Second only to the ubiquitous Round Brilliant in terms of popularity, the Princess cut (also known as the Square Modified Brilliant) is the most sought after square brilliant cut style in jewelry. Created in the 1960's, it has gained popularity in recent years among gem buyers who want a more distinctive cut than the traditional round, and among diamond cutters who appreciate the fact that this cut retains about 80% of the crystal rough as opposed to only 50% for the Round Brilliant. The Princess cut features a a step-modified or "Double-French" or "Cross" cut crown and a series of chevron shaped facets on its pavilion. Both of these contribute to the distinctive cross shaped reflection when the stone is viewed face up, or through the table facet.
But since the Princess cut is so well known, I felt no need to include its picture for this blog post. Today, we turn our attention to the following that are newer and relatively lesser known, but nonetheless stunningly beautiful square brilliant cuts that feature step faceting on the crown and brillianteered faceting on the pavilion. As pictured from L-R respectively:
First up is the Lucida(R) cut diamond. This is a brand name cut of Tiffany & Co. released into the market in 1999. The Lucida(R) can be a modified square or a rectangular cut with truncated corners featuring a step crown, an asterisk pattern on its pavilion, and a total of 50 facets in all. Understandably, this patented cut is sold exclusively through Tiffany's retail chain.
Next in line is the Lucere(R) cut that is close in appearance to the Lucida(R). Like the aforementioned, it is a square cut stone with truncated corners and a brilllianteered pavilion. However, the Lucere(R) exceeds Tiffany's Lucida(R) in terms of number of facets, boasting a sum of 65 facets in the the crown and the pavilion.
Last but not least is the Flander's Brilliant, which is my sentimental favorite. Also known as a modified brilliant with truncated corners, the Flanders Brilliant has 33 crown facets and 28 pavilion facets. The cut was developed in Belgium in 1983 and is named after the Flanders (Antwerp) region of the country where the cut was first performed in 1987.
If you're looking to expand your collection of square cut diamonds, you might want to venture off the well beaten path and consider any of these exquisite square cuts that were designed to maximize brilliance.
But since the Princess cut is so well known, I felt no need to include its picture for this blog post. Today, we turn our attention to the following that are newer and relatively lesser known, but nonetheless stunningly beautiful square brilliant cuts that feature step faceting on the crown and brillianteered faceting on the pavilion. As pictured from L-R respectively:
First up is the Lucida(R) cut diamond. This is a brand name cut of Tiffany & Co. released into the market in 1999. The Lucida(R) can be a modified square or a rectangular cut with truncated corners featuring a step crown, an asterisk pattern on its pavilion, and a total of 50 facets in all. Understandably, this patented cut is sold exclusively through Tiffany's retail chain.
Next in line is the Lucere(R) cut that is close in appearance to the Lucida(R). Like the aforementioned, it is a square cut stone with truncated corners and a brilllianteered pavilion. However, the Lucere(R) exceeds Tiffany's Lucida(R) in terms of number of facets, boasting a sum of 65 facets in the the crown and the pavilion.
Last but not least is the Flander's Brilliant, which is my sentimental favorite. Also known as a modified brilliant with truncated corners, the Flanders Brilliant has 33 crown facets and 28 pavilion facets. The cut was developed in Belgium in 1983 and is named after the Flanders (Antwerp) region of the country where the cut was first performed in 1987.
If you're looking to expand your collection of square cut diamonds, you might want to venture off the well beaten path and consider any of these exquisite square cuts that were designed to maximize brilliance.