You’re never too young to learn the basics of jewelry Lesson Fourteen: The Marquise Cut It had been a very busy morning at Versailles. Marie was getting fitted for her newest confection of a dress, her girlfriends were gossiping in between bites of macaroons and chocolates. ‘Oh Marie you have chocolate on your lips’ I dare not get that on this dress. That would be a catastrophe. ‘Of the highest magnitude’ They all started giggling. At that moment Louis XVI or Louis as his friends called him, waltzed in + was whistling- quite merrily. You see Marie Antoinette was about to receive a wonderful marquise diamond from her husband that had been in the family for decades. “Come here mon cherie I have a surprise for you” Oh Louis you know how much I adore surprises. And with that he slipped the ring on her finger. Louis the ring is smiling. And it did have a rather fetching smile. After all it was a marquise. The Marquise is an elongated shape with pointed ends inspired by the fetching smile of the Marquise de Pompadour and commissioned by the Sun King, Louis XIV. It is gorgeous whether used as a solitaire or when enhanced by smaller diamonds.