The Princess Cut Diamond was invented in 1964 by M. Weistreich as a way to provide a square diamond cut with facets equal to the round brilliant cut. It is more reflective and lightweight than previous square cuts and is ideal for certain settings. However, the faceted corners can be vulnerable to injury.
The Princess Cut Diamond is a relatively new way of cutting a diamond. It was first developed in 1964 as a way to provide a square diamond cut with facets equal to the round diamond cut known as the brilliant cut. It is essentially a square version of a round brilliant. Its invention is attributed to M. Weistreich, a Belgian diamond cutter also responsible for the development of the King Diamond cut.
Prior to the development of the Princess Cut Diamond, square diamond cuts were not typically multi-faceted. These were called emerald cuts and did not take advantage of the extra sparkle that can be added when a diamond is numerous facets. Therefore, emerald cut diamonds were not preferred as they lacked the brilliant nature of round cuts.
A square cut before the Princess Cut Diamond included additional facets on the bottom of the diamond to open the stone up to more light penetration. This was called a profile cut. It has been suggested that the Princess Cut Diamond is actually a variety of the profile cut.
However, the profile cut was still not as reflective or lightweight as the Princess Cut Diamond would be. Therefore, diamond and jewelry manufacturers worked to develop a cut that would be ideal for certain settings that require a square stone.
Some settings tend to be more attractive with a square diamond. For example, the typical anniversary band called an eternity ring benefits from each diamond being a princess cut diamond.
Also, certain rough shaped diamonds are most ideal for shaping into a princess cut diamond. In fact, the Princess Cut Diamond tends to be slightly less expensive because there are more rough diamonds to choose from to cut.
There are some rough stones that are not adaptable for Princess Cut Diamond styles. Shallow stones don’t work particularly well. Another downside to the Princess Cut Diamond is that the faceted corners on top of the diamond can be slightly weaker if they are very thin and can be more vulnerable to injury. Jewelers often set a princess cut diamond in a way that protects all four corners of the stone to try to reduce damage to the points.
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