Will a 1.5 radiant look slightly larger than a 1.5 princess?

[makemepretty]

I''m trying to decide between radiant and princess. They''re both so lovely but I can''t decide. I know there''s been a lot of comparisons, I was just wondering if they were the exact weight if one would look a bit larger than the other.

 

[IrishEyes]

This is what I have heard: generally, a RB will tend to look a little larger than a fancy of the same weight. Rounds tend to have a little more fire and brillance, however, this also depends largely on the cut. You can have a crappy looking round brillant and a beautifully cut and sparkly fancy, and vice versa.

 

[JCJD]

Hmmm, I think makemepretty wanted to know about the face-up spread differences between radiant cut and princess cut (both square cuts, radiant has cut corners and more brilliant faceting pattern, princess has pointy corners and more of a criss-cut pattern), not round brilliant and princess cuts. And on that note, I am not sure which would look larger... These two cuts are very different to my eye - I prefer the brilliance of the radiant but the princess is very elegant and classic looking - but you like both! Maybe we''ll get an expert in here to answer this....

 

[YoungPapa]

makemepretty,

A really well cut princess that is ONE CARAT in weight is going to be about 5.5 x 5.5mm. This is just an average - many will be larger, some smaller, some more rectangular.

For the same carat weight a radiant is probably going to look bigger, maybe 5.9 x 5.9 assuming you can find one that is square. Reason being is that most princess cuts have a total depth percentage in the low seventies, while radiants have depths in the 60-69 range. Most radiants, however, won't be square. You'll find numbers more like 6.6 x 5.3 or 6.2 x 5.6 or one of another thousand combinations. This again will lead to the radiant looking bigger, imo. None of these are hard and fast rules, just general guidelines.

I like radiants, personally, and wish they were more popular. There is something mesmerizing about the "chaos" I see across a finely cut radiant diamond. Each person is different, however, so buy what you like best!

 

[NyssaLynne]

I prefer radiants, especially if they are a bit more rectangular than square. I think the slight elongation makes them look larger than a princess.

 

[IrishEyes]

Oops! I need to check my eyes, totally read that wrong! For some reason I thought it said "round" instead of "radiant"

 

[makemepretty]

Thank you so much for all your help. I could just spend hours reading everyones stories and looking at their rings, in fact, I think I do

 

[valeria101]

Both shapes are cut just about as deep. It just seems to me that the odds to find a better cut (not overly deep) radiant are better. Also, princesses are more popular and prices seem a bit higher on average than rads. All in all, it would be easier to find a larger looking radiant for the money.

What do you have in mind ?

It''s easier to talk about specific listings than theory