Princess Cut

The princess cut for diamonds, or any gemstone, started in the early 1960's. While all stone cuts are different, the princess cut is unique. It was actually modeled after the Barion cut. The stone shape is square and is cut in the "brilliant" style, which uses extra faceting that makes the stone seem even more clear and sparkly than it may be. Two of the most popular use for this cut is the diamond engagement ring and the diamond eternity ring.
The general public opinion used to be that no stone could match up with the round brilliant diamond for sparkle and shine. That was until the princess cut came on the scene. In fact, the princess cut is sometimes referred to as the "square modified brilliant". It has now become the next requested stone after the round brilliant, especially for diamond engagement rings. This cut gets the most brilliance and shine from a square cut possible. This cut of stone also shows flaws and weakness in the stone less than similar cuts like the emerald cut and the Asscher cut.
As stated before the face up appearance of a princess cut stone is square but a side view will show a beveled side and with the bottom of the stone facing up it will look like a pyramid. Some stonecutters are now "chamfering" or "clipping" the corners of the stone to make the stone more durable. Seeing that the stone is a square shape there are four pointed corners. This makes the stone just a bit easier to chip so detail must be paid to how the stone is set.
There are a few options for setting a princess cut stone. The first is the most common, the Prong Setting. This has either four or six prongs holding the stone in a high position. With Princess Cut stones, four prongs are usually used. This high setting lets the light go through the stone from top to bottom.
The next type of setting is the V-Prong Setting. This is very popular for princess stones, especially in engagement rings. In this setting, the stone actually rests in a notch on each prong. The prongs are squeezed together to hold the stone in place.
The Bezel Setting dates back to Victorian times. A stone is set in a mounting and the outer metal is pushed up over the edge of the stone to hold it in place. Channel Settings are similar in that the stone is set in the mounting but multiple stones are used in this setting. The stones align with one another and like in a Bezel Setting; the outer metal is used to secure the stones in place.
The newest type of setting on the market is also good for a princess cut stone. This is the Tension Setting where the stone is set in small grooves, which are cut into the mounting of the ring and the metals springing action holds the stone in place.

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