Welcome back to the Diamonds Hatton Garden blog where we bring you the latest insights from our Hatton Garden jewellers. Known for our beautiful diamond engagement rings in Hatton Garden, we enjoy helping each and every couple to find their perfect engagement ring. Whilst some couples may have an idea of what they want, others may need more assistance and guidance as to the beautiful array of shapes and sizes that diamonds come in. Continuing on from our sizing guide series, today we look at the radiant cut and what to consider when choosing a size and the pros and cons of this diamond cut in particular.
History of the radiant cut diamond
One of the more modern of all diamond cuts, the radiant cut has been popular since the 1980s and lives up to its name: it is impressively radiant and brilliant. Henry Grossbard designed the radiant cut in 1977 in pursuit of combining the finest elements of the round brilliant cut and the emerald cut. The radiant cut diamond owes its brilliance to the 70 facets found in its pavilion and crown. The precision of each facet offers immense brilliance and fire. The radiant cut’s brilliance is surpassed only by the round brilliant cut. This makes the radiant cut an excellent choice for an engagement ring that sparkles with brilliance and fire. With carefully bevelled corners, Radiants have substantial durability against chips and breakage, making it an excellent choice for those with an active lifestyle. This feature also allows the Radiant to be paired alongside both square and rounded diamonds.
Why choose a radiant diamond?
Before going into more details, we have combined the most common pros and cons to consider when choosing a radiant cut diamond engagement ring.
Radiant cut pros:
- Exceptional brilliance, equaling that of the round cut and surpassing that of other rectangular cuts such as the princess cut or emerald cut.
- Enthralling design with sharp edges and rounded corners which create an octagonal look.
- The radiant cut has a very nice contemporary feel that pairs well with many settings and designs.
- The depth and brilliance of the radiant cut mean that it hides inclusions and blemishes well, allowing you to purchase a slightly lower quality and cheaper stone without affecting the visible quality.
Radiant cut cons:
- The extra depth of the radiant cut means that it will look smaller when viewed from above compared to other cuts of the same carat weight.
- Extra-protective settings like the bezel setting don’t work well with radiant cuts as they diminish its brilliance.
- The cut of the radiant cut enhances the colour of the diamond meaning that colour is an important aspect to consider and we recommend to stay higher up the colour scale..
- Much like with cushion cut, there can be a bowtie effect in the radiant cut.
Recommended Proportions For Radiant Cut Diamonds
Unlike the round brilliant diamond, the GIA report does not list a cut grade for a radiant cut diamond. This is because radiant diamonds have many non-standardized facet structures and there can be a wide range of proportions they can be cut to.
Having said that, our expertise and experience in handling this particular cut means that we have put together a proportion guide below as an outline on what to look for when examining the stone. The exact proportions like table and depth percentage play an important role in the beauty of a diamond. Diamond proportion is an element of Diamond Cut and is critical to a stone’s brilliance and value. With ideal diamond proportions, a diamond takes in and reflects light well—causing brilliance and fire.
Excellent Very Good Good Fair/Poor
Table % 60% – 66% 58% – 69% 57% – 72% Outside Ranges
Depth % 59% – 65% 57% – 67% 56% – 70% Outside Ranges
Polish/Symmetry Excellent – Very Good Good Outside Ranges
Length to Width 1.00 – 1.20 1.21 – 1.25 1.26 – 1.35 Outside Ranges
Girdle Thickness Thin – Thick V. Thin – V. Thick Outside Ranges
Culet Size None Very Small Small Outside Ranges
What’s the best colour for a radiant diamond?
Generally speaking, much like many fancy cut diamonds, radiant diamonds have less brilliance and sparkle than round brilliant diamonds – a natural part of the cutting process. Due to this, the colour of a radiant cut diamond is much more noticeable and is a more important factor to consider when choosing this cut compared to others.
We recommend, when looking for a white diamond appearance, to choose a G colour or higher and, in particular, for diamonds over 2 cts, we would suggest looking at colours F and above to ensure a white appearance.
As we have mentioned in other blogs, the setting of a diamond can influence how the colour can be perceived. For example, if you are considering a yellow gold or more vintage looking setting it is possible to choose lower graded colours as the warm hue exhibited by the diamond can actually help complement the style of the ring you are looking for. Find out more about our loose diamonds for sale.
Radiant Cut Diamond Clarity – What to choose?
Much like colour, radiant diamonds tend to show imperfections more readily than other cuts due to their large table facet and generally poor light return. We recommend clarity of VS2 and above to ensure an eyeclean diamond. As with choosing and considering any diamond, ensure that you view the diamond under a jeweller’s loupe to make sure you are happy with the clarity.
Also, depending on the carat size of the diamond you are considering, you may require a higher clarity rating (for large sized diamonds) or may even go lower to SI1 clarity at smaller carat sizes to save costs.
Radiant cut sizing
We have put together a chart below to show the sizing of radiant cut diamonds comparing carat weight to mm size.
Unsure what size radiant cut diamond to choose? At Diamonds Hatton Garden our team of family-run jewellers have assisted generations of clients to find their perfect radiant cut diamond engagement ring. Contact our team via harel@diamondshg.co.uk or call +44 7951 060238 for more information and to arrange your appointment. Alterantively, explore our selection of fancy coloured yellow diamonds for sale and if you are looking to buy fancy pink diamonds contact our team.