Princess Cut Vs. Round Cut Diamonds - Which One Is The Best?

Are you looking for the best diamond cut for your engagement/wedding ring? Do you need help choosing a suitable cut? No worries, you’re at the right spot. Diamonds have been an integral part of jewelry. These flawlessly bright and sparkly stones are all good to beautify your ornaments. Chiseled to perfection, diamonds come in two popular cuts: princess cut and round cut. The following description will help you learn the difference between a princess cut and round cut diamonds and help you choose the best for you. 

Princess Cut Diamonds:

Arpad Nagy, the jewelry artist in London, first fashioned the beautiful princess-cut diamonds in 1961 by professionally chiseling the raw material to perfection. He named it ‘profile cut diamond,’ which then entered a long journey of modification and remodeling till it got its present shape in 1980.

The second popular diamond shape next to the round cut diamond, the princess cut diamond, has a contemporary and modish look. More precisely, a beveled inverted pyramid. Moreover, princess-cut diamonds are also known as ‘square modified brilliant’ owing to their square base and brilliance comparable to that of a round-cut diamond.

Round Cut Diamonds:

First carved in the 17th century, the most popular round-cut diamonds prevailed in the jewelry industry. With modern technology and machinery advances, round-cut diamonds underwent many changes in shape, perfection, brilliance, and clarity. Nevertheless, the current contemporary design of round-cut diamonds was fashioned by Marcel Tollowsky in 1919. Moreover, these sparkly stones are also known as cushion-cut and pillow-cut diamonds owing to the rounded edges with broad facets.

Princess Cut Vs. Round Cut Diamonds: Color and Brilliance

Diamonds come transparent and have many hues, like red, pink, yellow, blue, and green. When considering colorless diamonds, a hint of yellow or brown shade becomes unnecessary and sounds imperfection. A simple rule of thumb is the clearer the diamond, the more it will reflect and refract light and the brighter it will be.

Though princess cut and round cut diamonds have a similar number of surfaces that reflect and refract light, known as facets 58, the edges and facet diameter make a slight difference in their brilliance. Round brilliant cut diamonds reflect 90 percent light and are the most sparkly stones, whereas princess cut diamonds reflect 70 percent light and are the first runner in the race of brilliance.

Princess Cut Vs. Round Cut Diamonds: Clarity

The clarity in diamonds means the absence of imperfections classified as inclusions (internal) and blemishes (external imperfections). It is measured on a GIA clarity scale with 11 grades of varying transparency and precision. Accurate processing results in clear, brilliant diamonds regardless of the type of cut. Nevertheless, round-cut diamonds reflect maximum light due to their broad facets and can better hide flaws than the princess cut. Regardless, always choose the brightest diamonds you can afford.

Princess Cut Vs. Round Cut Diamonds: Pricing and Worth

In a nutshell, round-cut diamonds are the most expensive diamonds. There are two main reasons for that. Firstly, chiseling and crafting the perfect round-cut diamonds produce about 60 percent of waste, leading to a significant loss of raw material. In contrast, princess-cut diamonds produce only 20 percent scrap. Secondly, round-cut diamonds are more in demand on the market.

Princess Cut Vs. Round Cut Diamonds: Durability and Wearability

The best build diamonds are the most durable regardless of the type of cut. However, the shape and edges of the diamond cut dictate its wearability and daily use. Princess-cut diamonds' square or rectangular edges snag more on clothes and furnishing than round-cut diamonds. Therefore, choosing a princess-cut diamond for merely a voguish look will not be a good idea if you have a busy lifestyle. Round-cut diamonds can be long-lasting and can stand the test of time with you. Anyhow one can research the ring setting that will be suitable.

The Ring Setting

The famous ring settings for an engagement or a wedding ring are halo, prong or solitaire, bezel, burnish, Chanel, tension, pave, cathedral, and cluster. Amongst many of these settings, prong and bezel go well with any type of stone cut. Nevertheless, given the snagging feature of princess-cut diamonds, the prong setting will not be suitable. Consider the bezel setting for this modish cut. Moreover, you can choose a prong, bezel, and burnish setting for cushion-cut diamonds.

Does Princess Cut Looks Bigger than Round Cut Diamonds?

Owing to the size of the table (top part of the diamond) and pavilion (bottom part), a one-carat square modified brilliant diamond looks much larger than a one-carat cushion-cut diamond.

Summing Up:

Princess Cut Vs. Round Cut Diamonds: Which One is Better? Though both diamond cuts have their unique shape, look, and features, their selection is based on your use and affordability. Invest in a round-cut diamond if you desire the most brilliant sparkling diamond for your engagement/wedding that lasts forever and you have a busy lifestyle. Similarly, spending on a princess-cut diamond is better if you want a voguish look in your ring or another jewelry article, and you don't bother snagging it on clothes.