Princess Cut Diamonds

The Princess cut diamond is a relatively new shape, created around 1980. It has a square shape with a modified brilliant cut arrangement of facets instead of a step cut. They are designed for getting maximum brilliance from a square cut and have either 50 or 58 facets, depending on how the pavilion is cut. In the cutting process, the Princess shape follows the natural crystalline structure of the diamond more effectively than most other shapes. It is this that allow cutters to retain higher yields of the rough carat weight than can be preserved in other diamond shapes, therefore lowering the diamond's cost.