A mid-sized bridal buyer in Austin kept 80 percent of her loose-stone tray in round brilliants through 2024. By spring 2025, walk-ins were asking for ovals and pears, and she lost three custom engagements in one month because she could not pull a 1.5 carat oval from inventory. The wholesale price list she worked from sorted stones by carat, not by cut, so reordering meant guessing at demand. This 2026 cut catalog is built the other way: every shape has its own SKU lane, its own demand curve, and its own restock signal, so you buy to the shopper in front of you instead of the one from three seasons ago.
The stock-versus-demand gap most boutiques run into
Buyers who sort only by carat weight routinely overstock rounds and understock fancy shapes. Tracking across US independent jewelers over the last three years puts fancy-shape sell-through about 18 percent higher than round in the 1.2 to 2.0 carat bracket, yet rounds still occupy roughly 65 percent of the average loose-stone tray. Capital gets tied up in slow stock while the actual customer leaves empty-handed.
| Cut | Share of 2026 bridal inquiries | Typical tray share (overstocked buyers) |
|---|---|---|
| Round brilliant | 38% | 62% |
| Oval | 19% | 9% |
| Princess | 11% | 12% |
| Cushion | 10% | 6% |
| Pear | 8% | 4% |
| Emerald, Radiant, Marquise, Heart, Asscher | 14% combined | 7% combined |
The pattern holds across tier-one and tier-two markets: rounds sell, but the growth in ticket size is coming from shapes a buyer never stocked because the catalog did not organize them that way.
How the 2026 catalog is structured
Every cut in this catalog ships on the same core spec sheet so comparing shapes is a line-by-line exercise rather than a gamble.
- Carat bands from 0.50 up to 5.00, graded in DEF color with VS-equivalent eye-clean clarity.
- Each stone carries a GRA certificate with a laser inscription matched to the girdle number; we re-inspect the inscription against the cert on every incoming parcel before it ships.
- Proportion tolerances are held inside a 2-percentage-point window per shape, instead of the 4-to-5-point spread common in bulk parcels.
- Loose stones ship mounting-ready, each in a numbered storage slot so reorders match the exact proportions a client approved.
For matched-pair work, pear, marquise, and heart lots are flagged as earring-ready only when length-to-width ratio and table depth agree within tolerance. Roughly 15 percent of bulk fancy-shape parcels fail that first inspection at a less rigorous supplier.
Which lane fits which buyer
An opening buyer placing a first order should not try to carry all ten cuts. Start with two lanes: round brilliant for the safe majority of demand, plus one fancy shape that matches your local clientele. A Sun Belt boutique leans oval and pear; a Northeast city boutique leans emerald and asscher.
An established high-end boutique building private-label bridal sets should run three to four lanes, with matched pairs held in reserve for earring upsells. Our export program to the US and EU runs DDP, so customs paperwork and duty are settled before the parcel lands, and reorders on a proven cut ship in five business days against a 20-piece MOQ.
Private-label buyers can request shape-specific packaging and own-brand certification under a separate program. That lane carries a higher MOQ, but the per-piece cost drops roughly 12 percent once volume clears the bracket, and defect returns stay under 1.5 percent against an industry norm near 5 percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cuts should a new boutique stock?
Start with round brilliant plus one fancy shape that fits your local style, then add a second fancy lane once the first is moving at least two pieces a month. Carrying all ten cuts at opening spreads capital too thin across slow movers.
Are all ten cuts graded to the same standard?
Core specs are consistent: DEF color, eye-clean clarity, GRA certification. Proportion windows differ by shape because a step cut and a brilliant cut reflect light differently, so each lane has its own table and depth target.
What is the minimum order on a new cut lane?
The opening MOQ is 20 pieces per cut, mixed across two carat bands. Matched earring pairs carry a separate four-pair minimum and are inspected for ratio symmetry before dispatch.
Can I reorder the exact proportions from a previous parcel?
Yes. Every stone slot is numbered and logged against its certificate, so a reorder matches the table depth, length-to-width ratio, and carat a client approved instead of a near-substitute.
Do you ship DDP to the US and EU?
Yes. Export parcels move DDP with commercial invoice, packing list, and GRA cert copies included, so duty and clearance are settled before the goods reach your receiving address.
What to take away
- Sort stock by cut, not just by carat — fancy shapes outperform rounds per tray slot in the 1.2 to 2.0 carat range.
- Open with two lanes (rounds plus one local-favorite shape) rather than ten.
- Inspect proportion tolerance and girdle inscriptions on every incoming parcel.
- Number your slots so reorders match approved proportions exactly.
Request the full 2026 cut catalog with current price ladders: MOQ 20 pieces, first parcel ships in 5 business days. Browse our round brilliant collection, read the buyer guides, or open a wholesale account for tiered pricing and loose stone lanes.