Here's a 2nd tip: I like my cardigans long. A sweater length extending to the upper thigh is dressier, as well as, makes you look taller by drawing the eye to your legs.

IMHO cotton, cashmere, and wool are the most comfortable, wearable, and durable fabrics. You pay the piper once, but keep the cardigans for decades, so over time you truly get your money's worth in not having to rebuy them. Furthermore, in sweaters I tend to pass on fabric blends like cotton-modal or cashmere-nylon since my experience is, they don't tend to fit or hold up as well. These are basic rules of thumb sans finding a too-good-to-be-true deal.

Photo: L.L. Bean

Retailers I turn to for cardigans include Lands' End, Uniqlo, and L.L. Bean. L.L.Bean tends to offer chunky sweaters, while Lands' End and Uniqlo style sleeker cardigans. Sleeker (smoother and fitted) sweaters are usually dressier and more versatile while chunky sweaters are more casual. However, styles came and go, so a fresh browse from time to time is neccesary. Uniqlo, the Japanese innovative retailer, always has the best-priced cotton, cashmere, and merino wool cardigans -- and they hold up for years. All 3 merchants have Crewnecks and V-necks, as well as, an assortment of other sweater styles like pullovers and yes, turtlenecks. 

A classic cardigan will always be a wardrobe staple and my favorite style. Sorry, Mom! Perhaps you can get your other daughter to wear more turtlenecks.😉 On that's right, I'm her only daughter. Dear Mamà means well.💋

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My Kitchen Idle Tool List

If I knew before buying certain kitchen tools they'd sit idle in kitchen drawers, I'd pass on them. At some point, I'm sure I'll pack them up to take to Goodwill as these utensils take up valuable real estate, but I'm not quite ready to accept the reality I made a purchasing mistake and will never use them. I still fear if I lose them, a sudden need will arise that requires rebuying one of them most likely the day after it is gone. Moreover, they're small items, right? Soon enough though, I'll march them over to Goodwill. Perhaps I can save you the hesitancy, the rationalizing, the unnecessary cost:

5 kitchen tools I never touch:

1) Egg slicer - I mean, how often do you slice eggs? And if it's only one or 2 eggs, you use a sharp knife, no? Presto, a sharp knife can do the task in less than a minute.

2) Garlic press - Again, I use my trusty knife, which is probably already out slicing and dicing the vegetables and other ingredients for whatever dish I'm making. Nothing extra to wash or put away!

3) Potato peeler - This tool has never peeled a single potato ... not one! For the last decade, it's only been a drawer occupier. Some potatoes I cook unpeeled and with others, out comes the sharp knife again to do the job!

4) Pastry cutter - Buying one of these seems like a brilliant idea, yet again I simply use a knife to cut the butter into tiny cubes, then work the butter into the dough with my figures to ensure by feeling that the dough's texture is crumbly-right. I bought this thing despite already having 10 free human digits (which came with my hands, head, and trunk already assembled:). Go figure why I bought a thing unable to feel a dough's texture!

5) Melon baller - Did I have visions of hosting a garden party for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when I hauled this tool home!?! And, the fruit balls are never picture-perfect-round. Plus, it's tiring to flip your wrist unnaturally up to make those incomplete balls, so I no longer reach for it. Instead, I dice watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew into bite-sized cubes. Perfect-complete-cubes!! Faster and saves the wrist. Turns out I should give my multi-tasking knife a pay-raise!

Can you add anything sitting in your kitchen drawers to my idle tool list? If I look in my drawers, I bet I could find 5 more idle utensils!

What makes us buy these extra gadgets? I wish I had become a minimalist earlier!😊

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Benefits Of 10 Popular Diamond Cuts

Photo: do amour

In a diamond, a good cut is the most important characteristic as it more than any other "C'' (namely: cut, carat, color and clarity) determines the gemstone's value. Jewelers advise us to never compromise on a good cut. The better the cut, the more the diamond reflects light (i.e, sparkles), and it looks bigger because the carat weight is in the right place to enhance the stone.

In addition, there are a number of popular diamond shapes to buy. How clean a rough stone is determines how a jeweler will cut it. A jewelry cutter works around the stone's natural inclusions (or flaws) to both preserve as much of the stone as possible while minimizing its inclusions.

Do you ever wonder what the benefits are of each of the popular diamond shapes ... and perhaps which cuts give you the effect (or illusion) of a bigger diamond for the money? If so, let's continue, shall we??

10 Popular Diamond Shapes (also available in colored gemstones):

1. Round cut - Round diamonds require the most skill and time to cut into exactly 58 facets. In the process, more of the stone is sacrificed than with other shapes. What's more, rounds are the most in demand for engagement rings; therefore they are the most expensive cut. As much as I favor brilliant round cut gemstones, the stone tends to be smaller for the same money then if we choose oval or emerald cuts. In addition, ovals and emeralds often look bigger (give you a bigger effect) per carat than rounds. Round cuts have the most sparkle. 

Yet, don't let this stop you from considering the 9 other cuts. With an expert cut, other diamond shapes sparkle plenty ... enough to blind the eye as you will see from examples below!

2. Princess cut - The princess cut is the 2nd most in demand shape, and you can get a bigger stone for the same money you will pay for a smaller round diamond. The princess cut -- at 50 - 57 facets -- is not as exacting as a round cut so less of the rough diamond is cut away. When cut well, a princess cut shines just as brightly to the naked eye! 

3) Emerald cut - An emerald cut is said to be a modern and sophisticated style. The elongated, rectangular shape can make fingers look longer. An emerald cut requires a clean rough diamond as jewelers can't hide inclusions despite its 57 facets, but unlike with clarity, you can compromise on color. With its smooth surface, an emerald cut gleams like a mirror with dramatic flashes of light bouncing off it. It's gorgeous too!

4. Pear cut - When pointed outward to the fingernail, this is another cut to make fingers look long and slender. The pear cut has 56 - 58 facets and is cut shallower than other shapes which means the diamond will often look bigger than a similar-sized (in carat weight) round or princess cut. The latter two have more of the stone forming their pavilions (a/k/a bottoms).

5. Radiant cut - A radiant cut is a rectangle diamond with 70 bright, shiny facets. The corners are clipped like emerald and cushion cuts (not pointy like the princess cut). Celebrities 1st rocked the radiate cut. Later on, it become available to the general public. Radiant cut diamonds continue to cost more and sparkle more than a princess cut, yet their edgy appeal isn't for everyone.

6. Marquise cut - We have King Louis XIV to thank for commissioning this cut to resemble the smile of his mistress.👑 Another shape to slim and make fingers look longer, a marquise cut has 57 facets to sparkle. Its length and points create a bigger stone effect over ovals and rounds. Pretty and unique, it's less popular than other shapes for engagement rings, which means you can get a bigger diamond for less money! Less in demand cuts tend to be a better value!

7. Cushion cut - The cushion cut is square. usually with 57 facets and what is sometimes called a crushed ice effect, which sparkles and dances. Like the round, a cushion cut is traditional in engagement rings, yet costs less. The feature to avoid in a cushion cut diamond is a deep set stone since you will pay for weight that cannot be seen ... and thus, it can look like a smaller diamond. If you desire a bigger effect diamond, you will have less selection in a cushion cut, as this shape tends to be cut deep. 

Looking at the 3 cushion cut diamonds (to the right) shows you how to get a bigger diamond effect without paying for a bigger central diamond, namely select a setting with accent or pavé diamonds. The extra, attendant stones and sparkle give the illusion of a bigger center diamond without paying for extra carat weight. A ''trick'' which applies to all the shapes.

8. Heart cut - To create a heart is one of the most difficult shapes to cut. It has 56 - 58 facets and is unique, feminine, and romantic. With a cleft, lobe, belly, wing, and point, a bad cut might shatter the stone. Softer gemstones tend not to be cut into hearts.

9. Oval cut - I love this shape in earrings and rings for the reasons cited above. As much as I love a round cut, similar sized ovals often look bigger. Also as earrings, ovals are easy to wear because they tend to stay put. Emerald, radiant, pear or heart cut earrings (shapes with edges or points) can shift out of place throughout the day. What you want to look for in an oval cut diamond is a subtle as opposed to a prominent bow tie (how light hits the stone) effect.

It's a wonder to me that oval cuts don't follow rounds in popularity for engagement rings. With 57 facets in the oval cut, you get a gorgeous effect and sparkle. Who needs a wedding? Give me that ring! (See above, right.)

10. Asscher cut - Developed by Joseph Asscher in 1902 during the Art Deco period. Typically with 57 facets, the asscher cut has less sparkle than other shapes (round, oval, marquise, pear, princess, heart, radiant, cushion, or emerald). Ha, that's quibbling! What it offers instead is a shimmering hall of mirrors effect. Because Asscher cuts require clean, colorless diamonds and tend to be rare, they cost more than other shapes; and there are few budget-friendly offerings to find. Oh, that explains why I love what I see, but don't own it.🙂

Photo: GIA Education

In life, we should only buy what we love ... but perhaps we could love more than a single cut to have a bigger diamond or a bigger effect. What shape do you absolutely love ... and what cuts could you love to get the biggest diamond (or effect) for the money?? The longer I look ... ohh I love them all!😍

For you readers, I dragged myself back to Tiffany & Co. to do the research for this blog. What I do for my readers ... work, work, work!🙂 The showcase lights hide the sparkle of the big and clean diamonds. Enlarge if you wish.

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