Silly Q: Difference bx French Cut and Princess?

[Cozystitches]

Hey All,

So I realize this is probably a simple question, however what is the difference between a French Cut stone and Princess Cut? I don't believe I've seen a French Cut in person, so I'm curious. I did a quick check in the Knowledge section, but I didn't see anything.

 

[spicyitalian]

I think the french cut is a predecessor of the princess cut. It has less facets. If you are looking for light performance, princess cuts tend to do better. If you are into antique looking stuff, french cuts are possible options.

 

[SB621]

French cuts come out like a pyramid and is an antique cut. Princess cut is a modern cut with a flat crown.

I love how LM explains the two (no offense to anyone who loves princess cuts!)

French Cut: The name "French cut" does not imply that they were produced in France. The reference is to their shape and faceting pattern. They can be recognized by the typical diamond shape outline of the table. French cut stones are square or rectangular multifaceted stones. They were created to optimize the use of a rhombic dodecahedron of the diamond crystal.
To cut the Crown of a French cut diamond one of the tops of the crystal is ground down to create a Table that sits diagonal to the sides of the crystal. At this point the remaining crystal faces form natural facets that only need slight modeling to make it a symmetrical cut (as can be seen in the image on the left). The outline is squared and the Pavilion is cut to 4 plain facets adjusting the angle of the original faces to allow a high light return. Varieties where the facets described above are divided in half to create more facets are common. French cut diamonds date back to the beginning of the 1400's but they came into fashion during the 17th century and have been favored by royalty and nobility. The name is probably derived from the fact that it was more popular in France than anywhere else. Many older diamonds have been re-cut to French cuts. The scissor cut is a slightly more elaborate variety of a French cut.

Princess Cut: The princess cut is an ultra-modern, square, sometimes rectangular, brilliant cut stone. This is the shape of choice for those who like the crushed ice look coupled with a gigantic table and an almost non-existent Crown. Developed in the 1970s, the princess cut is a wildly popular item at shopping malls around the country.

High yield during the cutting process contributed to the relatively low cost of this cut. The corners of the princess cut are extremely vulnerable during the process of setting. It is important to protect the vulnerable corners with a prong at each point.

 

[Acinom]

In this thread you can see how french cuts are used as sidestones: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-2011-trend-the-french-sides-collection.161358/page-4']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/the-2011-trend-the-french-sides-collection.161358/page-4[/URL]

There are 3 different kind of french cuts (see the pic below): regular, high crown and high dome.
I have a ring with french cut sides and I love it. I do not prefer it as a center stone (just my personal preference). What kind of ring are you looking for? There is one PSer with a beautiful 4 ct center stone. I will try to find the thread.

 

[Circe]

This one, I think? https://www.pricescope.com/forum/sh...-true-french-cut-4-5-carat-j-vs1-t192520.html

 

[Acinom]

Here 2 pics to understand the difference between princess and french cut better. Thanks for finding the thread Circe!!!

Circe and one other PSer have gorgeous cushion shaped french cut, but these are quite unique and have a different feel. I never saw something like their unique stones before. You will not find a stone like they have unless you have a lot of patience and do a lucky find.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Did you just post the wrong pic, Acinom? That looks like a cushion center in the bottom pic.

French cuts and princess stones only have one thing in common, as far as I am concerned, and that is that they are both often square in shape.

 

[Acinom]

Did you just post the wrong pic, Acinom? That looks like a cushion center in the bottom pic.

French cuts and princess stones only have one thing in common, as far as I am concerned, and that is that they are both often square in shape.

Aaah! Thank you DS! It was indeed a ring with a (beautiful) cushion and I deleted the pic in the post above.

This is the right pic:

 

[Acinom]

Last visuals of the french cut:

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I knew the ring you meant to post! It is pretty spectacular even though I share your opinion of not preferring one as a center stone, with the exception of something like Circe's new antique RHR (which I adore!).

 

[Circe]

Wow, Acinom, what a great run-down of the differences and similarities!

It *is* possible to find rings from the early 1900s with similar faceting, but it takes an awful lot of trawling, and they have various degrees of resemblance to the traditional french cut. There's one from Romanov Russia that's a dead ringer for mine that recently sold, and the last link here bears a marked resemblance as well. The other two differ sharply, but have many elements in common ....
[url=http://www.romanovrussia.com/.../Belle_Epoque_Jewelry_Rings.html#.Usw2B7RuqM8[/url]

http://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/ring...wardian-platinum-engagement-ring/id-j_124895/

http://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/ring...-deco-ruby-diamond-platinum-ring/id-j_148848/

http://trumpetandhorn.com/kimball.html

 

[Cozystitches]

Thank you for the explanation! I posted quickly before work and am shocked at all the responses! Thank you for all your replies and the pictures.

The reason I was asking was because of the sapphire channel band. I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted the french cut or the princess cut. I know that I want channel set, about 2mm wide, and square shape. It sounds like I'd be happy with either, so I'll broaden my search.