July 8th 2022
The Princess Cut Diamond Guide
By Devin Jones
Princess cut diamonds are one of the most unique and elegant of all the diamond shapes. Typically cut as a perfectly square cut diamond, Princess cut diamonds are unique amongst the other square cuts (think emerald, Asscher, and radiant cut) because they feature pointed corners unlike the cut-corners of their cousins. When you think square cut diamonds, you think the true square shape of a princess cut.
According to internal data from StoneAlgo’s diamond search engine, 2.5% of diamond engagement ring shoppers choose princess cut diamonds making them 7th most popular diamond shape. The most popular diamond shapes are round, oval, cushion, radiant, emerald, and pear – followed by princess, heart, marquise, and Asscher.
Pros & Cons of Princess Cut Diamonds
Princess cut diamonds are beautiful, but require a little more care than other diamond shapes. The reason lies in their distinctive pointed corners. Those beautiful, showstopping corners are also among the most fragile of any diamond shape. While diamonds are the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man (a full 10.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness), then can still fracture if they receive a sharp blow to a weak point like a pointed corner. For this reason, most princess cut diamond settings are designed with prongs that cover the corners of the diamond and add a little bit of needed protection.
Princess Cut Pros
- Distinctive, square cut shape
- Sparkly, brilliant cut facets
- 34% less expensive than round cut diamonds
Princess Cut Cons
- Fragile corners require extra protection
- Smaller surface area per carat (look smaller than other shapes)
Princess vs. Radiant vs. Asscher vs. Emerald Cut Diamonds
To illustrate the difference between the various square cut fancy shapes it's best to view them side by side. Below are a square princess cut diamond (brilliant cut), a rectangular radiant cut diamond (brilliant cut), rectangular emerald cut (step cut), and square Asscher cut (step cut).
Click the above diamonds for more details
You can think of the various diamond shapes are different combinations of facet styles (brilliant vs. step cut), shape (square vs. rectangular), and corners (pointed or cut-cornered). The princess cut diamond is a brilliant cut, square shaped diamond with pointed corners. A radiant cut diamond is a brilliant cut, rectangular shaped diamond with cut-corners. An Asscher cut diamond is a step cut, square shaped diamond with cut-corners. Finally, an emerald cut diamond is a step cut, rectangular shaped diamond with cut-corners.
Princess cut diamonds are more sparkly than most other fancy cut diamond shapes because they feature a modified brilliant facet arrangement. The brilliant cutting style was famously developed to generate maximum sparkle in the round brilliant cut diamond and was later adopted to other shapes like oval and princess cuts. Radiant cut diamonds also feature a brilliant cut style and offer plenty of sparkle with a slightly different cut-cornered shape. Other rectangular or square cut diamonds such as an emerald and Asscher shapes have chunkier step cuts, which are beautiful but not designed to shimmer like a princess cut.
Princess cut diamonds are square with pointed corners and brilliant cut facets that give off a crushed ice look.
Ideal Proportions for Princess Cut Diamonds
Princess Cut Length to Width Ratio
Princess cut diamonds are typically cut to be as square as possible, meaning the ideal length to width ratio for a princess cut diamond is 1.00. That said, cutting a diamond to be perfectly symmetrical is not always necessary. Generally speaking, any length to width ratio from 1.0 - 1.05 will look completely square to the average person.
Princess Cut Depth Percentage
The most popular depth percentage for princess cut diamonds is 72.7%, but there isn't a clearly defined ideal depth percentage range for princess cut diamonds. Interestingly, the princess cut diamond depth percentage data has three different peaks at 72.7%, 74.8%, and 77.7%.
Princess Cut Table Percentage
The most popular princess cut table percentages are a tie between 64% and 65%. The ideal table percentage range for princess cut diamonds is between 60% and 69%. Table percentage is defined as the width of the table (the flat top of the diamond) divided by the width of the diamond.
Princess Cut Diamond Prices
Below are prices for Princess Cut diamonds as of April 16, 2024. Prices are based on StoneAlgo's proprietary diamond price index calculation.
| Carat Weight | Price | Price Per Carat |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | $971 | $1,942 |
| 1 | $3,171 | $3,171 |
| 2 | $13,536 | $6,768 |
| 3 | $29,892 | $9,964 |
Princess cut diamonds are far less expensive than round cut diamonds and tend to be less expensive than most other fancy cut diamond shapes as well. Currently, a 1 carat princess cut diamond costs about 40% less than an equivalent round cut diamond. Diamond prices are constantly changing as you can see in our diamond price charts. Here are prices for princess cut diamonds as of July 2022. All prices are for G color, VS2 clarity princess cut diamonds.
For more information on princess cut diamond prices including historical diamond price charts and the available inventory of princess cut diamonds from top online jewelers, please visit the below links.
- 0.5 carat princess cut diamond prices
- 1 carat princess cut diamond prices
- 2 carat princess cut diamond prices
- 3 carat princess cut diamond prices
The Best Color Grades For Princess Cut Diamonds
The most popular color grades for princess cut diamonds are H color and G color which combined make up about 50% of all princess cut diamonds viewed on StoneAlgo. Color grade is a measurement of how white or yellow (or brown, green, etc.) a diamond appears to the naked eye. So you know, color is highly subjective and generally speaking most people cannot tell the difference between near colorless diamonds (those graded G - J) and colorless diamonds (D - E) unless they are being shown right next to one another (even then it can be difficult to tell the difference).
Check out the below diamonds, can you tell the difference in color between an H color diamond and a D color diamond?
Click the above diamonds for more details
The Most Popular Clarity Grades For Princess Cut Diamonds
The most popular clarity grades for princess cut diamonds are VS clarity diamonds (VS1 clarity and VS2 clarity) which make up 48% of all princess cut diamonds viewed on StoneAlgo. Shoppers steer towards these two clarity grades to get the best balance of price and quality. The main goal for most shoppers is to find an eye clean diamond without overpaying for it.
For example, a flawless diamond (clarity grades FL and IF) won't look any different than a VS1 clarity diamond to the average observer. This is because the tiny imperfections in the VS1 diamond can only be seen under a microscope or other intense magnification. However the price difference between a VS1 and an IF clarity diamond is roughly 33% according to our diamond price calculator.
Which Celebs Rock a Princess Cut Diamond?
Emily Ratajkowski Engagement Ring
Emily Ratajkowski rocks a massive Toi Et Moi style engagement ring that mixes a classic princess cut diamond with an exotic pear shape diamond. The two unique shapes make for stunning contrast and her engagement in 2018 led to a spike in searches for Toi Et Moi style rings (French for You And Me). Emily Ratajowski's engagement ring is estimated to have a combined carat weight of over 7 carats and cost over $400,000.
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Kate Bosworth Engagement Ring
Kate Bosworth's engagement ring from director Michael Polish was a gorgeous princess cut diamond estimated to be at least 3 carats and cost over $70,000.
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