The Princess Cut

The Princess Cut

After the classic Round Brilliant shape diamond, the Princess Cut is the second most popular shape for diamonds.

The Princess Cut is a relatively new design, created only about 50 years ago in the 1960s. The Princess Cut is slightly cheaper than other shape diamonds. The reason for this is that the shape allows the cutter to retain more of the original rough material than in other shapes. Less waste = cheaper price.

As well, the elaborate way the facets are cut, that give it its unique shape, also “hide” many imperfections in color and clarity. Theoretically you could get away with getting a lower grade stone and have it looking the same as the higher grade stone. For example, you can easily get a stone with H color instead of G and not notice a difference.

Frequently, jewelers enhance the Princess Cut stone in a ring by using 3 or 4 triangular small stones on the side.

The Best Princess Diamond For A Princess Cut Engagement Ring

So, how do you choose the best Princess Diamond to fill the Princess Cut Engagement Ring you are looking at? What should you be looking for?

Let’s look at the various parameters and recommend the best range for each.

Color

When looking at the diamond color of the Princess Diamond, you should know that the Princess Diamond is a brilliant cut, similar to the Round Diamond. Being a brilliant cut means the diamond is cut in a way that maximizes the brilliance. You would think all diamonds are like that, but the truth is it depends on the raw material and how much of it needs to be cut away to create the shape. With the Princess cut, there is minimal raw stone wasted. The Princess Diamond is actually very similar to the Round Diamond, but with corners. Because there is less waste on the Princess Diamond, the yield is about 80% on princess Diamonds compared to about 50% or sometimes less on Round Diamonds, Princess Diamonds are usually cheaper for similar quality diamonds.

So, when looking at the diamond color of the Princess Diamond, I would recommend the range of G, H and I color diamonds. The extra brilliance of light covers up some of the coloring of the diamond, so you can select even an I colored diamond with no worries.

Clarity

When looking at the diamond clarity of the Princess Diamond, you also have a reasonable amount of leeway. The way the facets are cut gives a lot of cover for most inclusions. Many inclusions will not be seen at all, even if on some other diamond shapes a similar inclusion would be easily spotted. 

Because the corners are pointed, chipping can sometimes become an issue. That means you should avoid a diamond that has inclusions near the corners. Having inclusions near the corners will weaken the corners and make them more susceptible to chipping. 

My recommended diamond clarity range for Princess Diamonds is to look for VS2 and SI1 rated diamonds.

Questions? Don’t understand something someone told you about diamonds? Not sure if you should really buy that diamond? Email me at diamonds@clarityofdiamonds.com and ask!

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