Radiant cut pro and con

[1dqs357]

Hi all,

I'm purchasing a VS2 I color radiant cut diamond and I'd like to know more about this cut. On the gia certificate it says "cut cornered modified brilliant". To me it looks so pretty but is there anything else I need to know about it? Thanks so much.

 

[tyty333]

Have you seen the stone in person? An "I" color may show a tint of color which may/or may not bother you. Did you get an
aset of the stone to check on light return?

 

[1dqs357]

I saw the stone in person and it's very sparkly very gorgeous. I'd just like to know more about the info on this type of cut in particular. Thank you.

 

[MrsJolie]

My best friend's e-ring is a radiant cut and faces up really large. Hers is 1.5 carats but it looks enormous!

Did you take any pictures of it? Would love to see it!

 

[1dqs357]

Thank you. I don't have pictures yet cuz it's with the jeweler right now. I'm just curious about the radiant cut. Cuz I know round brilliant is timeless but expensive. This one looks pretty and affordable. That's all I know about it so far. All opinions welcomed. Thanks!

 

[MrsJolie]

If you think it is pretty and you love it, that's all that matters. After all, YOU are the one that will have to look at it on your hand every day.

This is what I know about radiant cuts:

They have the brilliance of princess cuts but are rectangular and elongated like an emerald. The corners are cropped off like an emerald as well. They are very brilliant and sparkly. If you like the shape of an emerald but the brilliance of a round brilliant or princess, and radiant cut is perfect.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Just like rounds, there are well cut ones and poorly cut ones. I would take your time if you have just begun looking. I will tell you that there are more poorly cut radiants than well cut ones. Most diamonds look good in jewelry store lighting.

Radiants are deeper than rounds, so they face up smaller than some other stones. So you can't really compare with the price of rounds just by weight. You have to get a greater weight radiant for it to have the appearance of a 1ct round.

You might want to give us the GIA report number so we can look it up, although we can't tell you much without seeing a magnified image of the stone itself. What size is it? We can check price comps for you, too, if you want.

Here are examples of a good radiants:
(I actually just looked at about 50 1 ct radiants in H-I color and did not see one but I would buy. Then I expanded to G color.)

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.02-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-178252 (beautiful)

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.07-carat-h-color-vs1-clarity-sku-368832

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.09-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-40082 (good for a generic type radiant but I prefer a higher crown)

Bad: (actually most of the ones in the search)

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.04-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-388570 (mushy looking under the table rather than having clearly defined facets)

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut/1.01-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-295897

 

[1dqs357]

Thank you for your input. I don't have the certificate number right now. Mine has a small table 67% and depth is 67.3% it's lovely. Under 12pm and 5pm sun light I can't tell it's an I color. It's being set right now. I'm just curious on what I need to know about the radiant cut that's all. Thank you!

 

[tinatark]

I had a 2.02 carat radiant - loved it, but always thought if I got another 2 carat stone, I wanted to see more stone... fast forward to 2 years ago, my husband LOST my ring... an insurance claim later, now I have a 2.09 round... it looks SO much bigger than my radiant did!

But oh, how I miss my other ring!

 

[1dqs357]

Yes I did read that round looks bigger than other cuts. Something with the diameter or how it cuts I'm not sure entirely. Thanks for your input!

 

[rubybeth]

Yes I did read that round looks bigger than other cuts. Something with the diameter or how it cuts I'm not sure entirely. Thanks for your input!

Diamond weights are deceptive. This is why the shape of the cut matters to how much 'face up' size you see. For example, a pear 'faces up' larger than other cuts because it can be very shallow. A radiant is a shape where most of the weight is in the lower half of the diamond. I have a .55 carat radiant, and it looks smaller from the face up view (the view you see from the top) than a similar half carat round. My .55 radiant is about 4.75mm square, whereas a similar weight round is going to face up about 5.10mm: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.53-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-ideal-cut-sku-550376

So if you're looking for a big 'face up' look for the carat weight, you may want to look at rounds, ovals, or pears. Cuts where the weight is more obscured are radiants, asschers, and princess cuts.

I don't know anything about this site, but it has diagrams of various cuts to demonstrate what I'm saying (pay attention to the 'side view' diagrams): http://www.gesner.com/blog/diamond-cuts-2/

 

[Rockdiamond]

When it comes to all fancy shapes- including radiant cuts- there's a far wider range of crown and pavilion angles that produce nice looking stones. What this means is that there's a far greater variability on fancy shapes as compared to round diamonds.
There are spready pear shapes, ovals Radiant cuts, Emerald Cuts etc that HUGE for their weight, and deep ones that look tiny for their weight.

In general round diamonds have the greatest surface area per carat- but there are many exceptions.