The difference is a cushion cut’s edges are slightly curved, while radiant cuts have straight edges.
It’s similar to a cushion cut because they both have squarish shapes. Its shape is comparable to a princess or cushion cut. For square-shaped radiant cuts, the ideal ratio is 1.00-1.03. These brilliant cuts can have a length-to-width ratio of 1.00-1.50. Radiant cut diamonds are distinguished by their square or rectangular shape with cropped corners. Let’s compare radiant versus oval diamonds across each of the traits most important in determining a diamond’s quality, including brilliance, clarity, price, and more. These fancy shapes offer a unique style not found with traditional round cuts. Radiant and oval cut diamonds are often used as the center stone in an engagement ring. There are a range of options available, and each diamond cut differs in its appearance and how it captures and reflects lights. Therefore, if you are ready to spend additional money for a radiant diamond of higher carat weight, don’t forget that you may also need to pay more money for better color and clarity.Cut is one of the first considerations for many buyers when they’re searching for the right diamond. When choosing the carat of your radiant-cut stone, you should keep in mind that the bigger a diamond, the more visible its imperfections such as inclusions or yellow tints. If you go as low as VS2 or SI1 clarity, or even SI2 clarity, you may find an eye-clean stone (i.e., one whose flaws cannot be seen from a normal viewing distance) at a pretty good price. There are lower-clarity radiant diamonds that do not have visible inclusions but are cheaper. While it is easy to go for the highest clarity grades (i.e., FL or IF clarity), this is quite an expensive choice. The good thing about radiant cuts is that because of their brilliance, inclusions tend to not be as visible as in less brilliant cuts (e.g., step cuts). Selecting a clarity grade for a radiant-cut diamond boils down to finding a stone that doesn’t have visible flaws. Selecting Clarity for Radiant-Cut Diamonds
If your radiant diamond is going to be set in a white setting, such as one made of platinum or white gold, then it is recommended that the stone’s color be in the F-G-H grading range.įor yellow gold settings, you can go lower, as any yellowish tints in the diamond will be absorbed by the setting’s color – you can get an I or J color, and it will still look reasonably colorless when set. The color of radiant cuts is graded on the same scale as that of all other diamonds, but you should be aware that radiants tend to show more color than round cuts. Choosing a Color Grade for a Radiant Diamond The symmetry and polish of the stone are secondary in terms of importance, but you should avoid radiant diamonds that are graded Poor on these characteristics.Īsymmetrical facets and a poorly polished surface can impair the look and even the brilliance of a stone. Medium to big culets may be visible through the top of the stone. The culet (the facet at the stone’s bottom) should be small or nonexistent.
Girdle thickness should be very thin to slightly thick extremely thick or extremely thin girdles are undesirable.