You found your way here because you’re trying to determine what does a princess cut diamond look like. And since you’re looking for one of these diamonds, you obviously plan on buying one for a special occasion.
Maybe you need to choose the best setting for a princess cut diamond for an engagement ring as well. Or maybe you plan on adding one of these diamonds to a necklace or other piece of jewelry.
By the time were through, you’ll learn many things about princess cut diamond settings and other important factors that you can use to choose the best option to meet your needs.
Sound good? Let’s continue with this discussion below.
Types of Princess Cut Diamonds
To determine the type of this diamond, it’s best to get a working definition of the gemstone itself first.
As an example, the princess cut diamond shape is typically a square shape and has phenomenal brilliance and fire. This shape is fancy, and they use a rough diamond’s inverted pyramid to create the overall design structure.
Overall, the princess cut, when compared to other shapes, is an incredibly popular choice and the most brilliant, which is especially true for engagement rings.
Princess cut diamond key features include:
- The most brilliant diamond with a square shape
- 2-4 chevrons in a pattern
- Cheaper than round cut diamonds per carat
- This cut is popular for earrings
- It’s also a great choice for engagement rings
- Other names include Rectangular Modified Brilliant and Square Modified Brilliant
If you ever wondered the best time of the year to buy a princess cut diamond, read my advice here!
How to Choose a Princess Cut Diamond
Before figuring out the ideal setting for a princess cut diamond, it’s best to learn how to choose this diamond by knowing exactly what to look for. As long as you understand certain factors that I’ll tell you about below, you shouldn’t even bother focusing on a princess cut size comparison because it really won’t make a difference to help you make your final choice.
With that said, please consider the following when making your final choice:
Princess Cut Diamond Clarity Grade
One thing to consider is the clarity grade when it comes to a princess cut diamond. For the most part, these are higher-end graded diamonds, meaning a princess cut is always going to be more on the expensive side from a clarity perspective.
As a matter of fact, you aren’t going to find a very big selection of I1 or SI2 princess cuts, but that’s just the way the story goes and we have no choice but to live with it.
On the other hand…
Because this diamond has a larger table, it will not likely be eye clean. This means that if you look straight down on the diamond after it’s been mounted, you will notice some inclusions at times, and this is especially true if you look at it under a loupe or microscope.
Eye-Clean Princess Cut Diamonds Are of the Utmost Importance
As someone looking to buy a princess cut diamond, you really need to focus on choosing a diamond that is eye clean. Why? If you can look at the diamond and see inclusions without a magnifying glass, you aren’t looking at a very high-quality diamond and it will not look as attractive within a diamond engagement ring setting.
On the flipside, because this diamond has inclusions that are noticeable with the naked eye, you’ll pay less money for it. But you shouldn’t sacrifice quality for savings unless you want to upset your significant other.
When buying a diamond online, make sure you purchase from a retailer that offers 360° video viewing, so you can look at the entire diamond from every possible angle. This way you’ll be able to notice any blemishes or inclusions before making a purchase.
For a huge selection of princess cut diamonds, check out this jeweler.
Color Is Also a Factor
The next thing to focus on is the color. This is something you have to be careful of, and this is especially true with this particular diamond cut.
Why is it so important? The way the diamond is cut has a chopping effect on the light. This makes it more difficult to determine the true color of the diamond because it’s a rough cut.
There’s an easy way around this.
To get the best value while choosing the perfect color, you should always stick to princess cut diamonds that are graded H or I for its color. This way you will not accidentally make a mistake and choose the wrong diamond.
Are Princess Cut Diamonds Out of Style?
You have nothing to fear if you’re worried about princess cut diamonds being out of style because nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, this modern cut diamond is becoming very popular since it was first introduced in London in 1960. It’s actually more popular than it’s ever been.
Overall, this cut is considered the second-best behind the round brilliant cut. But it’s still a very popular cut that seems to gain even more popularity as each year passes.
Why? Some people cannot afford the best. They would rather buy the second-best because it’s a little bit cheaper and more affordable yet it still looks absolutely amazing.
So, don’t worry about this diamond cut going out of style. In fact, it’s definitely going to be more stylish in the years to come.
Also, the Internet offers plenty of options in terms of stores to buy an engagement ring. Follow that link for my full list.
Pros and Cons of Princess Cut Diamond
The best thing about the princess cut diamond is there’s one thing that really stands out about it and one potential negative that I’d like to share with you today. They are:
Pro
This diamond is really sparkly and has great brilliance. The great thing about the excellent sparkle is that it will hide flaws and even mask the color better when compared to other diamond shapes.
Con
Unfortunately, the corners of this diamond can chip easily. That’s why they always recommend setting the princess cut diamond in a bezel. The bezel will help keep the stone protected at all times. This will ultimately prevent the diamond from chipping when you obviously do not want that to happen.
