Round. Square. Oval. Princess. Wait, what? Princess? That’s not a shape!
Some diamond cuts are pretty simple to recognize. I mean, let’s face it a square is a square. You feel me?
But, there are some diamond cuts that are not as clear cut. Pun intended? The world may never know.
Take for example the princess cut. Unless princess was a shape in your elementary school you very likely can not picture what a princess cut diamond looks like. Well, I do not want to keep you in suspense, so see the image below.
This is a princess cut stone in a classic solitaire setting. It’s classic meets modern, which is why it is not surprising that it is the second most popular stone cut for an engagement ring right after round. From above it has a square or rectangular look and it has four beveled sides that resemble inverted pyramids. From a bird’s eye view it has an X shape.
I’m gonna give it to you straight since you and I are tight now, bestie.
The upside to a princess cut is that it is a pretty awesome light show, the brilliance is second to only one. You guessed it, a round cut. But, not for nothing, princess cut stones are more economical than round since the finished stone mimics the shape of the original rough allowing for less waste during the cutting process.
On the flip side, a princess cut has corners. Corners have the potential to snag on something or chip, which definitely compromises its durability.
On a lab report, you might notice that the technical name used for this cut is a “square modified brilliant” cut. But who wants to be square and modified when you can be a princess?
