The advantages of the Princess cut

The advantages of the Princess cut are not restricted purely to Diamonds; it is also used on many other gemstones.
Because of the extra faceting, and the effects this produces, Princess cuts are naturally more brilliant and sparkly. The Princess cut generally works best with lighter colored transparent gemstones. Along with the Antique Cushion cut, the Princess cut maximizes a gem’s luster.
The Princess cut was designed for weight retention of octahedral Diamond crystals, helping to create more attractive Diamonds at more reasonable prices.
The Barion cut was the forerunner of the Princess cut and was invented about 30 years ago by Basil Watermeyer of Johannesburg. The Barion cut has been the subject of patents that have expired within the past ten years and this has led to the greater availability of similarly cut gemstones. The style now known as the “Princess” cut has become a generic style of cutting.
According to Harold Newman's “Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry”, the term Princess cut was previously applied to what is now known as the “Profile” cut developed by Arpad Nagy of London in 1961