Any thoughts on this Radiant Cut?

[Williamson]

Hello everyone,

This is my first time joining a forum, but when I started researching I became overwhelmed by the information due to my eyes' lack of experience. This is such a big purchase and I would really like some solace that I'm getting the brilliance and shine for my money. I'd also appreciate any help to know what to look for in a Radiant cut. I appreciate your inputs!

This is offered to me by my local jeweler for 7-7.5k (My budget is 8-8.5k including the setting):

Measurements: 7.11 x 5.54 x 3.83
Carat: 1.2
Color: F
Clarity: VVS2


PROPORTIONS
Depth: 69.1%
Table: 68%
Girdle: Slightly Thick-Thick
Cutlet: None

FINISH
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Excellent

FLUORESCENCE
Fluorescence None

CLARITY CHARACTERISTICS
Pinpoints
Needles
Natural


Video: Video

I understand the Radiant Cut is a fancy shape with alot of leaks that requires you to see it in person, but I wanted some input before I go back and take a look at the diamond. Additionally, I notice a bowtie effect on the face of the diamond. Will that go away on a platinum/white gold setting?

What are your thoughts?

Thank you for your help and I hope everyone has a happy new year!

 

[nojs]

I think the ASET looks quite bad, sorry to say. I think you can easily find a nicer one on that budget.

 

[La2020]

Lots of white means leakage. FYI, we typically aim for a lot of red, minimal green for the ASET for SIC MRB.

 

[Williamson]

Hello,

Since my last post I have been continuing my look for radiant cuts and stumbled upon this one. This diamond was in the same price range I mentioned above that my local jeweler offered. Could I do better? Is the bowtie effect too prominent in this diamond? I thought red colors ASET would be good, but looking at the front of the diamond, I did not expect it to be gray.

1.31 Carat radiant diamond

This radiant cut 1.31 carat G color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Thank you for your continued help.

 

[flyingpig]

There is no bowtie and I think it is looking good for an elongated crushed ice radiant. Much better than the original one

 

[Karl_K]

The center of the stone with the big red areas in ASET are going to stand out from the crushed ice appearance of the rest of the stone. You have to decide if that bugs you or not.
I like the ASET black and the regular picture for these types of stones, ASET white gives to much emphasis to the leakage.

 

[TUTU]

Please update when you decide to buy. I am also looking for radiant cut and haven't found an ideal one.

Good luck!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Speaking as a Radiant lover- and owner of a stupidly expensive ASET machine.....
ASET will not work to distinguish great stones from mediocre ones.
Super well cut radiants use the light and leakage differently than a round brilliant.
Plus, as opposed to many other sorts of cuts which are basically standardized, there are variations on radiant cuts work well. So it’s not was easy to distinguish a great stone using ASET

 

[TUTU]

Speaking as a Radiant lover- and owner of a stupidly expensive ASET machine.....
ASET will not work to distinguish great stones from mediocre ones.
Super well cut radiants use the light and leakage differently than a round brilliant.
Plus, as opposed to many other sorts of cuts which are basically standardized, there are variations on radiant cuts work well. So it’s not was easy to distinguish a great stone using ASET

As a new online buyer, and after research on various website about educating customers to buy online, I will rely on ASET image to decide if non round cut diamonds will perform well or not.

Would you please share other ways to examine the stone? Is it top necessary to view the diamond in person or can buyers in some way make a good decision based on only videos, ASET images...?

I am currently on a search for a radiant cut and very much grateful for your advice!

 

[Williamson]

TL;DR - Ordered loose radiant diamond. Will post pics/vids this week. Help and input is much appreciated

Thank you everyone for your replies! I wanted to avoid posting in the thread to avoid needless notification and bumping; however, as an update, I have placed an order on the diamond and it should come in some time this week. It shipped from India and had a detour.

I plan on taking pictures and videos in various lighting so we can have a better visual sense on how this diamond performs. If anyone has any tips or recommendations for pics/vids to minimize rework, that would be greatly appreciated.

I'll have about 2 weeks to return the diamond, so that should be sufficient to determine if I would like to keep it

I agree with @Rockdiamond that radiants should be looked at in person. Unfortunately, local B&M around me do not carry many radiants in stock to look at. Online provides the most exposure, albeit saturated lighting conditions.

@Karl_K, I understand what you mean. The large facets in the center could portray itself as a false bowtie in contrast to the crushed ice. I like a mixture of both, so I hope it will be healthy scintillation rather than dead contrast.

@TUTU I hope this post can be of aid to you and your search! What is your criteria and budget?

If this needs to be in another post, please let me know. In the meantime, I will continue posting here.

 

[Williamson]

My diamond finally came in! Was also waiting for my diamond holder and tweezers to be delivered to take these shots.



My initial reaction was that it looked stunning, but I have only seen 4 other radiants and 2 of them were set. My local jeweler had a stone for me to look at so I went in and brought mine to compare. I had hope it would beautiful under the store lighting and I could move onto creating a setting, but I was so shocked to see how dark it looked compared to theirs, and then I had second thoughts. Mine is on the left in the image below:



It looked like a huge bowtie! Is my diamond badly cut despite what the many gemologists I've talked to online said? Or is it just a negative reaction to jewelry store lighting?

My fear is that it would look even worse when the diamond is actually in a setting.

My I have your honest inputs whether I'm overthinking this, or it is actually as bad as it seems and I should start looking for radiants again? This stood out to me after 2 months of browsing videos and images, but could I do better?

I've linked a Google Photos to the pictures I took and videos in various lighting/angles. Please feel free to take a look and I would love your inputs.

Photos:

• https://photos.app.goo.gl/JwHsD775vDwtAtUX6

Videos:

• Store Lighting
• In Sunlight (Close Up)
• In Sunlight (Further)
• Under Shade (Close Up)
• Near Window
  • (Tried to recreate Good Old Gold's style)
• Near Window (Face Up):
• Dim Diamond Scintillation
• Transition from Light to Dark Lighting

Thank you in advance for everyone's help! Let me know if a link is not working.

 

[Williamson]

I assume the diamond made people speechless lol.

I hope I did not break any site rules with my posts. Just wanted honest feedback on the performance of my radiant diamond before my return policy runs out.

In regards to settings, does it change the look of loose diamonds by alot since it has metal around the pavilion of the diamond?

Does anyone have any tips in choosing a setting for a diamond? My significant other said she likes the solitaire and the pave look. No halo or side stones. Although, the cathedral style looks pretty, I would want to set the center stone low so it won't get in the way when she works. Those of you that had trouble choosing between solitaire and pave, what helped you make your decision?

The dimensions of my diamond are 7.52 x 5.61 x 3.77 mm

Are there any elegant prong design anyone has seen out there? I am trying to think of one that will work well with the radiant cut that doesn't take up too much coverage but maintains security.

What is the best metal for an active person that also works with her hand? 14k white gold? Platinum? Different sites are telling me different things.

I am thinking about customizing a setting locally so it would be easier to clean/polish/repair the ring whenever it needs maintenance.

Any comments would be much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[flyingpig]

I think it is lovely.
As Karl noted, the centre can stand out in some lighting conditions and/or may appear as a bow tie if you view the diamond too close.
However, in most cases, the centre blends in with the rest, which has good mixture of leakage and light return. Often, an elongated cut has a bright centre, while the rest is completely dead. That is not the case here in these videos and the ASET.
It is absolutely graceful when you get small pin fires as you rotate stone. I wish there is a battery powered setting where the head rotates.

 

[flyingpig]

To add, it think the diamond appear brighter and better in landscape mode (W/E)