Radiant Cut Buying Guide
Radiant cut diamonds have a rectangular or square shape with cropped corners.
They are similar in shape to the emerald cut diamond but with more facets, which gives them more sparkle and brilliance.
Cut
The ideal cut for a radiant cut diamond is a depth percentage less than 67% and a table percentage between 61-69%.
A more important gauge of judging a stone's cut is by viewing the video. The faceting of the stone is bar none the most important element of a radiant. The whole goal is to achieve a blended in bowtie with minimal black shadows. See below three perfect of what we aim to achieve. Now you can have a radiant cut diamond, that is perfect on paper, with the best measurements and %’s; but you can still have a very bad bowtie. Therefore, look at the video first, then confirm with the certificate. See below 3 Bad examples of radiants with poor cuts showcasing bowties.
Good Examples Below
Bad Examples Below
Colour
The characteristics of a radiant tend to showcase colour more prominently than a like for like round diamond. It's for this reason we hope to stick in the colourless D-E-F Range.
Ratio
The length to width ratio is a measure of how elongated or square a fancy shape diamond appears. It is determined by dividing the length of the diamond by its width. A higher ratio indicates a more elongated shape, while a lower ratio indicates a more square shape.
The ideal ratio for a radiant is between 1.4 to 1.47.
Closer to 1.3 is shorter and fatter. Above 1.5 is longer and skinnier. You can have 3 diamonds all 2ct, but can have very different shapes for all three. Please bear in mind, the optimal ratio can vary depending on personal preferences.
Clarity
Given a radiant cut diamond has a fairly large open surface area. It's easier to spot imperfections than say a round diamond. For this reason it's best to find radiants with imperfections away from the centre/table.
