Princess Cut Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Fire

The cutting design behind our princess has 85 facets; the model sits on a 41.94° pavilion and runs 68.5% deep, sharp corners and all. Those corners are where it chips, so V-prongs usually guard them.

In moissanite it has two pros and two cons, and they are lopsided: the fire gain over diamond is large, and so is the light it gives up against the T73. Face-up size per carat is level with the round, 101 against 100, so size is not a point either way. It holds what light it has when tipped: Tilt 95, against 94 for the T73 and 89 for a diamond princess. We do not count that as a pro. The T73 is only a point behind, and the diamond princess, which keeps less when tipped, is brighter face-up: 57 against 51, too wide a gap for the tilt edge to matter.

Of the square outlines we measure in moissanite, it returns the least light. The Square returns 82, the Asscher 64 and the Emerald Square 58.

Princess cut moissanite: should you choose it? Pros and cons

Pros

Far more fire than a diamond princess 95 vs 83
Lighter than in diamond 1.35 vs 1.48 ct

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite and with the Princess Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 4% (face-up size per carat) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Princess Cut in moissanite (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: ahead on 1, level on 1, behind on 6.

Global78, the comparison 91, difference −13
Brilliance51, the comparison 86, difference −35
Fire95, the comparison 97, difference −2
Scintillation78, the comparison 80, difference −2
Spread95, the comparison 100, difference −5
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm80, the comparison 93, difference −13
Tilt95, the comparison 94, difference +1

Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring. Spread is the census's estimate from depth alone; the face-up size in the pros and cons is measured from each model's outline.

Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What moissanite gains in a princess cut

Far more fire than a diamond princess

Fire 95 against 83 for the Princess Cut in diamond: 12 points higher

The diamond princess scores 83; in moissanite the same facets score 95, close to the T73's 97.

Princess cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 95) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

Princess cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 83) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Lighter than in diamond

1.35 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.48 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

At 68.5% deep, the princess puts a lot of stone below the girdle. Moissanite, at 3.22 against 3.52, makes that stone lighter for the same size.

A Princess Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Princess Cut page

The catch with a princess moissanite

Much less light than a round

Brilliance 51 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 35 points lower

51 against 86, and below the diamond princess's 57. The 41.94° pavilion is above moissanite's 39.5° guide minimum; we have not measured a steeper princess.

Princess cut in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 51) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

T73 round brilliant in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 86) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: For a square outline, the Square returns 82, the brightest square we measure in moissanite. For the most light overall, DG-M5 Moissanite at 98.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

More leakage than a round

Leakage 17 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 10 points higher

The princess lets 17% of the light in our census out through its pavilion, more than twice the T73's 7%. In diamond it loses about the same, 18%.

Princess cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 26% of the face leaking — Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Princess cut in moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 24% of the face leaking — Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: The share does not change with size. The Square leaks 11%, DG-Anteros Moissanite 3%.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

Who a princess moissanite suits

The princess suits a modern square solitaire, or a row of square stones, where the sharp outline is the point and colour is welcome. It is not the square to choose for brilliance.

For a square moissanite with more light, choose the Square. For more sparkle, the Cushion scores 85 against the princess's 78.

Princess Cut Moissanite: questions

Is princess cut moissanite bright?

Not by a round's standard, nor by the Square's: Brilliance 51, against 86 for the T73 and 82 for the Square.

Princess or square cut moissanite?

The Square returns far more light (82 against 51) and leaks less (11% against 17%). Sparkle is level (78 against 78), and the princess has more fire (95 against 91).

Does princess cut moissanite have more fire than diamond?

It does: 95 for fire, where a diamond princess of the same design reaches 83.

How much does a 6.5 mm princess moissanite weigh?

1.35 ct for a stone 6.5 mm on each side; the diamond figure is 1.48 ct.

Get the Princess Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Princess Cut 3D files

The Princess Cut as exact geometry: 93 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
GLBWeb, AR and quick previews

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files

GemCad96 index

Princess Cut cutting files

The Princess Cut as a faceting design: 81 + 4 girdles = 85 facets, 96 index, 4-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
.csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Moissanite: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Princess Cut: specifications, model and files

Princess Cut Moissanite: far more fire than a diamond princess