The Cut Guide  ·  Reference Fancy Shape  ·  Brilliant Family

Shape  ·  Face-Up View

Light Performance  ·  Live

Cut Reference  ·  No. 005

Princess
Cut

Square Modified Brilliant  ·  58–76 Facets

The most efficient cut in the business. More diamond from the rough — but four sharp corners that demand respect and the right setting.

The princess is a square or rectangular brilliant cut with untruncated corners — the defining characteristic that separates it from the cushion and radiant. Its inverted pyramid shape retains more of the original octahedral rough than any other brilliant cut, which is why cutters and retailers alike favor it. The sharp corners produce brilliant-quality sparkle across the full face, but they are also the stone's single vulnerability: unprotected corners chip, and the setting choice here is not aesthetic — it is structural.

Origin

The princess cut was developed in the 1960s and 1970s through contributions from several cutters, with Betazel Ambar and Ygal Perlman receiving a 1979 patent for a version of the square brilliant they called the "profile cut." The shape was refined through the 1980s as diamond saw technology improved and became commercially dominant by the 1990s — the decade in which it briefly challenged round brilliant as the top-selling shape in the United States.

On The Hand
Neutral
The square outline sits proportionally without elongating or widening the finger. The sharp corners give it a more geometric, modern look than the cushion's soft profile. Slightly elongated ratios (1.05–1.10) add subtle finger-length effect without reading as rectangular.
High
Rough Yield
1.00–1.05
Ideal L:W Ratio
−10%
vs. Round
1979
Patent Year
Page 1 of 2
Expand
Princess Cut thecutguide.com
Specifications
Table Percentage
58 – 72%
Wide tables are expected on this shape. Stay below 75% — above that, the stone begins to lose depth of sparkle.
Depth Percentage
64 – 75%
Deeper than a round by design. The pavilion's inverted pyramid needs this depth for proper light return.
Length-to-Width Ratio
1.00 – 1.05
Anything above 1.10 reads rectangular — at that point consider a radiant cut instead.
GIA Cut Grade
—
Fancy Shape
Use proportion data. Pavilion angle is the key variable — 40.5–41.5° produces the strongest light return for this shape.
Polish / Symmetry
Exc / Exc
Both Excellent. Asymmetric faceting is visible in this shape — don't compromise here.
Light Performance
Brilliance88
Fire80
Scintillation86
Size per Carat79
Clarity Concealment82
Budget
vs. Round Brilliant
−10 to −15%
Yield-driven discount. Real savings — but factor in a V-prong or bezel setting to protect the corners.
Lab-Grown Princess
−40 to −55%
G, VS2, Exc/Exc target spec. Corner protection applies equally to lab-grown — setting choice is structural, not decorative.
What Retailers Won't Tell You
⚠ Corners Chip Without Protection
The princess cut's four sharp corners are its single structural vulnerability. An unprotected corner can chip from ordinary wear. V-prongs that cap each corner, or a bezel setting, are not optional — they are structural requirements. Any retailer who doesn't raise this point is not giving you the full picture.
⚠ Pavilion Chevrons Vary Widely
Princess cuts are made with 2, 3, or 4 pavilion chevron rows — a detail rarely disclosed at point of sale. Two-chevron stones show bold, graphic sparkle; four-chevron shows finer, more crushed sparkle. The GIA report does not specify chevron count. Ask to see the stone in person — the difference is immediately visible.
The Cut Guide  ·  Assessment  ·  Princess Cut
"The yield champion — and the shape that peaked in the 1990s and never quite left. The sparkle quality is genuinely competitive with round, the price is lower, and the square geometry reads as contemporary rather than vintage. The only non-negotiable: protect those corners. A princess in the wrong setting is an accident waiting to happen."
Page 2 of 2
Expand