What is the name of a square diamond?

Question: Hi Diamond Buying Advice,

I was wondering what you call the diamond that has a square shape? Is this a good choice for an engagement ring?

J.R.

Answer: Hi J.R, 

The shape you are talking about must be the Princess cut diamond. It is the second most popular choice for engagement rings. It does have a pretty name. This shape falls in the category of Fancy Cut, which is any shape that is not a Round Brilliant. If you get this kind of shape and want it to look very clear and sparkly choose anything with a letter designation of D, E, F, G, H or I color. The diamond labelled an "I" color would be the most affordable. I recommend to look for a diamond which also has a cut rating of "Excellent".

A diamond with a cut rating of "Excellent Cut" will make a bigger difference than choosing one with a higher color grade.

Say you have the choice of two Princess cut diamonds.

1. One is an "I" color, with an "Excellent" cut.
2. The other is a "G" color with a "Good" cut.

You'll be much happier with the one that has an Excellent cut even though it has a slightly lower color grade of "I".

Fancy Cut diamonds which, as mentioned above, are any diamonds cut into a shape other than Round Brilliant. Fancy Cut diamonds do not have a section on their grading report which mentions the Cut Grade. Fortunately most vendors mention if the cut is Good, Very Good, Premium, Ideal/Excellent.

Diamond Grading Reports issued by GIA, AGSL, or EGL are considered trustworthy descriptions. These labs give you a decent and accurate description of the diamond, though they don't all have the exact same parameters. It's good when you can view the grading report when buying a diamond online.

Here you can see which diamond vendors let you see each diamond's grading report on their website.

Some sites call the Grading Report a Diamond Certificate, though the diamond grading labs actually call them Grading Reports as well as Diamond Dossiers for stones smaller than 1 ct.