A princess cut engagement ring is a highly popular engagement ring style loved by many. They offer a modern brilliance and large appearance ideal for colorless diamonds, colored diamonds, or colored gemstones. Come with us as we explore how this highly esteemed shape came to be, as well as other square shaped cuts you might like.
The princess cut engagement ring is a diamond shape that has undergone an evolution of cutting styles, though it wasn’t called a princess cut until around the 1960s. There’s some debate among jewelry historians as to when the name “princess cut” was established, but it was sometime around this time. Like the round brilliant diamond, princess cut diamonds had undergone a variety of names before it became the shape you see in jewelry stores today.
The square cut shape dates back to the 14th century when it was called the table cut. The table cut is one of the earliest diamond shapes. At this time, diamond cutting knowledge was very limited, so diamonds were not optimized for brilliance as they are today. The table cut had a flat top, known as the table facet. It didn’t have other facets, just a large square on top with an octagonal outline. The top facet was polished, while the remainder of the diamond was rough.
From the table cut came the French cut. This early cut was developed around the 17th century. In total, the French cut diamond had around 9 facets, which had allowed light to reflect better than with the table cut. These facets included the top table facet with four main crown facets and four pointed corner facets. While no one is attributed to the creation of the French cut, it was a progression of diamond cutting techniques.
The profile cut was the next notable cut in the evolution of the modern princess cut engagement ring.This cut was developed by Arpad Nagy. By producing this cutting pattern, Nagy aimed to retain as much as the rough diamond as he could within a square cut shape. The profile cut’s exact number and faceting pattern was not widely disclosed, but it was understood that the profile cut had more facets than its predecessor, the French cut.
The quadrillion cut was developed in 1979 by three Israeli diamond cutters: Ygal Perlman, Betzalel Ambar, and Israel Itzkowitz. By taking the faceting pattern and knowledge from the profile cut, the quadrillion cut featured an exponential amount of 49 facets, the most a square cut had seen at that time.
In the 1980s, the first princess cut engagement ring premiered. This brilliant square cut aimed to not only optimize light reflection, but also to retain more diamond rough and provide a balance of brilliance, fire, and scintillation. The princess cut faceting pattern has 58 facets. The crown featured 21 of those facets, with four more on the girdle, and the remaining 33 on the pavilion. They are much more sparkly than their square shaped predecessors.
Today, the modern princess cut engagement ring features 50-58 facets, depending on the exact faceting pattern chosen. In between some of the aforementioned square cuts, other square cuts took place such as the Barion cut, Mazarin cut, Peruzzi Cut, Cushion cut, and Asscher cut. The ones listed above are considered to be those that had a direct effect on the evolution of the princess cut engagement ring.
There are many square alternatives to the modern princess cut engagement ring, even more than those listed above. Explore some of these unique and fascinating cuts that also resemble the square shape many have come to love.
The Barion cut was a square cut introduced in 1971 by a South African diamond cutter named Basil Watermeyer. The faceting pattern of this cut featured 81 facets with concentric steps on the pavilion and intricate designs on the crown. The Barion cut aimed to combine both brilliant cuts and step cuts for a unique and eye-catching appearance.
The Mazarin cut was named after Cardinal Mazarin during the 17th century. It is a lesser known square cut with 34 facets. At the time, it had a larger table than most cuts and more facets on both the crown and pavilion. This cut is known as one of the early brilliant cut styles.
The Peruzzi cut is another lesser known square cut developed during the late 17th century by Vincenzo Peruzzi. It had between 56-58 facets, some of the highest amount for that time. It also had a larger table. The Peruzzi cut may also be known as the triple cut brilliant.
The cushion cut is considered to be the third most popular diamond shape, right after the princess cut engagement ring. This brilliant cut shape aimed to be a cross between a round and square shape. The brilliant cut faceting pattern and rounded corners reduced the likelihood of damage and retained the brilliant cut sparkles in a round brilliant shape. It was the next step in development from the old mine cut. The modern cushion cut engagement ring has 58 facets and was popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The square emerald cut was developed out of the traditional emerald cut we see today. Emerald cuts are known for their “hall of mirrors” effect as a result of the step cutting technique. The emerald cut is a rectangular shape with cropped corners and long facets that produce a flash instead of the glittering look. The square emerald retains the same step cut facets but modifies them for those that prefer a square shaped look to the rectangular.
The Asscher cut diamond shape is a square step-cut shape that reflects the same hall of mirrors effect as the emerald cut. It has more pronounced cropped corners than the emerald cut and the faceting style makes an X in the center. This unique shape was introduced in 1902 by the Asscher brothers and remains one of the ten traditional shapes offered by most retailers. Many people confuse the square emerald cut as the Asscher cut, but the faceting styles and appearance are not the same.
The traditional radiant cut has a similar outline to the emerald cut but with the sparkle of a round brilliant cut. The corners are truncated and the radiant cut has a rectangular shape. Out of the traditional radiant cut came the square radiant cut, which has the same 70 facets as the rectangular cut but a more square look. The radiant cut is one of the newest shapes of the traditional ten diamond shapes offered, having made its debut in 1977 by Henry Grossbard.
Many notable celebrities have shared the affinity for a princess cut engagement ring. It comes as no surprise that the princess cut engagement ring is the second most popular diamond shape to the round brilliant cut.
Singer and actress Hilary Duff was given a 14 carat princess cut diamond by Mike Comrie in 2010. The princess cut engagement ring was flanked by two additional princess cut diamonds on a vine of twisted diamond encrusted bands. It was reported that the retired hockey player spent one million dollars on this princess cut engagement ring.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker was given a 5 carat princess cut diamond by Matthew Broderick in 1997. It was set in yellow gold, making it stand out from other princess cut engagement rings that were often set in white metals.
Kim Kardashian was given a 16 carat princess cut engagement ring from Kris Humphries. The large center stone was flanked by two 1.8 carat trapezoid side stones on a platinum band.
Ivanka Trump was given a 5 carat princess cut engagement ring by Jared Kushner in 2009. This princess cut engagement ring was set in a platinum band with small accent diamonds.
As you can see, the princess cut engagement ring has traveled a long journey from minimal facets to the brilliant sparkles of the modern day square shape that is beloved today. Princess cut engagement rings are known for their pointed corners and combination of brilliant and step cut facets. They are most often chosen for engagement rings with a modern flair but can also shine when put in vintage engagement ring settings and styles.
At AW Jewelry, we can create a princess cut engagement ring that reflects your inner style and beauty. We can custom cut any square shape listed here for you, even if a princess cut engagement ring isn’t exactly what you’re looking for. Instead of simply picking a princess cut engagement ring out of a case, allow us to create the princess cut engagement ring you’ve always dreamed of- a one of a kind engagement ring unparalleled to anything you’ve seen before. Contact our jewelers today to start your unique journey.