Princess cuts
The princess cut diamond reigns supreme as the epitome of modern sophistication and geometric perfection. Born from innovative cutting techniques in the 1960s, this revolutionary square diamond has captured hearts with its contemporary appeal and exceptional brilliance. The princess cut delivers fire through its unique square silhouette, making it the second most popular diamond shape worldwide.
With its clean lines and contemporary charm, the princess cut diamond offers stunning versatility for today's discerning couples. This striking square diamond engagement ring creates a bold statement while maintaining timeless elegance. The sharp corners and brilliant faceting of a princess cut engagement ring reflect light magnificently, producing extraordinary sparkle that rivals traditional cuts.
In this comprehensive guide, we celebrate the captivating allure of princess cut diamonds, exploring their modern appeal and geometric beauty, perfect for those seeking contemporary luxury with uncompromising brilliance and distinctive square diamond sophistication.
What is a princess cut?
The princess cut is a square brilliant cut diamond featuring sharp, geometric corners and contemporary appeal. This modern square diamond combines exceptional fire with clean architectural lines, creating a sophisticated silhouette that enhances brilliance while offering a bold alternative to traditional round shapes.
How Many Facets does a princess cut diamond have?
A princess cut diamond typically features between 50-58 facets with brilliant cut styling. The angular geometry creates distinctive light patterns that differ from round diamonds, producing exceptional sparkle through the square diamond's sharp corners and precise faceting.
WHY choose a square diamond?
The square diamond embodies regal elegance worthy of royalty. Like a crown jewel, the princess cut diamond commands attention with its majestic presence and architectural beauty. This royal square diamond ring offers uncompromising brilliance with a bold, confident silhouette that speaks to strength and sophistication, perfect for modern royalty seeking distinctive luxury.
What does a princess cut engagement ring symbolise?
A princess cut diamond ring symbolises unwavering devotion and steadfast love. The strong, equal sides represent partnership built on mutual respect and balance, while the brilliant faceting reflects a love that shines from every angle. This square diamond engagement ring embodies commitment as solid and enduring as the geometric perfection of its form, celebrating devotion that stands the test of time.
Princess Cut Diamond at a Glance
- A bold square shape with distinct, angular corners.
- High brilliance, second only to the round cut.
- Geometric and modern; a popular choice beyond the classic round.
- Corners are prone to chipping and benefit from a secure setting.
- Faceting hides inclusions relatively well.
- Offers excellent value per carat with a striking look.
Get the most out of your princess cut with the 4c's
Let your princess cut diamond shine with brilliance by understanding the 4Cs—cut, colour, clarity, and carat. Known for its modern sparkle, this shape rewards careful selection with exceptional fire, bold geometry, and a striking presence that suits your budget and style.
Choosing princess cut diamond colour
When selecting colour for your princess cut diamond, your setting choice and personal preferences guide the decision. Diamond colour grades begin at D (completely colourless) and progress alphabetically, with D through F representing the colourless range that showcases the geometric brilliance of a square diamond.
For platinum or white gold settings, staying within the D–F range ensures your princess cut diamond ring maintains brilliant contrast against cool-toned metals. The square diamond's flat table can make colour variations more apparent against white precious metals.
However, if you've selected yellow gold or rose gold for your princess cut engagement ring, you can explore G or H grades with excellent results. These warmer metals naturally complement slightly tinted diamonds, creating harmony that makes your stone appear whiter while offering significant cost savings.
What is the best clarity for a princess cut?
Princess cut diamonds offer excellent value in clarity selection due to their brilliant facet pattern that effectively conceals internal characteristics. The numerous facets create intense light dispersion that naturally camouflages inclusions, allowing you to choose lower clarity grades without compromising visual appeal.
For princess cut diamond rings under 3.00 carats, VS2 to SI1 grades provide outstanding value while maintaining eye-clean appearance. However, location matters critically with princess cuts. The pointed corners represent vulnerable areas susceptible to chipping, making inclusion placement crucial. Avoid princess cut diamonds with inclusions positioned near the corners, as these can weaken structural integrity.
For larger square diamond engagement rings exceeding 3.00 carats, consider moving to VS1 grades to ensure optimal beauty and durability.
Choosing a princess diamond cut grade
Princess cut diamonds don't receive formal cut grades like round brilliants, making evaluation dependent on expert assessment. The quality of a princess cut diamond relies on achieving perfect balance between proportion, symmetry, and polish that maximises the square diamond's inherent brilliance.
A masterfully cut princess diamond exhibits exceptional sparkle across its geometric surface, with light reflecting dramatically through precisely angled facets. Most princess cuts appear slightly rectangular rather than perfectly square, but subtle variations remain imperceptible to the naked eye.
However, specific settings like compass mountings, where points rotate 45 degrees upward, require stones with exceptional symmetry to prevent asymmetry from becoming obvious. Superior cutting ensures each facet mirrors its opposite precisely, creating the geometric perfection that makes square diamond rings so captivating. When expertly executed, a princess cut diamond delivers breathtaking brilliance while showcasing the clean, modern aesthetic.
How do you know if a princess diamond is well cut?
A well-cut princess cut diamond represents masterful artistry in balancing geometric precision with brilliant light performance. The square diamond shape demands expert faceting to achieve optimal sparkle while maintaining the crisp, angular silhouette.
Superior princess cut diamonds exhibit three key qualities: exceptional visual impact (how fiery and bright the diamond appears), elegant design (perfect proportions creating ideal square geometry), and expert craftsmanship (precise faceting and finishing that optimises light return).
There are key indicators that help you spot a well-cut round brilliant cut diamond:
- Length-to-Width Ratio: Look for ratios between 1.00 to 1.03 to ensure your princess cut diamond appears perfectly square in any setting. This range maintains ideal proportions while creating the geometric precision that makes square diamond engagement rings so striking.
- Table Ratio: The central facet should measure between 64-75% of the diamond's width. This range allows optimal light entry while preserving space for surrounding facets to create brilliant sparkle throughout the stone.
- Depth Ratio: Ideal depth ratios fall between 64-74%, enabling proper light refraction within the stone rather than allowing light to escape through the base. The depth should equal or be less than the table ratio for optimal performance.
When these proportions are finely tuned, the result is a diamond full of life and light. The best brilliant cut diamonds will also boast Excellent or Very Good symmetry and polish grades, both key to achieving that crisp, even sparkle. If in doubt, always ask your jeweller for a detailed breakdown of the diamond’s cut stats. With round cuts especially, a well-cut stone is worth every sparkle.
Our top tips on Princess cut
- Focus on the corners - these sharp 90-degree angles are prone to chipping, so inspect for existing damage and choose protective settings.
- Maximise the modern appeal - this contemporary cut offers exceptional value, delivering impressive brilliance at a lower cost per carat than rounds.
- Target ideal proportions - look for table percentages between 64-75% and depth percentages between 64-74% for optimal brilliance.
- Choose higher clarity grades - the brilliant faceting helps mask inclusions, making VS1-SI1 the sweet spot for value.
- Ensure perfect squareness - if you want a true square, verify the length-to-width ratio stays between 1.00-1.03.
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FAQs | Princess Cut Diamonds
A princess cut is a square or rectangular diamond with brilliant-cut faceting, known for its modern, geometric appeal.
No, princess cuts are typically 20-30% less expensive than round diamonds of similar quality.
Princess cuts can appear larger due to their square face-up area, though rounds may seem bigger from the side view.
Princess cuts typically have 57 facets.
Yes, the brilliant faceting pattern helps mask inclusions better than step cuts, making lower clarity grades viable.
Yes, the sharp 90-degree corners are vulnerable to chipping and require protective setting styles.
For a perfect square, choose ratios between 1.00-1.03; for rectangles, 1.15-1.25 works well.
Yes, avoid hitting corners against hard surfaces and choose settings that protect the vulnerable points.