Snooki! Who can guess where this one is going?

It’s Tuesday, and that means that this blog will turn to more serious things, important things. Things like Snooki. Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t seen a single episode of the Jersey Shore and know next to nothing about the cast. When I first started this post I even spelled Snooki’s name wrong. (I added an e at the end.) All I know is that the Jersey Shore involves something called fist pumping, excessive tanning, and people with strange names like the situation and JWoww whose name I also misspelled. In my defense, none of these names are ok’d by my spellchecker. 

Photo : Getty Images

So suffice it to say, I’m not an expert on the show, or really anything to do with the Italian-Jersey culture. But you’d almost have to be living under a rock to have never heard of the shore’s breakout star Snooki who took the world by storm with her diminutive stature and larger than life personality personified by well, her hair. We all remembered the as-seen-on-tv bumpits that were spawned by this tiny tv personality.Well, not so tiny with that hair, it must add four inches! But I’ve got to give her credit. It’s not easy to create a career off of excessive drinking and big hair. For example, if I were to get punched in the face, well for starters I would sue, but other than that, it wouldn’t be a newsworthy event. Snooki got punched in the face, the video went viral, and from that day forward she was able to demand 8 grand more for every personal appearance. But that’s not why I brought her up. You see, Snooki has been spotted around town sans pouf and with a sizeable chunk of carbon on a certain finger of her left hand. And you all know how much I love a celebrity engagement. Are they, or aren’t they? Will they make it to the altar, will it last? And that’s just the tabloid fodder. What I really want are details on the ring!

Photo : Bauer-Griffin

And it seems to be a stunner. In photos it looks like a princess cut diamond on a diamond eternity band and of course, it’s large. Snooki told her boyfriend Jionni LaValle that the ring needed to be substantial saying that “He knows it should be big. ‘cause if it’s small I’m saying no. Like, ‘Get another ring”! A real shrinking violet this one. 

But that’s ok because she gives me the perfect segue into a discussion about princess cuts! YAY America has fallen in love with the cut, and rightly so. A relative newcomer to the diamond scene, the princess cut has all of the sparkle and brilliance of a round brilliant, but with a more sleek and modern profile. The modern princess can have a few facet variations and the number of facets ranges from around 49 to 78 facets. And like other square shaped diamonds, princesses have deeper proportions to make the most of their fire and brilliance. This means that a 1ct princess will have an ever so slightly smaller face up diameter than a 1 carat round brilliant. However, those wonderful corners help to make up the loss of size with extra visual impact. 

But beyond all of the gorgeous faceting and sparkle, let’s get down to what really matters. The price. Princess cuts are cheaper than round brilliants of the same carat weight. This is all due to that iconic shape which follows the crystalline shape of the natural diamond rough. Princess cuts retain about 80% of the rough diamond’s weight while their round counterparts only retain about 50%. This makes a princess cut, the diamond cutter’s and your wallet’s best friend. Ok, so price shouldn’t be the deciding factor on what diamond shape you pick, but let’s be honest, it sure can help!

Princess cuts are striking and bold, check out that gorgeous facet pattern! But they have other benefits as well. For one, princess cuts can balance the appearance of a hand with longer fingers. Also, princess cuts look great next to almost every other diamond cut from round brilliants to trillions, and step cuts like asschers and traps. This is due to the wonderful marriage of that gorgeous brilliant style faceting and its clean, geometrically square shape. However, it’s important to take care of those crisp corners that we love so much. They come to a very precise point and are easy to damage. Wow, I’m in quite the alliterative mood today aren’t I?

In order to combat corner damage, many settings designed for princess cuts will feature a special kind of prong called a V-tip. These prongs gently cradle the stone, keeping the corners safe. They’re easy to spot as they are larger than standard prongs and have an obvious V shape which helps to showcase the square shape of the stone. (I seriously can’t stop, I feel like Dr. Seuss)

Now, if you don’t care for the V-tips, regular prongs can be used. The jeweler will just need to drill a small hole for the point of the corner to rest in and the prong will curve over the top just like a regular brilliant cut stone. The only drawback to this type of prongs is that they are not as protective as the V-tips and they can mask the visual impact of the princess shape. However, all of that being said and as you can see, both prong options are lovely and it all boils down to your own personal preference.

So what do you think? Are princesses your favorite? Do you want to hear some more alliteration, possibly about Snooki? We’d love to hear what you think, and hey, if you’re lucky your suggestion might end up as the topic of our blog!