Princess Plus — A Branded Variant of the Princess Cut
Princess Plus — A Branded Variant of the Princess Cut
Proprietary modified princess with extra pavilion facets aimed at higher light return
Princess Plus is a branded variation of the princess cut characterised by additional facets on the pavilion intended to increase brilliance and light return relative to the standard princess. The modification typically introduces additional chevron or kite-shaped facets and brings the total facet count above the conventional fifty-seven or seventy-six of a traditional princess. Like other proprietary princess modifications, Princess Plus is a trademarked name applied by a specific cutting house, and similar designs exist under different proprietary names from competing makers. The cut is applied primarily to diamond and aims to differentiate the stone in a category that has been highly commoditised over the last quarter-century.
Origin and trade context
The princess cut was developed in the early 1970s as a square modified brilliant designed to retain a high yield from octahedral rough while delivering brilliance comparable to a round brilliant. Its standard facet count, depending on the maker, is fifty-seven or seventy-six, with various step-cut and brilliant-facet variants on the pavilion. By the late 1990s, the round brilliant had become the focus of substantial proprietary cutting innovation, and the princess cut followed a few years later. Cutting houses began introducing modified princess cuts under proprietary names, each promising higher fire, brilliance, or scintillation than the standard.
Princess Plus sits in this proprietary-modified-princess category. The number of cutting houses offering branded princess variants now exceeds a dozen, and the differentiation between them is often subtle. The trade-off facing the cutter is that adding facets to the pavilion changes the way light is reflected internally; well-designed extra facets can increase light return, but poorly placed facets can reduce scintillation, increase weight retention in the pavilion belly, and produce a stone that looks heavier than its measured spread.
Optical performance
Light performance in any modified princess depends on three things: the position and angle of the pavilion mains, the position and angle of any added chevrons or stars, and the relationship between pavilion depth and crown height. A well-cut Princess Plus directs more light back to the eye through the table than a poorly cut standard princess would, and the added pavilion facets break up the leaked-light zones characteristic of older princess designs. A poorly cut Princess Plus, by contrast, can produce a darker centre or pronounced bow-tie effect, both of which reduce visual brilliance and have a measurable effect on price per carat.
Independent grading of cut quality on princess-cut diamonds remains less standardised than for round brilliants. GIA assigns polish and symmetry grades to princess cuts and reports proportions on the grading report, but does not issue an overall cut grade for fancy shapes. AGS, in its now-revised grading practice, did publish proportion-based light-performance grades for princess cuts, and the AGS framework remains influential in the trade. Buyers evaluating any branded princess variant, including Princess Plus, should ask for proportion data and ideally for an independent light-performance image such as ASET or Hearts and Arrows imaging where available.
Identification on the bench
A branded princess cut is identified by facet count, facet pattern, and any inscription on the girdle. Princess Plus and similar variants typically inscribe a brand mark and a serial number on the girdle that allows the buyer to verify the cut against the cutting house's records. Without that mark, distinguishing one branded modified princess from another, or from a generic modified princess, is difficult and often not commercially meaningful; the value of the brand depends on its presence on the certificate and on the girdle.
Magnification reveals the additional facet count on the pavilion. A standard fifty-seven-facet princess shows two chevrons per pavilion main; a seventy-six-facet princess shows three chevrons per main; modified branded variants show four or more, sometimes with kite or star facets in non-standard positions. The pattern is visible to anyone with a loupe and a moment to count.
Market position
Branded princess variants, including Princess Plus, command a small premium over generic princess cuts of equivalent grading. The premium is typically modest, in the range of five to fifteen per cent, and reflects the marketing investment of the cutting house and the buyer's confidence that the cut has been engineered for performance rather than yield. The premium does not approach the much larger premium attached to branded round-brilliant cuts such as Hearts on Fire or A. Jaffe Quasar, which can run twenty per cent or more over equivalent generic stones.
Resale value follows the same pattern. A branded princess does not retain the brand premium in the secondary market unless the buyer specifically values it, and most secondary buyers do not. For the original retail buyer, the brand premium should be understood as a one-time cost paid for the design and the marketing, not an investment that will return at sale.
In the trade
For a retailer or designer specifying a princess cut, the choice between a branded variant and a generic well-cut princess comes down to the customer and the price point. Branded variants are useful in higher-end retail where the customer values a documented design and a brand association; generic well-cut princess stones in the same proportion ranges are competitive on price and equally beautiful in the hand. The cutter's reputation, the proportion data on the grading report, and the visual performance of the actual stone matter more than the brand on the certificate.