Original Radiant Cut - Please Advise

[Brandon S]

I am looking at Radiant cut diamonds for an engagement ring. They are not easy to find, but that's what the gf likes best. From what I have read on PS, they are a dangerous choice due to the many poor cut/looking diamonds out there. This has lead me to search for Original Radiant Cut Diamonds from RCDC as I look for a quality stone.

I found this one and am very interested (video in link):
http://www.radiantcut.com/p/1-92-carat-original-radiant-6024-3648?categoryid=411



Does anyone have a review of The Original Radiant Cut Diamond Company, or have information that they can share regarding their diamonds?

Am I somewhat guaranteed to be purchasing a well cut Radiant if I purchase an Original?

Thanks for your help!

 

[drk14]

From what I have read on PS, they are a dangerous choice due to the many poor cut/looking diamonds out there.

I think this is true of most fancy cut shapes (i.e., the ratio of poorly cut to well cut diamonds is large), and not specific to radiants. However, what makes radiants challenging is that the tools available for consumers to evaluate online diamonds (e.g., photos, videos, reflector imagery) are not very helpful for distinguishing a good radiant from a poorly cut radiant. In fact, some of the common approaches to diamond evaluation popular with PSers can yield false negative results when applied to radiants (which occasionally leads to entertaining arguments on this forum)!

As for the Original Radiant Cut Diamond Company, I have no first-hand experience to report. The owner (Stan Grossbard) is the son of the inventor of the radiant cut. He has participated on PS in the past under then handle @RADIANTMAN, and (in my opinion) appears to be well respected by the community and other trade members. The radiants offered by RCDC tend to be more expensive than generic radiants of comparable size/color/clarity, which may be due either to higher cut quality, or name-brand premium, or a little of both.

If you're near NYC or able to make the trip, your best option would be to shop for radiants in person. If that is not possible, you could also consider enlisting the help of a trained eye in selecting a well-performing radiant for you (e.g., David from Diamonds by Lauren or Jonathan from Good Old Gold).

Good luck!

 

[Rockdiamond]

Update!
Stan Grossbard has sold the company. I am not sure what the new owners have in mind but for the time being at least, the items on the Original Radiant site are not available.
Sad. But he as earned a retirement ( if that's what Stan does)

 

[Brandon S]

Update!
Stan Grossbard has sold the company. I am not sure what the new owners have in mind but for the time being at least, the items on the Original Radiant site are not available.
Sad. But he as earned a retirement ( if that's what Stan does)

David,

Do we know who has taken over the company?

 

[SimoneDi]

I can't comment on the original, but I remembered seeing this radiant that I thought was pretty and it comes with ASET and Idealscope:

https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/1xa4ad-2.00-g-vs2-radiant#cmp=lptp&p_key=2.00G-VS2-Rad

Victor was running a special on it here, so it comes under budget for you:
https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-diamond/2-dot-00-ct-g-vs2-radiant-diamond-gia-report

He can create a killer setting for it!

P.S. One more option from VC:
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/33mjf0-2.01-h-vs1-radiant#cmp=lptp&p_key=2.01H-VS1-Rad
Reduced pricing here:
https://loupetroop.com/listings/loose-stones-diamond/2-dot-01-ct-h-vs1-radiant-diamond-gia-report

 

[Rockdiamond]

David,

Do we know who has taken over the company?

Yes I do- however their plans are not known to me at this point.
I can say that the company is not a retail seller ( at this point)

Also important to mention that the proportions and light performance of the Original Radiant are not proprietary- so very similar stones are on the market, if one knows what to look for.
One of the challenges we've identified over the years is that the methods used to select "ideal" cut fancy shapes don't work on a Radiant. For example- the ASET of an Original would need to be interpreted in a totally different way than you would for a hearts and arrows kind of stone.

 

[drk14]

Is it M.J. Gross?

 

[Rockdiamond]

Is it M.J. Gross?

Darn you guys are good

 

[drk14]

Idle hands are the devil's workshop...