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.
Read next
- Next in Diamond gradingCarat (ct)A unit of weight for gemstones: one carat is 200 milligrams, divided into 100 points.
- The same shape in Acura dashboard symbolsAcura Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) indicatorAcura’s Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) indicator comes on when there is a problem with RDM or when the system has shut itself off. RDM is the Acura system that warns, steers and sometimes brakes when the car is about to cross detected lane markings or leave the road.
More diamond grading
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines or squares and rectangles.
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
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 28, 2026. How we research
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