How Much Does A Princess Cut Diamond Cost In 2026? (UK Prices)
Prices of Princess Cut Diamonds can range from a couple of hundred pound to over £100,000 and in this guide, I’m going to cover all of the different factors that affect how much Princess Diamonds cost.
Quick Summary
- A 1ct Princess Cut Diamond can cost between £896 and £6,177
- The 4 C’s (Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat) and Fluorescence all play a factor in how much a Diamond costs
Let’s take a deeper look into the different factors that affect the price of Princess Cut Diamonds and for this post, I’m just going to be looking a colourless stones.
Prices updated: 25th September 2026
Carat
As with all Diamonds, Princess Cuts are priced on a per carat basis and generally, the more a stone weighs (carat is the weight of the stone, not the size), the more it costs per carat than an equivalent quality stone that weighs less and you can see this in the table below:
The stones listed below are: G Colour, VS Clarity.
| Diamond Weight | Price Per Carat | Price Per Stone | View Diamonds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 Carat | £1,078 – £2,684 | £539 – £1,342 | View 0.5 Carat Diamonds |
| 1 Carat | £1,769 – £4,207 | £1,769 – £4,207 | View 1 Carat Diamonds |
| 2 Carat | £5,712 – £10,172 | £11,424 – £20,345 | View 2 Carat Diamonds |
| 3 Carat | £8,634 – £11,725 | £25,902 – £35,177 | View 3 Carat Diamonds |
In comparison, Princess Cuts cost on average 20-25% less per carat than the equivalent quality Round Brilliants.
Another thing to note is that the price per carat can jump (sometimes significantly) with stones that weight more than benchmark weights, such as 1 or 2 carats.
For example, with these two stones:
- 1.90 Carat G/VS1 (6.71mm x 6.70mm) – £5,087 per carat
- 2.01 Carat G/VS1 (6.73mm x 6.72mm) – £5,811 per carat
These two stones would look very similar when placed next to each other (I thought the 1.90 carat stone looked better) but the one is nearly £800 more per carat but why?
Desirability, as most people prefer to say they have a 2ct Diamond than explaining it weighs 1.95ct.
As you move past the 3ct mark, the number of stones available does decrease quite a bit, especially for higher quality stones as Princess Cut isn’t a popular cut choice for larger stones due to potentially durability with corners.
TCW: You may see this advertised on some finished jewellery, this is the Total Carat Weight of the Diamonds on the piece, not the weight of the main stone.
Colour
As one of the 4 C’s, Colour also has an impact on the price of a Princess Cut Diamond and the better the colour, the more expensive the stone (assuming all other quality factors are equal).
But how much does colour impact on price? In the table below, I’ve shown the prices for 1 Carat, VS1 Clarity stones with different colour grades:
| Colour | Price Per Carat | View Diamonds |
|---|---|---|
| D | £2,719 – £3,871 | View D Colour Diamonds |
| G | £2,197 – £3,878 | View G Colour Diamonds |
| J | £1,153 – £3,603 | View J Colour Diamonds |
As you can see, the better the colour, the higher the price per carat but is it worth paying a premium for a D, E or F colour Diamond?
Potentially, especially if you want a completely colourless stone as Princess Cuts aren’t quite as Round Brilliants for masking colour.
G Colour stones are colourless when viewed face-up but aren’t as bright as D-F stones and a hint of colour does start to become noticeable at grade H.
But it all comes down to personal preference as some people prefer the warmer look you get with stone that have a lower colour grade.
Clarity
Clarity also has an impact on the price of Princess Cut Diamonds and stones with a higher clarity grade will cost more:
| Clarity | Price Per Carat | View Diamonds |
|---|---|---|
| SI1 | £1,496 – £1,871 | View SI1 Clarity Diamonds |
| VS1 | £2,197 – £3,878 | View VS1 Clarity Diamonds |
| VVS1 | £2,297 – £5,790 | View VVS1 Clarity Diamonds |
The prices are based on a 1 Carat, G Colour stones.
When it comes to Princess Cut Diamonds and Clairty, there are a couple of things to note:
- Due to having larger tables, there is more chance that inclusions may be visible under the table than in some other cut styles
- With lower clarity grades, care should be taken with inclusions that are in the corners as they can (but not always) cause some durability issues
One thing that you will notice when looking at Diamonds is that stones with the same Clarity and quality can sometimes have a sometime noteable price differences but why?
It simply comes down to how noticeable the inclusions are, using the SI1 stone pictured above:
- The inclusions are right in the middle of the table and being dark, they are pretty obvious
- If the inclusions were lighter and positioned under the crown facets, the stone would still have an SI1 clarity grade but the stone would look better and would have a higher price per carat
But should you go for the highest clarity grade possible?
In most cases, no. This is because when you move past VS1 Clarity, it becomes very difficult to see the inclusions, especially with the naked eye and it takes a trained Diamond grader to spot the difference between a VS1, VVS2 and Flawless Diamonds.
When looking to buy, a VS1, VS2 or SI1 will in most cases be your best option and I would avoid any I clarity diamonds, even if the prices are very attractive.
Always look at the Diamonds before deciding to buy and don’t just buy from the information on the report as the clarity grade alone doesn’t tell you what the Diamond will look like.
Cut
You may have noticed that in all of the pricing tables above I haven’t included a cut grade as part of my example criteria and there is a good reason for this…
Currently, the GIA does not give a cut grade for Princess Cut Diamonds and even though many sites will list a Cut Grade, if you check the GIA report for any of the stones, you will see that it doesn’t have one.
The only grading lab that currently gives Princess Cut Diamonds a cut grade is IGI and I’ve listed the criteria for their Excellent grade in the table below:
| IGI Excellent | |
|---|---|
| Length to Width Ratio | 1.00 – 1.05 |
| Depth % | 65 – 73 |
| Table % | 65 – 74 |
| Crown Height % | 8 – 14.5 |
| Pavilion Depth % | 54.5 – 62 |
| Girdle Thickness | Thin – Slightly Thick |
| Culet Size | None – Small |
The GIA does grade Princess Cut Diamonds on their Symmetry and Polish, with each being graded as either Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good or Excellent.
Most retailers don’t stock Poor or Fair graded stones but when it comes to price, the grades do overlap quite a bit, as can be seen in the table below (based on 1ct G/VS stones):
| Good | Excellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Polish | £2,263 – £2,899 | £1,568 – £4,361 |
| Symmetry | £1,875 – £2,899 | £1,579 – £5,221 |
One thing to talk about when it comes to Princess Cut Diamonds is chevrons, now these don’t have an impact on the price but they are something to consider when choosing a Princess Cut as they do affect how the stone looks.
The number of chevrons can range from two to five or more and the more chevrons a stone has, the more facets there are for light to reflect from and this can increase scintillation and give the stone more of a crushed ice look.
As to how many chevrons to go for? That all comes down to personal preference as to which design you prefer and while you can get an idea of this from pictures and videos, this is best seen in person.
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is one of the things that has a big impact on a Diamond’s price but is something that many people don’t really understand (including many within the industry).
This is because fluorescence only has a negative impact on a small number of Diamonds as it can give the stone a milky appearance but this only usually happens in stones that have very strong fluorescence and most retailers don’t sell these.
When Diamonds are graded, the fluorescence is checked and given a grade between None and Very Strong and even though most retailers don’t sell Diamonds with Very Strong fluorescence, there is still a big difference in price between a Diamond with no fluorescence and one with strong fluorescence.
Reports (Certificates)
Another factor that affects the price of a Diamond is whether or not it comes with a report (often incorrectly called a certificate).
The reason why it affects the price is that a report contains information about the quality of the Diamond, such as the colour, clarity and size, which gives customers more confidence when buying a Diamond.
But not all reports are equal as a Diamond with a report from the GIA, which is regarded by many as the gold standard when it comes to gem labs, will have a higher price than the same quality Diamond with a report from IGI.
Most of the main retailers, especially ones that sell loose Diamonds only stock stones that come with GIA reports and I do recommend buying a Diamond with a GIA report.
Avoid Diamonds that are accompanied by any documentation that says Certificate or Certificate of Authenticity as reputable gem labs only issue reports.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many different elements that affect the differences in Diamond prices and sometimes there can be very subtle differences that mean one Diamond is worth more than another, even though on paper they are of the same quality.
So when it comes to getting the best Diamond for your money, what do you need to look for:
- Colour – an F or G Colour Diamond will be colourless but won’t attract the premium of a D or E colour Diamond but will look the same when set in a piece of jewelry
- Clarity – a VS1, VS2 or good SI1 will look clean to the naked eye but won’t attract the premium of a VVS, IF or F Diamond
- Cut – Princess Cuts aren’t cut graded but I would recommend going for a stone with Very Good or Excellent Symmetry
- Reports – if possible, go for a Diamond with a GIA report but don’t buy the stone just from the information on the report, always look at the stone
- Fluorescence – not as big of an issue as some people make it out to be, in general only Diamonds with very strong fluorescence will have any kind of visual impact on the stone
I'm Paul Haywood FGA DGA, the owner and founder of Haywoods Gems, I'm a fully qualified Gemmologist and Diamond Grader from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain.