Princess-cut diamond engagement rings are a great alternative to round-cut rings. Discover how to choose the best diamonds for your engagement ring using the 4Cs for princess cuts.
Diamond Shapes
The princess cut, the most popular fancy diamond form, gives diamond jewellery a contemporary, edgy appearance. However, buying princess-cut diamonds is a little more challenging due to the absence of laboratory-cut grades.
Discover the benefits of princess cuts and how to select a premium stone for your engagement ring.
What is A Princess Cut Diamond?
Princess cut diamonds have an outward appearance of being square, but when viewed from the bottom, they have an inverted pyramid shape with two to four chevron patterns. They are in second place only to round brilliant cut diamonds in terms of demand for engagement rings.
Advantages of Princess Cut Diamonds
In the end, your taste may determine whether you select a round or princess cut for your engagement ring. You should, however, also take some pragmatic factors into mind.
Price
It is common knowledge that princess cut diamonds cost less than rounds. This is due to a rough diamond’s octahedral structure. Splitting the rough in half allows gem cutters to efficiently cut two princesses.
The two halves (have a pyramidal appearance). Princess cuts use less raw than round-cut diamonds, hence they are more expensive. A princess cut diamond may cost 30% less than a round diamond of comparable carat weight, according to this 1-ct ideal-cut, G colour, VS2 clarity diamond.
Sparkle
Excellent brilliance can be seen in princess cuts. The brilliance of round diamonds, however, still outshines both of them. There is no fancy cut that can match their superior lighting performance. The ideal round will always sparkle better than princess cuts, even though they can also have superb glitter. Even in online princess cut engagement rings you get the same shine and sparkle.
Size
Princess diamonds have somewhat more face-up surface area than round diamonds of the same carat weight, as can be seen in the comparison. The large diagonal measures of princess cuts, however, typically make them appear larger.
Nevertheless, if your budget for an engagement ring is limited, you can still purchase a princess cut engagement ring that is significantly larger than a round cut.
Durability
A princess cut diamond’s corners are susceptible to snagging, therefore they are more likely to chip. Prongs should always be used as corner guards to prevent damage to the stone. Round diamonds don’t have any weak areas that make them susceptible to chipping, but they can still break.
Styles of Princess Cut Engagement Rings
Of course, the style must be taken into account while comparing various diamond forms. Princess cut diamonds are the most widely used of the fancy forms, even though round diamonds are a traditional, timeless shape. They fit many different ring designs, such as solitaire and three-stone engagement rings, perfectly.
Princess cuts are a fantastic option for sleek, contemporary styles because of their brilliance and geometric shape. Princess cut diamonds, however, can also look great in elaborate vintage fashions.
Anatomy of a Princess Cut
There are too many variances in fancy-cut diamonds for there to be standardised cut grades. There is no predetermined standard for what a princess cut should look like, unlike the round brilliant. The pattern on the crown and the number of cuts on the pavilion can both affect how a princess cut looks. You just prefer one over the other, even though neither affects value or quality.
Either French corners or bezel corners are possible for a princess cut’s crown, the portion of the diamond that faces upward when you gaze at it. Princess cuts with bezel corners have star-shaped facets that point to the stone corners, while those with French corners have diamond-shaped facets that extend from the table corners to the stone corners.
Unless you have a strong affinity for French corners, continue with this style because bezel corners are more resilient.
Chevron shapes on a princess cut’s pavilion, or underside, are what gives the diamond its brightness. There may be two, three, or four chevrons on princess cuts. While four chevrons will scintillate more, but with smaller facets, stones with two chevrons will produce larger, bolder flashes of light and colour. Those with three chevrons represent a compromise.
Princess cut diamonds can have somewhat varying shapes, as well as various crown designs or chevrons.
Depth Percentage
The light that penetrates a diamond is improperly reflected in your eye when the stone is cut too shallowly or too deeply. To find a princess cut, keep the depth percentage between 65-75%.
Rates in the Table
The top facet’s size about the diamond’s width is shown in the table as a percentage. Finding a great princess will be easier if you keep the table at 75% or below.
Under 68% of diamonds, dealers favour princess-cut diamonds with very small tables. Smaller tables are less prevalent than larger ones, so be prepared to do some searching if you prefer them.
Girdle Thickness
Because of the fragile corners, check that the girdle is thick enough to support prongs. While most princess girdles will support prongs, “Extremely Thin” girdles make the diamond more susceptible to breaking.
Polish and Symmetry
Polish and Symmetry ratings should be “Good” or better. There’s no noticeable difference between “Good” and “Excellent” in these categories.
Princess Cut Diamond Clarity
Even diamonds have imperfections. Clarity grades describe how noticeable these imperfections are. For a princess cut, an SI1 or VS2 diamond (slightly included or very slightly included) will give you eye-clean clarity at a great price point.
Verify if the girdle is thick enough to sustain prongs because of the delicate corners. Although the majority of princess girdles will support the prongs, “Extremely Thin” girdles increase the risk of the diamond breaking.
Intricacy and symmetry
Ratings for Polish and Symmetry ought to be “Good” or above. The distinction between “Good” and “Excellent” in some areas is imperceptible.
Clarity of a Princess Cut Diamond
Even diamonds contain flaws. Clarity ratings indicate how obvious these flaws are. An SI1 or VS2 diamond (slightly included or very slightly included) in a princess cut will provide eye-clean clarity at an excellent price.
There are plenty of websites for you to get online princess cut engagement rings. Make sure you follow the guide to choose the right one.
