How To Choose Princess Cut Diamond Rings
When you’re shopping for princess cut diamond rings, there are several things you need to pay close attention to before you spend any money. You need to evaluate the color, clarity and quality of the diamond. This article will tell you how.
The Color
Princess cut diamond rings are brilliant cuts. Brilliant cuts refract light extremely well, which is wonderful for that sparkle factor, but this also makes the color quality of the diamond more difficult to really see. You need to take more care when buying a princess cut diamond than you do with a round diamond, because princess cuts don’t return as much light and color quality is more obvious.
If your princess cut diamond ring has a yellow gold band, look for a diamond rated between J and K. For platinum or white gold settings, look for a rating from G to I. if your ring has accent diamonds, make sure they are either the same color or a bit darker in order to better feature your princess cut diamond.
The Clarity
All diamonds have inclusions, small flaws inside the diamond made from crystals and minerals. This isn’t a bad thing…they are often referred to as the diamond’s fingerprint, because they make each diamond unique. Princess cut diamonds are generally very good at hiding these flaws. You do need to consider durability though, since this cut has sharp corners that are prone to chipping. Look for princess cut diamonds that are graded VS2 or SI1 and are confirmed to be clean to the naked eye.
The Cut Quality
The cut quality for your princess cut diamond ring can be difficult to determine. There is no consensus in the diamond industry as to what makes a princess cut diamond perfect, and they are generally only rated on their symmetry and polish. There are some guidelines that you can follow that will make evaluating quality easier.
Look for a stone that has between 65% and 75% total depth, with lower being better as it will give the best balance between size and brilliance. Keep under 75% for the table percentage. You will most likely find princess cut diamond rings with a table percentage between about 70% and 78%. Smaller that that is much harder to find.