The cut or make of diamonds is actually the sum of 3 separate factors: the proportions of the cuts, the finish or polish of the diamond and the symmetry of the diamonds facets. The complete purpose of all three is to reflect as much light back out of the diamond as is possible, to figuratively light up a dark room. Of these three the proportions represent the actual finished overall shape of the diamond. Although the exact dimensional ratios for an ideal cut diamond have not been agreed upon internationally, the terminology used is standard around the world. Table, crown, crown height, crown angle, girdle, pavilion, pavilion depth and pavilion angle are the basic standard terms used to describe the proportions of a cut diamond. If you look down at a diamond set in a diamond ring the top most flat part is called the table.

The largest diameter of the diamond as you look down on it further is called the girdle. This top part of the diamond from the girdle up to the table is called the crown and of course the crown height and crown angle refer to the depth of this part of the diamond and the angle from the girdle up to the table. The part of the diamond that you don’t see when you look down at a diamond ring is called the pavilion, the part from the girdle down to the bottom of the diamond. The bottom of a modern diamond is generally pointed. The distance down from the girdle to this point is called the pavilion depth. The angle from the girdle edge to this point is the pavilion angle.

The polish of a diamond is pretty much self-explanatory. It is a lot like when you polish your car. Sometimes there are marks left and sometimes the car wash does a better job than other times. In a similar fashion, the diamond finish is graded by the diamond industry. Good, very good, excellent and ideal for example are grade designations for polished diamonds.

The symmetry of a diamond refers to the shape, size and proportions of the facets cut into the crown. Are the facets all of consistent shape around the crown of the diamond? Do the points of one facet align perfectly with the next facet? Are the lines of the cuts straight or wavy? Are the facets perfectly flat? These are questions used to define the symmetry of a modern cut diamond.

The modern princess cut diamond ring is result of over five hundred years of refinement of the art and science of diamond cutting. Princess cut diamonds take advantage of the natural molecular structure of diamonds in order to create the maximum amount of sparkle and shine, which is technically known as “fire.” Princess cut diamond rings have a great deal more of this fire than most traditional round cuts.

If you can visualize two pyramids joined at the base – an eight-sided polyhedron, or octagon – you know what diamonds look life when they first come out of the ground. The reason for this has to do with the shape of the carbon molecules that make up diamond crystals. When jewelers finally learned how to cut this substance, they simply followed the gem’s natural shape. Princess cut diamonds represent the pinnacle of the diamond cutter’s art.

Princess cut diamonds first appeared almost thirty years ago, and was the innovation of a Los Angeles diamond cutter named Israel Itzkowitz. Prior to this time, the stones used in diamond rings were either “round cut” – with equal cuts around the face of the stone – or “square cut” – meaning that four sides were long and the other four were short, so the face of the diamond approximated a rectangular shape. A Princess cut diamond ring is the result of three years of intense study on the part of Itzkowitz in his attempts to come up with a cut that combined the best features of both the round and the square cuts.

Princess cut diamonds, also called “modified square brilliant,” are the second most popular choice today for diamond engagement rings and other jewelry. Both traditional white and the wide range of colored diamonds account for most of the mounted and loose diamonds sold today. One of the reasons that Princess cut diamond rings are rapidly gaining in popularity is not only because of its brilliance compared to other cuts; it is in fact the most economical way to cut a diamond. Of all diamond cuts, the princess cut wastes the least of the original stone, so it retains substantially more of its original weight. Because of this, these pieces are less costly than similar rings with round cut gems. All around, a princess cut diamond ring represent the best jewelry value on a per-carat basis.