Princess cut vs. Square Modified Brilliant cut

Princess is a brand name.  Square modified brilliant is a generic description of a cut.

It''s sort of like the difference between a Frisbee and a Flying Disc or a Kleenex and a Facial Tissue.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

Oh, okay, so there''s no quality difference as well?

As I understand it, "Square Modified Brilliant" includes a whole bunch of square-shaped cuts, including radiants, square cushions, the new jubilee, lucere, queen of hearts, etc - the list is endless. But NOT princess is its own recognised category. Basically, you buy a stone that is, say, a Square Cushion H&A from Good Old Gold (GOG). Your certificate will say "Square Modified Brilliant" - not Square Cushion H&A. (I''d highly recommend checking out http://www.goodoldgold.com/ to see pics of all the different shapes - there are more than you''d ever think possible!)

Have a research around and I''m sure you''ll come up with what you''re looking for, whether it be a princess or another type of square shaped stone.

Just to second Neil's excellent answer.
Craig- in terms of "quality" this term is not related to "quality"

Indecisive- GIA uses clinical terminology. The only way to get GIA to put a name such as "Princess Cut" on a GIA rpeort, is to inscribe it on the girdle, which would be listed under "comments" on trhe cutrrent GIA report.

Square Modified Brilliant is what people refer to as princess cut.
A square radiant is "Cut Cornered Square Modified Brilliant"- a description GIA would likey use for most of the Jubilee type cuts you mentioned.

Now, in the case of either Cut Cornered, or Square - or pretty much any "Fancy Shape"- a cutter can interpret the design in many different ways- so, two "Princess Cuts" can look totally different.

The brands such as Lucere, Queen of Hearts, Regent, and so on ensure a greater degree of consistency in design of cut, from one stone to another.
With a lot of folks looking for H&A in Square ( or cut cornered Square) stones- these new designs fill the demand.
I might be wrong, but it seems to me that a princess cut, or square modified brilliant is simply not adapable to a Hearts and Arrows pattern- due to the 90 degree corners.

Anyway, the term Princess, as Neil said, is like Kleenix- but no one even claims rights to it anymore- it's in the public domain, as it were.

Hey, Thanks for all the info guys. Maybe you can help me out with this too. I am looking at purchasing an engagement ring and wanted to know if the center stone I am looking at is a quality center stone, if you guys can tell by the gia certification, my concern is with the cut more so than anything else, as everyone knows that is what the most important factor. Does this sound like a good cut diamond.

Shape
Square modified brilliant

Measurements
5.96 X 5.87 X 4.33 mm

Weight
1.27 Carat

Depth
73.8%

Table
73%

Girdle
Slightly Thick to Thick

Polish and Symmetry both Good

Clarity
SI2

Color
J

Fluorescence
None

Craig, there''s not enough info to definitively conclude that your diamond is good or bad. Plus, with fancy shapes it''s always necessary to see it.

That said, I generally prefer princess tables to be smaller, just because I don''t like the glassy look of >70% tables. It also seems a tad small to me, which could be because of the girdle as well as the depth. As an example, this one from Good Old Gold is 1.17 and about the same size:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/1_17ct_evs1_princess.htm

Also, what''s the price and what''s your price range? You might find a J princess too yellow (or not) and you''d need the vendor to tell you if the SI2 is eye-clean, but if you''re trying to maximize size on a tight budget this might work.

Thanks for the input, the diamond is gonna run about $3500 from a "wholesaler" in Chicago''s diamond district. Actually it''s a 3 ct ring for about $6500. I thought something had to be wrong with it, but it seems to be just an average quality diamond with a lot of weight at what seems to be a good price, is it a good price? I have done extensive research and understand the 4 c''s and all that good stuff, my concern was cut. Is there something I shoud specifically look for when I go back and see if it''s a well cut diamond. Any tricks you guys have that could help me out? Thanks.

Hi Craig,
J/SI2 is  one of the lowest eye clean, near colorless qualities- Actually it IS the lowest eye clean, near colorless grade ( hyperthetically speaking)

Personally, I have no problem with the table size, per se- but as far as whether or not it''s beautiful stone- it must be seen. No tricks to that one.

IF it''s a nice looking J/SI2, the the price is ...well a little high- but maybe within reason if you want to shop in a store.


An aggressive internet seller will certainly save you some money.