Princess Cut Diamond

Princess cuts are square or rectangular brilliant cuts that display exceptional brilliance when cut to certain proportions. Princess cuts are a great choice for individuals who appreciate the qualities of round brilliants, but prefer a square or rectangular shape.

Special Characteristics

It is best to stay within the girdle thickness range of Very Thin to Slightly Thick with Princess cuts, because the vulnerable corners can be chipped if the girdle is too thin. The pointed corners of Princess cuts should be protected by prongs, and care should be taken during setting. Some Princess cuts may have chamfered corners to protect the points from chipping. Chamfering is a technique where a tiny extra facet is oriented in place of the point to improve durability. It is accepted by AGS as long as the general shape remains unaffected. The AGS Lab offers a cut grade for Princess Cuts but diamonds cut to AGS 0 specifications are exceedingly rare, as they are outside of this shape’s traditional parameters and yield far less material from the original rough.

Note: The AGS permits greater depths in their Ideal grade when angles are optimized for light return.

“Chevrons” Make a Difference

The number of facets on the bottom of a princess cut influences the character of its performance. Between 24 and 48 facets (sometimes more) may be present depending on the number of “chevrons.” This influences the character of performance in the same way a traditional 57-facet round performs differently than a 66 or 88 facet round of the same size.

More Information

Size Matters

Princess cuts generally look smaller from the “face up” position than other shapes of the same weight. This is a result of their different design and while depth is not strictly tied to spread (as it is with rounds) princess cuts may have greater total depth as a result of optimized angles for light return (good) or pavilion “bulge” (bad). Generally, a well cut 1ct Princess will measure approximately 5.6 mm vs. a well cut 1ct Round Brilliant, which will typically measure approximately 6.5mm.

Basic Princess Cut Guidelines courtesy of http://www.gemappraisers.com/index.asp