A Diamond Fit for Royalty - Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Rings

Every woman wants to feel like a princess when she meets ‘the one’ and he pops the question so what better way to make your lady feel like royalty than by presenting her with a Princess Cut diamond engagement ring and make her dreams come true?  The princess cut diamond engagement ring is one of the favourite and most admired diamond shapes, being chic, classical and always in style. This cut was designed to showcase the incredible brilliance and sparkle of a diamond with its many facets, and this is perhaps why this cut of diamond is such a popular choice for engagement rings. 

What is a Princess Cut Diamond?

The Princess Cut displays a flat square or rectangular face, with an inverted pyramid profile and usually comprises of either 57 or 76 facets. When viewed from above the Princess cut has a square or rectangular shape, with sharp corners. From the side it resembles a pyramidal with four bevelled sides. This unique shape and faceting style creates greater dispersion of light than any other square shaped diamond cut and Princess Cut diamonds also give the welcome illusion of being of greater size due to their diameter being 15% larger than round diamonds of the same weight. In addition a princess cut diamond with the same width as the diameter of a round brilliant will weigh more due to the fact that it has four corners which would otherwise have been cut off and rounded to form a round brilliant. 

What is the history of the Princess Cut Diamond?

The Princess Cut is thought to have originated from another cut of diamond known as the ‘Profile’ cut which was created in the early 1960s. In 1979 a group of Israeli jewelers created the Princess Cut (or Square Modified Brilliant) as it is now known today. In the 1980s optical research saw the creation of the modern Princess Cut with its many unique light refracting facets which are arranged in a similar way to those of a round brilliant cut diamond.   

Why a Princess Cut Diamond  is the perfect engagement ring

Princess Cut Diamond engagement rings are second only to the classic round cut in popularity with brides to be throughout the world, but what is the reason for the popularity of this cut? Quite simply a Princess Cut diamond is absolutely stunning as its many facets maximise brilliance within a diamond. However, it is also a versatile option as its remarkable and unique structure makes it as suitable for a solitaire engagement ring as for a halo setting. The neat edges of a Princess Cut diamond look totally stunning when used as part of accompanying diamonds within cluster or trilogy styles, and this cut of diamond looks equally as good set within either platinum, white or yellow gold as it makes a bold statement all of its own.   

Are Princess Cut diamonds engagement rings affordable?  

As wastage is minimised during the cutting process, the Princess Cut retains much of its crystal weight throughout the process, which helps to keep its cost down when it comes to crafting into an engagement ring. A good example of this is that a round brilliant cut generally yields approximately 40%, in comparison a Princess Cut will yield between 80% and 90% and this difference can therefore be therefore be reflected in a more affordable price tag. 

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Choosing a Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

There are several factor s to consider when choosing a Princess Cut Diamond Engagement Ring: 

Clarity

One of the advantages of good a Princess Cut diamond is that its proportions allow it to exhibit a significant amount of brilliance and sparkle, which have the effect of making the diamonds inclusions less visible. The best method to find a Princess Cut diamond with good clarity at an affordable price is to choose diamond graded VS1, VS2 or SI1, Princess Cut diamonds with clarity lower than SI1 are rare. When viewing the Princess Cut diamond ensure that the stone does not have any inclusions that are visible to the naked eye.  In addition make sure that the Princess Cut diamond you choose doesn’t have serious inclusions in its corners, which are the weak spots of this cut. If there are large inclusions in these places, the corners will be weakened even further and be more prone to chipping. 

Cut:

When it comes to evaluating the quality of the cut of a Princess Cut diamond there is no specifically agreed proportions the best Princess Cut should have. Princess Cut diamonds, its cut will not be assigned an overall quality grade in the GIA grading report (unlike the round cut). You will only be able to see a grade for the diamond’s polish and symmetry, which should have a grade of at least Good. So what should you look for in terms if cut quality? Generally, the best Princess Cut will maximize the diamond’s brilliance, without making it look too deep or too shallow. The rule of thumb for Princess Cut diamonds is to look for stones whose total depth (or height) is about 70% of their width. When viewed from the top, the diamond should look square (stones that look rectangular are usually cheaper). Ideally look for a certified Ideal cut which will ensure that the diamond that you have chosen is likely to be more fiery and sparkly than a less valuable stone. 

Color:

In terms of evaluating the color of a Princess Cut diamond, we recommend that you look for diamonds that do not have a visible yellow tint. This means that you should not go lower than the Near Colorless range (which contains the G, H, I and J grades) or you will start seeing some yellow. 

Setting : 

When buying a Princess Cut diamond, you should make sure that it is set in a mounting that protects the stone’s corners. The reason for this is that this is area where the diamond gets very thin, so if the corners are not well protected, a strong blow could chip them. A V-prong setting is a great choice for keeping a princess cut stone safe. If your Princess Cut diamond engagement ring is to set a style that is set with accent diamonds, make sure that the accent diamonds are the same color as the centre diamond or no more than one grade apart. We offer a superb selection of Princess Cut diamond engagement rings to choose from in a variety of styles and settings to suit all budgets.