Help deciding between round and princess

[hikerchick]

My boyfriend and I are looking into rings and the first decision for me is if I want a round or a princess cut. I keep going back and forth because I LOVE the look of the princess cut but it seems to me that round stones are more shiny. Mostly, I want a REALLY shiny brilliant ring but I don''t want him to spend an arm and a leg on it and I want us to get the most for the money he will spend on it. I am thrilled at how much knowledge and help there is on one forum here. So, what do you think, princess or round for a shiny stone that will be the best value. Thanks for your input.

hikerchick

 

[diamondfan]

I personally am not a lover of the shape of the princess. Rounds, from what I understand, are more expensive than other shapes. Are there other faceted shapes other than a round, say a radiant, that will give you sparkle for less money?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think an ideal round cut is the most brilliant, and it never goes out of style like fancy shapes can do. So that is my vote!

 

[Rhino]

Hi hiker,

We get asked this question often for those who are tossed on the square vs round debate. There are a couple of solutions.

1. If you haven''t yet ... look at a princess cut with ideal light performance alongside an ideal cut round. Viewing the 2 side by side generally helps this decision one way or the other.
2. If you''re still tossed and grabbed by the optics of the round but still prefer the square shape their are squares which are now cut that exhibit the optics of the finest cut rounds which are Square Hearts & Arrows.

One of these 2 solutions should help you.

Regards,

 

[cpster]

I was just going to suggest a square hearts and arrows.

Do you like princess cut stones because of the square shape? If so, you may also want to consider a modified cut corner square too.

 

[ILikeBond]

And in case you''re looking for them, Good Old Gold has Square Hearts & Arrows, and even some video about them.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondSearch.php (top row, 5th one to the right)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/videos/PrincessandSqHA.wmv (right click and "save as" to download)

 

[Julian]

I think princesses can be insanely sparkly & brilliant! Where's that photo I saw Mara post when she went to WF of those 5 carat princess stunners? Can't find it!

I wouldn't worry about princesses ever going out of style. At first, I thought they were a trend but I think they've established themselves as being a classic. They are just gorgeous. You mentioned you wanted the most bang for your buck - you could save some money by going the princess route and getting a larger carat weight!