Also referred to as profile cut, is considered to be one of the most recent diamond shapes taking its origin in the early “French” cut which dates back to 1961 in London. This cut is more of an intermediate between the emerald cut and the marquise cut. It is the second most popularly purchased square diamond cut. This cut possesses a square shape with corners that are pointed and has up to seventy-six (76) small facets. Since it is popularly purchased, it accounts for up to 30% of all ornaments used for occasions such as earrings, bracelets, pendants, and necklaces, but most especially engagement rings due to its classic look. The dynamism in their appearance is more of a reason for its classiness. That is, they can be seen as square when looked upon from the top, but they resemble an inverted pyramid when looked upon from the side.
Princess cut diamonds are the crest of beauty, elegance, and vigor. They are used predominantly in most traditions-engagements today and it is cherished by many. Thanks to its shape, most women have a flair for it, especially brides-to-be because it is said to combine the feminine characteristics of diamond with a finesse architectural edge. Just to mention a few, here are some of the celebrities that have a princess cut diamond engagement rings: Emily Ratajkowski, Cameron Diaz, Jaime Pressly, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sherri Shepherd, Kendra Wilkinson, and Star Jones. Its excellence in strength, flashiness, quality, and elegance over other cut makes it a more perfect choice of most celebrities and high-class brides. The princess cut is the right choice for the bride who has excellent poise and willing to rock her engagement without losing any bit of confidence.
Princess cut diamonds pass through almost the same refinery process as other cut diamonds, just that the percentage of the rough diamond lost is less, around about 20%. There is a perfect flawless blending of the pavilions (the cone-shaped bottoms) of the diamond and the stone’s facets, which gives it a more unique appearance in the light. The shaping of the diamond is done by the cutters in a more technical as if a traditional round brilliant-cut diamond is been made, but rather than making a finishing-off, symmetrical edges and pointed corners are made.
Also, these square-shaped diamonds gained popularity among others because of their pricing. Virtually from all retailer that sells jewelry, princess cut diamond costs between 57% and 79% lesser than its round-cut rivals. This is mainly because of the amount of rough diamond that is saved by the cutters when designing the square shape as compared to the amount wasted when designing the roughly shaped counterparts. The preference of princess cut diamond over others is boosted by their bigger appearance in a jewelry set. The way they are made into jewelry also differs a bit to other diamond cuts. The jewelers use angled tongs so as to avoid incurring damages to the corners of the stones. Then, the diamond is made to sit securely on the metal setting of the jewelry, just like any other jewelry type and style.
The choice of jewelers for engagement rings is mostly princess cut diamonds. Multifaceted stones that shine better in the sun are chosen and arranged in the metal parts of the jewelry without obstructing the shine of the diamond. Jewelers use the style of using a single diamond in the center alternated with two smaller diamonds to make engagement rings, making them beautiful, quality, lustrous and well-priced.
PRICE
Generally, princess-cut diamonds are way less expensive as compared to either marquise or emerald cut diamonds. This is because when gem cutter split the rough diamond into half, two princess diamond can be cut from it with minimal waste due to the octahedral shape of the rough. Round cut diamond, in contrast, costs more because they waste rougher. In carat weight, princess cut diamond is 30% less in cost than equal round cut diamond based on 1-ct ideal-cut, G color, VS2 clarity diamonds.
SPARKLE
The sparkle of the princess cut is exceptional. They show much brilliance in the light. However, their brilliance doesn’t make up to round cut; they have no match among all the fancy cut that exists. Nevertheless, the princess cut diamond performs optimally in sparkling.
DURABILITY
The durability of the princess cut diamond is high due to the high percentage of the rough diamond that is present in them. Although, due to the pointiness of its edge, it’s more likely to chip. So, in other to reduce the risk of the occurrence of damages to diamond, prongs should be used to protect the corner.
SIZE
Princess cut diamond has various millimeter sizes those tallies to particular carat weight. Here are some of the sizes that exist for princess cut diamond, measured in carat and millimeter for each shape of diamond: 0.250ct- 3.45 x 3.5, 0.50ct- 4.4 x 4.4, 0.75ct- 5 x 5, 1.00ct – 5.5 x 5.5, 1.50ct- 6.4 x 6.4, 2.00ct- 7 x 7, 3.00ct- 8 x 8, 4.00ct- 9 x 9, 5.00ct- 9.5 x 9.5. These sizes can be used to determine the size of stone that will be sited on the princess cut engagement ring.
RING STYLES
Although, Princess cut diamond is popular for making into other jewelry, it is also known for its versatility and flexibility into been made into any style in the engagement ring setting. Solitaire and three-stone engagement rings are some technical but prominent styles. The geometric shape of the princess cut and its brilliance gives it a better chance to be made into smooth modern styles. Princess cut halo engagement rings give you a touch of perfectness and present an elegant way of making the stone at the center larger in appearance. Ornate vintage styles are also cool for princess cut to be made into. In short, its shape and the glittering property make it better than its other counterparts. So, your classic style can be met by easily turning up for a princess cut engagement ring which is as gallant and unique as you are.
ANATOMY
Each fancy cut has a standardized grade of cut which has too many variations. But unlike the round cut diamond, princess cut does not have a particular set expectation of how it will look like. It can differ in a lot of ways including the crown pattern even to the last detail of the number of cuts that is on the pavilion. The crown of the diamond is the part that faces up when it’s been looked upon, and the pavilion is also known as the underside of the diamond.
The crown of the princess cut diamond can possess either of French corners or bezel corners. Those with bezel corners possess diamond-shaped facets which extend from the corners of the table to the stone corners, and those that have French corners possess star facets pointing to the stone corners. It is actually more advisable to stay with the bezel corners since they are more durable design unless there is a strong flair for the French corners.
Concerning the pavilion, the diamond’s brilliance is brought about by the chevron shapes. There can be two, three or four chevrons possessed by the princess cut diamond. Stones that possess two chevrons will produce reflections of light and color which are larger and bolder while those that possess four chevrons will glitter and brighten more but with smaller facets. The intermediate is the one that possesses three chevrons.
LENGTH TO WIDTH RATIO
Princess cut diamonds vary in shape, ranging from almost square to as close to a slim rectangle. A length to width ratio around a value of 1.04 is unique to the princess cut diamond. Perhaps, you are keen on having squared princess, it is suggested that you check out the Asscher cut also, as it has an appearance that looks somewhat like a squared princess cut. More so, the Assher cut, according to GIA, is specified to be a square-cut emerald. All Lumera Diamond are characterized by clear-cut dimensions and length to width proportion just to give you an exact clue as to the shape of princess cut diamond that you are looking to go for and you will be able to find the right ratio of the ring of princess cut diamond ring that you are looking for yourself or with the help an expert gemologist.
For a princess cut diamond, the square type is considered excellent or very good if it has a length to width ratio falling within 1.00 to 1.o4, good when within 1.04 to 1.06, fair when within 1.07 to 1.09 and considered poor when the length to width ratio is greater than 1.09. So, the ideal length-width ratio is between 1.00-1.04.
The rectangular choice is considered poor when the length to width ratio is greater than 1.15 or lesser than 1.00, and it is considered excellent when it stands within 1.07-1.15.
CUT GRADE
The cut grade of a princess cut diamond is representative of the quality of the ratio and symmetry of the diamond. The GIA and AGS do not designate any cut grade to this cut but the however designate symmetry and polish grades. This thus makes princess cut’s grade to be determined by most retailers by its propositions, symmetry as well as its polish. This is because these parameters are good approximations of sparkle given that a true cut grade isn’t available.
Table% – princess’s cuts are considered good, very good or excellent when they have their table percentage in the ranges 56-58 or 76-82, 59-66 or 73-75, 67-72 respectively.
The depth percentage means the amount of light the diamond will reflect. The depth percentage is indicative of the amount of light that the princess cut diamond will readily reflect. As regards the depth percentage, the cut is considered poor, good, very good and excellent when it has < 50, 58-63.9 or 75.1-80, 64-75 respectively.
When it comes to girdle, a very thin to a slightly thick one of the range of 75%-65% connotes an excellent and a range of 78%-62% connotes a very good cut. It is good when it is within very thin to thick of the range of 81%-55%, fair when within very thin to very thick, and considered poor when the girdle is within very thin to the extreme thick parameter.
When the cut has no cullet, it is considered excellent. The cut is very good when it has very small cullet, good when it has small cullet, fair when it has medium cullet and poor when the cullet falls any greater than medium.
COLOR
Choice of color is relative, so when it comes to examining color in princess cut, it is best determined based on personal choice and individually biased. Princess cut diamond reflects more color than a round diamond or any other fancy shapes. Be aware of the fact that most buyers may choose to go for the fairly warmer colors of the G-H diamond instead of the D-F type which is usually frigid colorless. Truth is that most princess cut with color on the extreme side and with relatively low price is usually steered largely by demand and supply. When customers are in dire search for the D-F color types, they are ready to pay more to get their hands on it. If the concept of color grading were not present at all, higher grade diamond will come at a lower premium price because the distinction between colors will be very hard to know. So, slight color differences will not be obvious and thus wouldn’t weigh at all on the scheme of things.
With princess cut diamonds that have larger size and surface area, i.e. above one (1) carat, the color may seem to look quite darker at the point ends. This is the exact reason why buyers usually decide to reach up to one step higher in color grade as compared to the rest kind of diamond cuts.
Check out the color descriptions below as a guide for examining and choosing your princess cut diamonds.
For less than 0.50 carats, the cut is considered excellent, very good, good, fair or poor if the color falls on D-G, H-I, J-K or greater than K on the spectrum.
For 0.51 to 1.5 carats, the cut is considered excellent, very good, good, fair or poor if the color falls on D-F, G, H-I, or greater than I on the spectrum.
For 1.0-2.0 carats, the cut is considered excellent, good, fair or poor if the color falls on D-F, G-H or greater than H on the spectrum.
For greater than 2.0 carats, the cut is considered excellent and very good, good, fair or poor if the color falls on D-F, G, or greater than G on the spectrum.
When there is an absence of fluoro, the cut is considered to be excellent, very good if within faint to medium fluoro, good with strong fluoro, fair or poor when the fluoro is very strong.
In short, H or I color diamond is recommended for a set of either white gold or platinum princess cut diamond in order to make the most of your budget. For the choice of the gold and yellow gold rings, a color J diamond is highly recommended to make you look great within your budget.
CLARITY
Like color, dissecting the clarity of a princess cut diamond is usually very subjective. With the clarity grade made available by GIA, evaluating a Princess cut diamond in terms of clarity has never been made easier. However, it is imperative to bear in mind that each customer will choose between clarity ranges based on personal standards and discretion. Some customers might be good with the princess cut diamond coming with inclusions so far it is not easily seen while others may not be okay with that or any sort of technical blemishes or flaws.
The following guide shows you what to check as regards the clarity of a Princess cut diamond, especially when looking to make a purchase.
A less than 0.50 carat princess cut diamond is excellent if it has its clarity around FL to VS2. It is considered very good if it has its clarity on SI1 to S12, good, fair or poor if it has its clarity on, I1, I2, or greater than I2 respectively.
For 0.51 to 1.0 carat princess cut diamond, it comes as an excellent choice if it has FL to VS1 clarity. If the clarity is VS2 to SI1, it is considered to be a very good choice, SI2 is considered to be good, I1 to I2, or greater than I2, it is considered fair, or poor respectively.
For 1.0 to 2.0 carat(s) Princess cut diamond, it is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor if it has FL to VVS2, VS1 to VS2, SI1 to SI2, I1, or greater than I1 clarity.
For princess cut diamonds with greater than 2.0 carats weight, it is considered excellent if it has FL to VVS2 clarity. It is very good if it has VS1 to VS2 clarity. It is considered good at SI1 clarity. If it has clarity of SI2 or greater than SI2, it is considered fair or poor respectively.
ONLINE BUYING GUIDE
It’s important to always lookout for a renowned dealer who has returns, exchanges and resizing policies. Recommendations for engagement rings are both James Allen and the Blue Nile. They have a large collection of rings that can be selected from. They also offer clients a chance of scrutinizing the performance, clarity and the color of diamonds before you make your purchase.
Altogether, Princess cut diamonds makes a great choice especially when comes to engagement rings.
