Size guides › Princess vs Cushion
Shape vs shape
Princess vs Cushion: which looks bigger?
At the same weight a princess covers about 4% more of the finger. Same carat, broadly the same price bracket, visibly different stone.
Both 1.5 ct, drawn to scale on a millimeter grid.
At every common weight
Sizes in millimeters, long × wide, with the area each covers from above. Tap a size for its own guide.
| Carat | Princess (mm) | Princess area | Cushion (mm) | Cushion area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 ct | 3.46 × 3.46 | 11.9 | 3.68 × 3.50 | 11.5 |
| 0.5 ct | 4.35 × 4.35 | 19.0 | 4.63 × 4.41 | 18.3 |
| 0.75 ct | 4.98 × 4.98 | 24.8 | 5.30 × 5.05 | 24.0 |
| 1 ct | 5.49 × 5.49 | 30.1 | 5.84 × 5.56 | 29.0 |
| 1.25 ct | 5.91 × 5.91 | 34.9 | 6.29 × 5.99 | 33.7 |
| 1.5 ct | 6.28 × 6.28 | 39.4 | 6.68 × 6.36 | 38.0 |
| 2 ct | 6.91 × 6.91 | 47.8 | 7.35 × 7.00 | 46.1 |
| 2.5 ct | 7.44 × 7.44 | 55.4 | 7.92 × 7.55 | 53.5 |
| 3 ct | 7.91 × 7.91 | 62.6 | 8.42 × 8.02 | 60.4 |
Beyond size
Princess
A princess is a square brilliant cut with pointed corners. It's the most popular square shape, very lively, and usually less expensive per carat than a round.
Princess size chart →Cushion
A cushion has curved sides and rounded corners and comes square or slightly rectangular. It has a romantic, vintage feel, and it's cut deep, so it looks smaller for its weight than most shapes.
Cushion size chart →Elongated shapes also read longer on the finger, which is a separate question from area. Whether that suits a particular hand is something only a look can settle — which is why it's worth putting both on your own photo, at the same scale.
Princess or cushion? See both on your hand
Two diamonds, one photo, the same scale — and switch between them with a tap.
Questions
Which looks bigger, a princess or a cushion?
At the same weight a princess covers about 4% more area from above. A 1.5 ct cushion looks about as big as a 1.42 ct princess.
Why do they look different at the same carat weight?
Proportion, not quality. A princess runs about 1.00 : 1 long to wide and a cushion about 1.05 : 1. Weight spent on spread is weight you can see; weight spent on depth sits below the setting.