Princess cut
A square diamond with sharp, pointed corners and a brilliant-style facet pattern.
Easily confused with
How to read it
GIA calls the princess cut the square modified brilliant: a square outline with pointed corners and brilliant-style facets, whose corners may need extra protection when set. Its deep pavilion puts much of the weight at the bottom of the stone, which GIA says can make a princess look slightly smaller than other square shapes of the same weight.
Also searched as: princess cut diamond, square diamond, square modified brilliant.
Grades describe a stone as a grading laboratory saw it. This page explains the grading scales; it doesn’t grade or value any stone.
Princess or radiant?
Both are square or rectangular brilliants. The princess keeps sharp corners; the radiant has its corners cropped.
More diamond grading
Sources
- Guide to Diamond Engagement Ring Shapes (GIA 4Cs), Gemological Institute of America
- Israel Itzkowitz, Coinventor of Princess Cut, Dies (Rapaport), Joshua Freedman, 12 March 2023, Rapaport
- The History of Princess Cut Diamonds (International Gem Society), Diana Jarrett, International Gem Society
Last reviewed September 28, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research