why does PS hate princess cuts?

[divya]

Hi everyone

I posted about a year ago looking for a princess cut stone for my engagement ring. My boyfriend/ fiance had already proposed but I hadn't picked out and received a ring. Unfortunately, before we purchased, his family experienced a tragedy that put our lives and our wedding on hold. a year later though, we are now planning our wedding and i'm ring shopping again . i really loved princess cuts and all the girls in our social circle have square cuts, but I'm wondering why they aren't very popular here on PS. would buying a princess be a bad investment? Also, he recently gave me a round brilliant in a pendant and i love it! now i'm confused lol. so please share your opinions with me!

 

[laurenk]

I'm not totally sure but one thing I've found is they face up smaller than other cuts..... I personally love princesses and have had two (my original e ring and my uograde). I just like the square shape. I also do love a squarer emerald and radiant too..... I think it's harder to tell the performance of a princess on "paper" than rounds, so it's harder to ensure you may have a sparkly diamond when ordering online etc...

 

[quietlysw]

I have nothing against square or rectangle cuts, I'm just not a fan of the pointy corners on a princess cut! They are beautiful stones, but I would probably reach for a radiant or emerald cut before a princess.

 

[eirwen]

Personally, I find princess cuts (and radiant) too "busy" I love step cuts and find them really elegant. Having said that, it's all down to personal preference and if you love princess, go for it.. All the best in your diamond hunt.

 

[dk168]

Like colours and style etc., diamond shape is also very personal.

I am not a fan of brilliant cuts as rings, and prefer step cuts especially ECs.

Each to their own as they say.

DK

 

[Niel]

I don't think PS hates them at all.

I find them to be out of fashion. They seem very 90s to me.

But I'm not judging anyone who has one. I have a marquise and many find them too 80s to appreciate.

They are just not "in" right now. Of people are looking for square, typically. You see them pick asschers and cushions, currently. But who cares what's "in"? Of you want one go for it.

To your question about investment... I don't really think most engagement stones are investments but I do think princesses will fall victim to the same fate as the marquise. People will tire of them and they will flood the second hand market. This will make them harder to sell.

 

[makemepretty]

I think more people go for the classic round but there are many princess lovers on here. I had a 1 1/2 ct princess from Whiteflash and it was GORGEOUS. I still have the scar on my finger from when I owned it(even with the setting, those points can be sharp). I ended up getting a 2ct round a few years later.

 

[chrono]

Personal taste, that's all. I love emerald cuts but most people don't. They think it looks boring and not busy enough. At the other end of the spectrum is the princess cut which has a lot of pinfire sparkle.

Princess cut = small but lots of busy sparkles
Round = a balance of size and speed of sparkle
EC = large flash/sparkle but slower sparkle rate

Perhaps other factors that might discourage some from loving princess cuts are the riskier pointy corners and smaller face up size?

 

[tyty333]

I dont like pointy corners. If I wanted something like a princess I would get a radiant (they are not that popular either on PS).
Some of them have faceting patterns like a princess but without the corners.

Ex...
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/0.81-carat-e-color-vs1-clarity-sku-294261
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/0.72-carat-f-color-si1-clarity-sku-460973
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.01-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-402474

But...get what you like! You will be wearing it and we will be glad to help you find a nice princess!

 

[dk168]

The only ring style that I like and would use with a princess cut, or any stone with sharp corners, is the Cartier's Tank ring or something similar in a tension setting.

DK

 

[lambskin]

I am not a fan of the princess cut as a solitaire. I have a square cut sapphire that is flanked by two princess cut diamonds. Originally I wanted to have two square cut diamonds for the accent stones but my jeweler told me that the princess cut will give more sparkle. The princess diamonds in my ring look more like a brilliant cut with square shape-but they are not radiants. IIRC they are about a half a carat each. Get the cut you want- not what may happen in the future.

 

[kmarla]

I am lucky enough to have both a round brilliant and a princess diamond and I appreciate them both for their different attributes and love them equally. I do think that what you are drawn to is based on personal taste and there's no right or wrong. It's true that princess diamonds face up smaller for weight than a round brilliant. It's also true that a two carat round brilliant will cost more than a two carat princess. I personally love the geometry and angles of the princess. You can avoid sharp corners by having them set in v-prongs. Round brilliants are beautiful, the number one best seller and easier to buy online as you can better interpret the images/data etc. You'll also have a lot more options for settings if you choose to go that way. If you love a princess shape, then I say go for it. I know the odd voice will pop up here saying they're dated, but if it helps, they are still incredibly popular where I live in a major city, and several of my daughter's friends in their twenties are choosing them for their engagement rings. All well cut diamonds are beautiful, and thank goodness we don't all have exactly the same taste! Whatever shape you choose, I know that PS members here will help and support you in getting the best diamond your budget will allow.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I believe some shapes are classic and never go out of style...rounds and emerald cut come to mind. Other antique cuts have also stood the test of time such as asschers (square emeralds) and antique cushions. I think some cuts tend to be more trendy and will tend to go in and out of style more than the ones I already mentioned, and I'd include princess, marquise, crushed ice radiants, etc. in that category. I have been married a really long time and have seen trends come and go and have been happy that my diamond was a timeless one.

That said, you are the one who will be looking at your hand the most. Spend some time looking through the e-rings posted here. Then if you still love princess cuts the most, go for it! Sometimes it does alter our taste when we are exposed to more options outside our immediate social circle.

 

[momhappy]

As others have said, PS doesn't hate princess cuts. Some people like them some people don't and their reasons for why they feel the way they feel, vary from person to person.
As someone who's owned both a princess cut & a round e-ring, I much prefer the round and likely would never purchase a princess cut stone again. My round seems so much more dynamic. The only princess e-ring that I've seen that is remarkable to me is one the my friend has and it's a 3 carat center stone (with probably another couple of carats in the side stones and wedding band), so anything of that size is going to be dynamic.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I too have notice that princess cuts have had fallen out of popularity compared to a couple yrs ago. Nowadays the hot cuts seem to be asschers and cushions behind RBs.

 

[ponder]

I too have notice that princess cuts have had fallen out of popularity compared to a couple yrs ago. Nowadays the hot cuts seem to be asschers and cushions behind RBs.

And antique cuts..

 

[Dancing Fire]

I too have notice that princess cuts have had fallen out of popularity compared to a couple yrs ago. Nowadays the hot cuts seem to be asschers and cushions behind RBs.

And antique cuts..

Yes, OEC!

 

[Medical]

This thread is very interesting to me! A lot of great feedback.

Personally, I think a lot of people that were kids in the 90s are big fans of princesses currently- of the 20-30 friends I have that are recently engaged, I'd say ~60% have rounds and ~30% have princesses. A lot of my friends have never heard of cushion cuts, or radiants, asscher, emerald, etc. (I hadn't either until it started approaching time to buy for my gf and I found PS!). Overall, I would say the market seems slower for princesses at the moment. Personally, I think that's awesome because it 1. adds to the uniqueness of the ring, and 2. (possibly) lowers the price with the lower overall demand. But, all this is completely anecdotal with no actual double blind placebo controlled study.

At the end of the day, I agree completely with other posters: it's all about whatever makes you happy. All diamonds are beautiful and unique, even among the same cut- get whatever shape gives you that good feeling.

 

[dk168]

In terms of pecking order, I believe Princess sits above Marquise and perhaps Hearts as well.

DK

 

[Texas Leaguer]

In terms of pecking order, I believe Princess sits above Marquise and perhaps Hearts as well.

DK

I agree with many of the posters that it is really about personal preference and you should go with your instincts, whether or not it is on an upward or downward trajectory in terms of market popularity.

I would like to mention something related to a number of comments about princess cuts facing up smaller than rounds. It is true, but not by a dramatic degree. AND, princess cuts are much less expensive than rounds so it is possible to get a bigger stone that faces up as big or bigger than a given size in round and still save money!

This statement taken from the princess cut article here in the Knowlege section under Fancy Cut Diamonds puts some numbers to it that are informative: https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/princess-cut-diamond
"Princess cuts generally look smaller from the “face up” position than round diamonds of the same weight. This is a result of their different designs and the need for ample depth to produce attractive light performance. Dimensions can be a little deceiving since princess cuts are measured side to side rather than point to point. Generally, a well cut 1ct Princess will measure approximately 5.5 mm side to side vs. a well cut 1ct Round Brilliant, which will typically measure approximately 6.5mm in diameter. In terms of footprint (square mm) the difference in face up appearance equates to about 10%. Another way to look at it is that in order for a princess to have a similar visual size to a 6.5mm round, it needs to be about 5.75mm square."

 

[yasssss]

this is something I was worried about too divya. I loved the princess cut when I was getting engaged but I was worried that it would look too dated. nearly a year later, I love my ring more than ever! like others has said, it comes down to personal preference, and maybe shop with a vendor that has an upgrade policy , just in case princesses do face up smaller, which is unfortunate, but they are priced lower too. Someone had make a comment to me when i first got engaged and i was bummed that my center stone looked smaller than it was and i took to pricescope to ask about it. that only ever happened once though and really you can't worry about what other people think or what the trend is, you just have to love it yourself! and if you're going through pics , let me show you my ring, and maybe make a case for these beauties

 

[quaddio]

I'm not a hater but princess cuts are my least favourite. Why is a personal preference, I just don't think they're pretty, especially in larger sizes with pronged corners. I am also against the name 'princess' except for small companion animals.

 

[Niel]

I'm not a hater but princess cuts are my least favourite. Why is a personal preference, I just don't think they're pretty, especially in larger sizes with pronged corners. I am also against the name 'princess' except for small companion animals.

Ha!

That is another thing I don't like about them. From time to time you see a man come without any info about what his gf likes but says "I want to get her a princess because she's my princess!"

 

[momhappy]

Yes, I have to agree that perhaps the name alone ("princess") is off-putting for some. I want noting to do with the term and when my daughter was born, I made darn sure that we avoided all of the princess stuff.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Never once has the thought crossed my mind that the name of the cut was either positive or negative!

I don't hate them but they are just not what I'd choose. If someone comes here looking for one and it is what the girl has indicated she wants, then I certainly direct the person to ideal cut princess stones as I think the best cut ones are the most beautiful.

 

[heididdl]

I personally don't like a square cut. I have an EC and I love the more rectangualr shape.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My first two ERs were princess with princess channel set stones, I had a lot of problems with the setting. I picked the princess because I liked the square stone and I didn't know much at the time. I thought it was square or round. Then I discovered the asscher and my heart was taken. I started all over with a brand new asscher ER and I've never looked back since the only thing I would consider over my asscher is an Octavia

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Read enough posts and you will find that who comprise "PS"... are an opinionated bunch! About everything!

Buy what you like and what you want. BUT take care your vendor as a great trade in policy!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[quaddio]

I'm not a hater but princess cuts are my least favourite. Why is a personal preference, I just don't think they're pretty, especially in larger sizes with pronged corners. I am also against the name 'princess' except for small companion animals.

Ha!

That is another thing I don't like about them. From time to time you see a man come without any info about what his gf likes but says "I want to get her a princess because she's my princess!"

The cheesy name doesn't help princess cut

 

[Acinom]

It's all about personal preference. Please choose whatever makes your heart sing. I had a colorless princess but at a certain point in time I found the color and shape too cold as it resembled an ice cube. Later I found out that I have a huge preference for antique cuts. I love my big old rounc light yellow OEC.

Personally I do not think princesses are outdated. In the right setting they can be very pretty.