What’s Great About Radiant Cut Diamonds?
If you are looking for a diamond with amazing brilliance at an affordable price, the Radiant cut diamond is the best choice for you. Popular since the 1980s this particular diamond gets its name from its radiant brilliance. An excellent choice for engagement rings here is everything you need to know about Radiant Diamonds.
What are Radiant Diamonds?
Gaining popularity in the 1980s due to their signature brilliance, Radiant diamonds were designed by Henry Grossbard in 1977. The main motivation behind designing such a unique cut was to combine the best aspects of a round brilliant diamond and an Emerald cut diamond.
The result was this fascinating diamond with 70 facets that are found in its pavilion and crown. The impeccable brilliance of Radiant diamonds is due to these very facets. The light that enters the diamond, gets reflected off these facets and onto our eyes. This accounts for the sparkle of these diamonds. The brilliance of these diamonds is only surpassed by Round diamonds.
The other thing that makes these diamonds an excellent choice is their durability. Owing to their sharp edges, Princess diamonds are prone to chipping. Their corners have to be protected by a four-prong setting. Radiant diamonds have carefully beveled corners that protect this cut from chips and breakage. So, if you are looking for a diamond with outstanding brilliance and durability at an affordable price, this is the best choice for you.
Evaluating the 4Cs of Radiant Cut diamonds
It is essential to check the 4Cs when it comes to any diamond. The 4Cs of a diamond are its cut, clarity, color and, carat weight. It is our recommendation to always buy diamonds with GIA or AGS certifications. Also, it is best to get your diamond evaluated by an expert to know that you are getting your money’s worth. Here is a thorough breakdown of the 4Cs of Radiant diamonds.
Cut Quality
Made with a brilliant-cut facet pattern on the crown and the pavilion, the brilliance offered by this particular cut is only surpassed by Round diamonds. The GIA does not grade the cut quality of fancy diamonds. In such a situation, the cut quality of your diamond is evaluated using the depth percentage, table percentage, and length to width ratio. We also recommend consulting a diamond expert when it comes to your diamond’s cut quality. The cut quality of your diamond will be responsible for its fire and brilliance. An expert’s opinion will be of great help to you.
Cut Guide for Radiant diamonds
Table Percentage – Dividing the top surface area of your diamond by its diameter will give us its table percentage. The table percentage of a diamond affects its ability to reflect the light off its crown and facets. Choosing a table percentage between 62% to 69% will offer you an excellent cut quality, whereas somewhere between 54% to 56% or 75% to 79% will also amount to a fairly good cut.
Depth Percentage – The height of a diamond from the culet to the top of the table determines its depth. A lower depth percentage affects your diamond’s ability to reflect light properly. Choosing a depth percentage between 61% to 67% will give you an excellent cut diamond.
Length to Width Ratio – Dividing the length of your diamond by the width determines its length to width ratio. This helps us figure out the exact quadrilateral shape of this diamond. With regard to excellent cuts, a length to width ratio of 1.00 to 1.03 will give us a square radiant whereas a 1.2 to 1,3 will give us a rectangular diamond.
One has to consider all of these aspects together when judging the cut quality of a diamond. Also, choosing a very thin to slightly thick girdle also plays a key role in determining an excellent cut quality for your radiant cut. The cropped corners of radiants need to be symmetrical to maintain the aesthetic appeal of the diamond shape.
Clarity Grade
The clarity grade of your diamond signifies how clean it is. In other words, it tells us how visible are the blemishes or inclusions in your diamond. The GIA grades clarity in the following order,
IF – Internally Flawless
VVS1 – Very Very Small Inclusions
VVS2 – Very Very Small Inclusions
VS1 – Very Small Inclusions
VS2 – Very Small Inclusions
SI1 – Small Inclusions
SI2 – Small Inclusions
I1 – Inclusions
I2 – Inclusions
The difference between close clarity grades are hardly distinguishable with the naked eye even by experts. You would need to observe diamond under 10x magnification using a microscope to tell the difference between VS1 and VS2 clarity grades.
We recommend choosing eye-clean diamonds. Eye clean diamonds appear free from inclusions when viewed with the naked eye. With their many facets and angles, radiant cuts offer a crushed ice look. This makes them excellent at hiding inclusions. Owing to their capability of hiding inclusions well, we recommend SI1 and SI2 clarity grades for radiant diamonds. You can go for a clarity grade which is higher, but you will be paying for a feature you cannot notice.
The price difference even between close clarity grades is substantive. You should always get your clarity grade evaluated by a diamond expert just to be doubly sure.
Color Grade
Diamonds generally have a yellowish tint. The ability to mask this yellow tint designates a diamond’s color grade. The GIA grades color from D to Z. The yellowish or brownish tint becomes more pronounced as you move down the grading scale.
Radiant diamonds are not great at hiding color. Choosing an H color grade with the right ring setting can work well for your diamond. The ring setting plays a crucial role in masking diamond color.
Radiant Cut Valuation
The cutting process for radiant diamonds uses most of the diamond rough with very little going to waste. This has an impact on the price per carat of radiant cuts. Infact, radiants are one of the most affordable diamonds you will ever come across.
For example the price of a 1 carat VS1 clarity H color Radiant cut diamond will be around $4000. The same specifications on a Round Brilliant diamond will cost you around $6000. Choosing a Radiant diamond over Round diamonds is a good choice if you are on a budget. You will end up with a better quality diamond for the same price.
Why Do Radiant Cuts Appear Big?
It is a fact that radiant cuts appear bigger than other diamonds of the same carat weight. The main reason behind this is that when Henry Grossbard designed this particular cut, his primary aim was to maximize its natural beauty. Owing to this diamond’s broad shallow design, more of the diamond is visible when it is set in a ring. This helps highlight the most striking quality when it comes to Radiants, which is their brilliance.
Radiant Cut Diamonds vs Cushion Cut Diamonds
Radiant cut diamonds and cushion diamonds both have beveled corners for greater stability. The corners of a cushion cut diamond are more rounded.
Both these cuts offer exceptional brilliance owing to their many facets. The Cushion cut diamond is however known for its fire more than its brilliance.
Cushion cuts and Radiants are unique shapes and choosing one over the other is a matter of personal preference. With regard to their length to width ratio, Cushion cuts are often purchased in a square shape having a length to width ratio between 1 -1.09. This does not mean that Cushion cuts are only available in this shape. Again the length to width ratio is a matter of personal preference just like one’s taste in diamond cuts.
Radiant Cut Diamonds vs Princess Cut Diamonds
A Radiant cut diamond looks somewhere between a Princess cut diamond and a Cushion diamond. However, Radiant cut diamonds share some key differences with Princess cut diamonds.
Princess cut diamonds have sharp edges as compared to the beveled edges of the Radiant cut diamonds. This makes the Princess diamond more susceptible to breakage and chipping.
Princess cut diamonds are generally preferred in a square shape. Very few Radiant cut diamonds are available in a square shape, as they are generally preferred in their elongated form to highlight their size and brilliance.
The Best Place to Buy Radiant Cut Diamonds
When buying any diamond, having a reliable jeweler is essential and recommended. However, finding one can be really difficult, until now. We at Jewel Hero have devised an easy way to buy diamonds. All you have to do is log in to our website and fill in the details about what you are looking for. If you are looking for Radiant cut diamonds, our algorithm will connect you with the nearest jewelry store. You have the option to connect virtually with all of these jewelry stores. What are you waiting for? Your ideal Radiant cut diamond engagement ring is only a click away.