Princess Cut Engagement Rings · Bedfordview, Johannesburg
Princess-cut engagement rings, made to order in South Africa.
The princess cut is a square brilliant: crisp, modern geometry with the fire of a round, and because the square shape wastes less of the rough it often delivers more carat per rand. Every Prodiam princess ring is made to order in our Bedfordview workshop, with the centre stone cut on our own bench or sourced to order and set in protective V-claws as a solitaire or halo in the metal you choose.
Natural, GIA-certified diamonds, priced on application, with insured delivery anywhere in South Africa.
Brief us on a princess-cut ring See loose diamonds → Custom engagement rings →
A princess cut from the Prodiam bench, yours made to order
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2.00 ct princess cut, halo setting -
The same ring, V-claws protecting the corners
A past princess commission, photographed at the bench. Each ring is made to order around your chosen stone and priced on application; nothing shown is offered as stock.
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Natural diamonds only
Mined-Earth, never lab-grown, by conviction, not price. Kimberley-Process documented from the mine of origin. Why we don’t sell lab-grown →
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GIA & EGL certified
Every loose stone certified by the GIA or EGL. Cert PDF supplied per stone.
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Insured delivery, SA & worldwide
Overnight across South Africa via Brink’s, G4S or our nominated jewellery courier. Insured worldwide dispatch via Ferrari Group and FedEx Custom Critical.
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14-day in-person exchange
In-person sales at the viewing room come with a 14-day exchange courtesy on stock pieces. Distance-sale CPA cooling-off applies.
These are not marketing prices. Every figure below is a certified stone available to us today at a price you could pay this afternoon, taken from our own live inventory on 3 September 2026 and refreshed each time the site is published. Not a teaser, not a from-price on something already sold.
What a princess engagement ring costs
Almost all of the price is the centre stone. A one carat princess at H colour and SI1 clarity is about R49 100, and we can reach 348 of them right now. That is roughly R5 000 more than the same stone as a round brilliant, which is scarcity rather than quality: fewer are cut, so fewer are cut well. The setting is a much smaller number on top and we make it here.
| Centre stone | Typical | Entry | Available | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| half carat | R12 600 | R10 500 | 36 629 | See princesss → |
| 1 carat | R60 200 | R41 900 | 28 838 | See princesss → |
| 1.5 carat | R152 100 | R101 700 | 12 496 | See princesss → |
| 2 carat | R329 200 | R195 500 | 6 378 | See princesss → |
| 3 carat | R849 000 | R568 000 | 2 213 | See princesss → |
Typical is H colour and SI1 clarity, the spec most people buy and the one that looks white and clean to the eye. Entry is the honest floor at that weight, usually a warmer colour. Both are stones we can put in front of you this week.
Ask about a princess See all 348 at one carat →
No two diamonds are the same
A table describes a market, not a stone. Two diamonds identical on paper can differ by a third in price and both figures be right: how well the stone is actually cut and how much light it returns, where the inclusions sit and whether the eye finds them, how strongly it fluoresces, and how keenly that one happens to be priced against the international trade benchmark on the day. We check every stone against that benchmark before we show it to anybody, and the number that matters is the one quoted in writing on the stone you actually choose.
Ask us what your budget buys Search the live inventory →
Prices last updated 3 September 2026, from live market stock, rounded up to the next R100. A written quote is exact and usually does better.
The princess cut: square outline, brilliant fire
A princess is a square modified brilliant, brilliant-style faceting arranged in a square outline, so it keeps much of the round’s fire while reading as crisp, contemporary and architectural on the hand. The clean straight sides sit beautifully against modern bands and channel-set shoulders, and the flat top catches light in sharp flashes rather than the soft scatter of a round.
For a buyer who wants sparkle but a more modern line than a classic round, the princess is the natural choice.
Protecting the corners
The princess’s one vulnerability is its four pointed corners, where the crystal comes to a fine point. Left exposed those points can chip, so a princess is held in protective V-claws that wrap each corner and shield it, the standard, correct way to set the shape.
Set this way, a princess is entirely robust for everyday wear; the risk people sometimes hear about only arises from a thin or careless setting that leaves the corners unguarded. We build the V-claws into every princess ring as a matter of course.
Settings for a princess, halo and solitaire
- Solitaire, the square stone alone in a four-corner V-claw head, the cleanest way to show its geometry.
- Halo, a square or cushion pavé frame that squares up the outline and adds size and light, as on the ring shown above.
- Channel-set shoulders, small princess or round diamonds set flush into the band, a natural match for the cut’s straight lines.
- Three-stone, a princess centre with princess or tapered side stones, balanced to the centre on our bench.
Why a princess can stretch the budget
A princess is cut from the rough with far less waste than a round, so the cutting yields more finished carat from the same crystal, and that efficiency reaches you as better value per carat. It is the practical reason a princess of a given weight typically costs less than a round of the same weight and grade.
| Choice | What we make to order |
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| Length-to-width | ~1.00–1.05 for a true square; above ~1.10 reads rectangular |
| Carat | From around 0.50 ct to 4 ct and above, to your budget and hand |
| Colour | D–F colourless, or G–I near-colourless; princess corners can hold colour, so we check face-up |
| Clarity | An eye-clean VS–SI1, chosen so inclusions do not show |
| Metal | 18k white, yellow or rose gold, or platinum, with V-claws |
| Certification | GIA / EGL certified; report supplied with the stone |
Pricing is on application, the stone drives the figure, and you receive a firm ZAR quote, VAT inclusive, before any work begins.
How a princess ring is made to order
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Brief
Ratio, carat, colour and clarity range, setting style, metal, budget and deadline. We respond within 24 hours.
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Choose the stone
We present GIA-certified princess cuts on the daylight tray or by video, each with its report.
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Build & cast
The setting is built and cast in your chosen metal, with V-claws and any halo pavé matched at the bench.
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Set & finish
The princess is set with each corner protected, the ring hand-polished, and checked under loupe and microscope.
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Hand-over
Presentation at Bedfordview by appointment, or insured overnight courier nationwide. Certification and a written valuation included.
Comparing shapes? See the round brilliant, oval, emerald and radiant cuts, or start from the loose diamonds on the bench. When you are ready, brief us and Darren will come back within 24 hours.
Princess cut engagement rings: common questions
Is a princess cut cheaper than a round of the same carat?
Often, yes, per carat. A princess cut is sawn from the rough crystal with far less waste than a round, the square shape keeps more of the original stone, so the cutter passes on better carat-for-carat value. It also faces up with a slightly smaller table than a round of equal weight, so you are buying more weight for the money rather than more face-up size.
Either way the stone drives the figure; we quote a firm price on application before any work.
Do princess cut diamonds chip easily?
A princess has four sharp, pointed corners, and those points are the vulnerable part of any square cut, left exposed they can chip. The fix is in the setting: we hold a princess in protective V-claws that wrap and cover each corner, which is standard practice for the shape. Set properly, a princess is perfectly robust for everyday wear; the risk only arises with a thin or careless setting.
What is the best length-to-width ratio for a princess cut?
For a true square princess, a length-to-width ratio of about 1.00 to 1.05 reads as square to the eye. Above roughly 1.10 the stone starts to look rectangular, which some buyers prefer. The report lists the measurements so you can work out the ratio, and we will show you stones at different ratios so you can see the difference before you choose.
Are princess cut diamonds GIA certified and graded for cut?
Our princess diamonds are GIA or EGL certified, with carat, colour and clarity graded in full on the report. GIA does not assign an overall cut grade to fancy shapes such as the princess, it grades polish and symmetry only, so the cutter’s skill, not a printed cut grade, governs how bright and even the stone looks. That is the part a working cutting house controls.
Can you make a princess cut engagement ring if I am not in Johannesburg?
Yes, clients commission princess cut rings from Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Gqeberha and across South Africa. The stone and design conversation happens by video and WhatsApp, you approve the diamond and the setting, and the finished ring is delivered insured and overnight nationwide via Brink’s or G4S, with its certification and a written insurance valuation on request.