Square Engagement Rings: Cushion, Princess, and Asscher Compared
Square diamond engagement rings appeal to a specific kind of buyer: someone who likes clean geometry, a stone that fills the finger symmetrically, and an aesthetic that sits between the classic round and the elongated fancy shapes. The three main square diamond options are the cushion cut, the princess cut, and the Asscher cut. They are all square, but they look and behave quite differently, and choosing between them is worth understanding properly before committing.
TL;DR: Cushion, princess, and Asscher cuts are the three primary square diamond shapes. Cushion has rounded corners and a warm, romantic light. Princess has pointed corners and sharp, brilliant sparkle but a chip risk at the tips. Asscher has cropped corners, a square brilliant cut, and a distinctive hall-of-mirrors optical effect. All three are available as bespoke commissions at À Vie Diamonds from £2,000.
The Cushion Cut
The cushion cut is a square or rectangular shape with rounded corners and large facets that create a soft, pillow-like outline. It is the oldest of the three shapes with meaningful historical roots in the old mine cut of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. See our Old Mine and Old European cut guide for that heritage. The modern cushion cut applies contemporary faceting to that traditional outline, producing a stone with strong brilliance and a distinctly warm, romantic character.
Cushion cuts come in two faceting styles. The standard cushion brilliant has larger facets that produce chunky, distinct flashes of light. The cushion modified brilliant has additional facets beneath the girdle that create a crushed ice appearance: many small, bright reflections rather than large distinct ones. The difference between these two styles is significant in person and is worth assessing before choosing, because buyers who expect one sometimes receive the other.
The cushion's rounded corners make it the least vulnerable of the three square shapes. There are no sharp points to chip, which suits active wearers. The setting options are also the most flexible: cushion cuts work well in solitaires, halos, and side stone configurations, and the soft outline suits a halo particularly naturally.
Colour shows more readily in cushion cuts than in round brilliants, particularly in the corners. G colour or above is recommended in white metal settings. H is acceptable in yellow gold.
The Princess Cut
The princess cut is a square brilliant cut with sharp, uncut corners creating a fully square or rectangular outline with pointed tips at each corner. It was developed in the 1960s and became one of the most popular engagement ring shapes globally through the 1990s and 2000s. It remains widely chosen, though its dominance has reduced as fancy shapes have grown in popularity.
The princess cut produces strong, brilliant sparkle with a distinctly geometric character. The faceting is designed for maximum light return in a square format, and a well-cut princess diamond is genuinely brilliant. The pointed corners are the stone's defining feature and also its most vulnerable point: the tips can chip under impact, and they need to be protected in the setting with corner prongs or a bezel that covers each point — see our bezel settings guide for how that protection works.
Princess cuts are typically priced between round brilliants and cushion cuts per carat. The cutting process produces less rough diamond waste than a round brilliant, which historically made them slightly more accessible. The style has a strong association with a specific era of engagement ring design, which some buyers see as a disadvantage and others as a timeless classic.
The Asscher Cut
The Asscher cut is a square step cut developed by the Asscher Diamond Company in Amsterdam in 1902. It is defined by its deeply cropped corners, which produce an octagonal outline, and its step-cut faceting, which creates the windmill or pinwheel optical effect visible in the centre of the stone. This is the hall-of-mirrors character that distinguishes Asscher and emerald cuts from brilliant cuts entirely.
The Asscher was one of the defining jewellery shapes of the Art Deco period and has never entirely gone away. Its current popularity reflects a broader appreciation for considered, architectural jewellery rather than conventional sparkle. An Asscher diamond does not flash and scatter light the way a brilliant cut does. It draws the eye inward, creating depth and a sense of looking into the stone rather than across its surface.
The step-cut faceting means inclusions and colour are more visible in Asscher cuts than in brilliant cuts. VS1 clarity or above is the practical recommendation, and F colour or above in white metal settings. These requirements mean a well-specified Asscher typically costs more per visible carat than a comparable cushion or princess, but the result for the right buyer is a stone with a completely different and wholly distinctive character.
Comparing the Three Square Shapes
| Factor | Cushion | Princess | Asscher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corner type | Rounded | Sharp, pointed | Cropped (octagonal) |
| Light character | Warm, chunky or crushed ice | Sharp, brilliant | Hall of mirrors, step cut |
| Chip risk | Low | Medium (pointed corners) | Low (cropped corners) |
| Clarity requirement | VS2 to SI1 fine | VS2 to SI1 fine | VS1 or above recommended |
| Colour requirement | G or above (white metal) | G or above (white metal) | F or above (white metal) |
| Aesthetic | Romantic, vintage-influenced | Contemporary, geometric | Architectural, Art Deco |
| Cut grade available | No | Yes (IGI) | No |
For the direct head-to-head between the two most commonly confused of these three, see our dedicated princess vs cushion comparison guide.
Which Square Shape Is Right for You?
If the wearer loves warmth, romance, and a vintage-influenced aesthetic: cushion. If they want a clean, contemporary square stone with maximum brilliance and are comfortable with the corner vulnerability: princess. If they are drawn to architecture, Art Deco aesthetics, and a stone that behaves completely differently from a brilliant cut: Asscher.
Seeing all three shapes in person or via video is worthwhile before committing. The optical differences between a cushion modified brilliant and an Asscher are striking in person and photographs do not always convey them accurately.
For more on individual shapes, see our guides on the cushion cut and Asscher and emerald cuts. Our diamond shapes guide covers the full range of available cuts. Get in touch to discuss a square engagement ring commission.
Related Reading
- Princess vs Cushion Cut: Which Diamond Shape Should You Choose?
- Bezel, Cathedral, and Tulip Settings Explained
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a cushion cut and a princess cut? Both are square diamond shapes but they look and behave differently. A cushion has rounded corners and a warm, chunky or crushed-ice brilliance. A princess has sharp, pointed corners and produces sharper, more geometric sparkle. The cushion is more forgiving in terms of chip risk; the princess needs corner protection in the setting.
Is an Asscher cut the same as an emerald cut? Both are step cuts but they are distinct shapes. An Asscher cut is square (close to 1:1 length-to-width ratio) with deeply cropped corners and a more octagonal outline. An emerald cut is rectangular (typically 1.35:1 to 1.50:1) with less dramatically cropped corners. The Asscher's windmill optical effect is more pronounced than the emerald's hall-of-mirrors character because of the squarer proportions.
Do square diamonds look bigger than round diamonds? A square cushion of the same carat weight as a round brilliant typically appears slightly smaller face-up because the surface area is distributed differently. A rectangular cushion (ratio 1.15:1 to 1.20:1) presents larger. Princess cuts present a similar face-up size to cushions of equivalent weight. Asscher cuts tend to appear slightly smaller because the depth-to-diameter ratio is often higher.
What setting suits a square diamond best? All three shapes suit a solitaire setting well. Cushion cuts suit halos particularly naturally because the rounded outline translates into a following halo cleanly. Princess cuts need corner prongs or bezel coverage at each tip. Asscher cuts look most at home in minimal, architecturally clean settings where the geometric character of the stone leads.
Which square diamond shape is most popular? Cushion cuts are the most widely purchased square shape globally, followed by princess. Asscher cuts are a smaller but consistent market with a dedicated following among buyers drawn to Art Deco and step-cut aesthetics.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · À Vie Diamonds