Radiant Cut Diamond Shape


radiant cut diamondIf you love the fire of the traditional Round Brilliant Cut (the standard diamond engagement ring cut) and the shape of the less fiery Emerald Cut and Asscher Cut, you just may love the Radiant Cut Diamond.

Most square or rectangular cuts just don't live up to the round brilliant for sparkle, but the Radiant Cut was designed for getting maximum brilliance. Like the emerald cut, the radiant cut diamond is often a rectangle (sometimes square) with cropped corners, but that's where the similarities end. Where the emerald cut has long trim lines, the radiant cut is faceted for fire.

Choosing a Radiant Cut Diamond

When purchasing a radiant cut diamond online, be sure to check width and length -- there are no "rules" for length/width ratios for the radiant cut and you must review these numbers to determine if the stone is rectangular or closer to square.

The radiant cut diamond is more forgiving of diamond flaws and weaknesses than the less sparkling Emerald Cut Diamond or the Asscher Cut Diamond, so we provided two sets of "minimums" -- one giving more weight to quality and one giving more weight to budget.

Our minimum recommendations for buying radiant cut diamonds are as follows (please remember these recommendations are opinion only, and your tastes may vary):

  • Cut: Very Good
  • Color: G
  • Clarity: VS2
  • Depth Percentage: 58-69%
  • Table: 58-69%
Now if you're on a tight budget, you can still find a nice stone going with these minimums:
  • Cut: Good
  • Color: I
  • Clarity: SI2
  • Depth Percentage: 56-78%
  • Table: 53-76%
Could you purchase cheaper radiant cut diamonds by going below these minimums? Absolutely. But we don't recommend it -- at some point, one must consider the beauty of the stone, not simply the cost.

Radiant Cut Diamond Ring

While not the traditional selection, radiant cut diamonds are very popular right now and make lovely engagement rings (either as a solitaire or with accent stones).

radiant cut diamond engagement ringsRadiant cut diamonds do require a minimum of afour-pronged settings (as pictured). Make sure to keep that in mind when making your selection.

radiant cut diamond ringsTo give you some ideas of what's available for a radiant cut diamond ring, we've preselected a range of certified radiant cut diamonds for you to examine (all from Mondera or Blue Nile, two of the premiere online diamond stores). These diamonds are within our minimum requirements as listed above and are suitable for solitaire settings or settings with accent stones:

exclamation pointPLEASE NOTE: Most jewelers (including online) do not carry a wide range of radiant cut diamonds below one carat. If you're set on a radiant cut diamond, but your budget won't allow you to purchase a one carat stone, give yourself some extra time for researching a variety of stores to find the perfect diamond. You might also want to take a look at the more readily available Princess Cut Diamond or theAsscher Cut Diamond.


*PLEASE NOTE: All "Bargain Basement" diamonds fall below our minimum specification standards in one category or more.

Where to buy Radiant Cut Diamonds

Not all dealers carry radiant cut diamonds, but for online purchase, we recommend the following stores (all have healthy selections of Radiant Cut Diamonds):
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