Princess Cut Diamonds

The princess cut is the second most popular cut shape for diamonds, next to a round brilliant.

It can be either a square or rectangular shape and the side-on shape is similar to an inverted pyramid with four bevelled sides.

The princess cut diamond’s were gradually developed over many years. The Dutchman who developed this particular cut was called Joseph Princess. Joseph Princess was a successful diamond cutter from Amsterdam who ran the Royal Princess Diamond Company with his brother Abraham which was founded in 1854. Abraham and Joseph Princess cut the enormous 3,106 carat Cullinan diamond at the request of King Edward VII in 1902, when the Princess cut was patented.

Over more recent years, it has gained in popularity as an alternative to the brilliant cut. A princess cut with the same width as the diameter of a round brilliant will weigh more as it has four corners which would otherwise have been cut off and rounded to form a round brilliant. The square princess cut diamond is usually slightly cheaper than round brilliant cut diamonds of the same carat weight because it retains about 80% of the rough diamond, as opposed to the round brilliant which retains only about 50% of the rough. For this reason the princess cut is one of the favourites for diamond cutters.

The princess cut is sometimes referred to as a square modified brilliant. However, while displaying the same high degree of brilliance, its faceting style is quite unique and completely different from a round brilliant. The chevron-shaped facets in the pavilion of the princess cut which combine to give a distinct cross-shaped reflection when the stone is viewed directly through the table. The Princess cut has the high degree of light return as a round brilliant cut but with a distinctive square or rectangular shape.

Polish and symmetry are two important aspects of the cut. The polish describes the smoothness of the diamond’s facets, and the symmetry refers to alignment of the facets. With poor polish, the surface of a facet can be dulled, and may create blurred or dulled sparkle. It may constantly look like it needs to be cleaned. With poor symmetry, light can be misdirected as it enters and exits the diamond.