The Depth of Princess Cut Diamonds

When shopping for princess cut diamond rings the thing you should ask about it the stone's "depth". This is because in a round stone such as the princess cut the stone's brilliance is a matter of how well proportioned the stone's "spread" is to its "depth." The spread refers to the stone's ultimate surface area at the top of the gem. If the spread is too shallow it will not reflect light properly. If the spread is too deep then it will not reflect light well either.

The depth to which princess cut diamonds are scored can also affect its beauty and brilliance. This is because the deeper the stone is cut, the less spread (surface area) there is at the top of the stone. The more shallow the stone is cut, the more spread there will be at the top of the stone.

This issue of depth and spread can get quite technical when you are looking at princess cut diamond rings because the princess cut is quite complicated and involves the manipulation of several angles. In a totally round stone the ideal cut is a total depth is a percentage of the average diameter of the stone. In a princess cut diamonds the ideal cut is ten percent deeper than the average diameter of the stone. By the way, an ideal cut diamond is one that reflects the maximum amount of light.

When shopping for princess cut diamonds rings, ask the dealer or jeweler what the depth of the princess cut stone is. If he says 60% then it is not an ideal cut princess diamond. The best quality princess cut diamond rings will have a depth of about 70%.

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