Please help! Is this radiant cut stone a winner?

[futurehubby]

Hello All,

I am new here and I am trying to find a great looking stone for my future wife's engagement ring. I have found one that I am leaning toward purchasing but I want to get some feedback from all of the knowledgeable folks here before I make a final decision. The specifications of the stone are below. I have advised the salesperson that I am interested in a stone with a lot of fire and brilliance and she assured me that this one will live up to my expectations. She says that the stone is a super ideal make (cut) but I am not sure how that is determined since GIA does not grade the cut on radiant stones. Looking at the specifications, what do you guys think? Thanks a bunch!

Option 1) 0.96 Radiant Cut Diamond, H Color, VS2 Clarity, Super Ideal Make. GIA Certified.
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Measurements: 5.63x5.11x3.78 mm
Depth %: 74.1%
Table %: 65%
Girdle: Sl. Thick - V. Thick
Culet: None
Fluorescence: Faint
PRICE: $3,165
WIRE PRICE: $3101.34
GIA Number: 2116911979 (Certificate attached)

 

[nfowife]

Well, you need an image and an ASET to really evaluate a fancy cut- the numbers don't tell you much. Ran it through the AGA screening tool, here:
https://www.pricescope.com/tools/AGA_NAJA_Cut_Class_Grader
and it did not score in the "ideal" range though.

 

[Christina...]

I'm not an expert, and I'm sure that someone will come along before long, but the stone you are posting is very deep, Ideally you would want to be between 60-65%. The table size looks good but it is measuring quite small for a full carat and the depth is the culprit, this will affect the overall performance of the stone as well. Ideally you should be looking for a radiant with depth and table demensions at approx 6mmx5.5mm. I would pass on this stone. I'll take a look and post some that I like for you too if your interested.


ETA this might help in your search too
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/radiant-cut-diamond

 

[Christina...]

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut-loose-diamond-373349.htm
This one is still deeper than I think that I would prefer but with all the information available on the stone, it looks gorgeous!! I'm having trouble finding much with a shorter depth percentage too

This would mean going down in color, and I don't know how color sensitive you are...
http://www.adiamor.com/D-12741558.htm

I'm not sure what shape you prefer....
http://www.adiamor.com/D-12894130.htm

i like this one..
http://www.adiamor.com/D-12895735.htm

you would need to get more information on all of the stones posted from Adiamor before you could make a determination as to whether any of these are keepers, specifically ASETs. I may be going against the advice I gave earlier but I really like the one from WF How will you be setting the stone?

 

[jaebond]

If you are happy with the dimensions, these might be something to consider:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104049451015

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104049455005

This probably has more of the size you are looking for, but it is also more expensive:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut-loose-diamond-373349.htm

 

[Christina...]

If you are happy with the dimensions, these might be something to consider:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104049451015

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104049455005

This probably has more of the size you are looking for, but it is also more expensive:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut-loose-diamond-373349.htm

Both of the BGD posted here will face up the same or bigger than the stone that you posted and they are both very nice picks! I agree if your happy with the size of the stone that your currently looking at then these are probably better picks for you.

Did you have a particular size, clarity, color in mind? I also wanted to mention that when I looked at the WF stone again it stating that that the girdle is thin to extremely thin, since it's an expert selection it has probably already been evaluated, but you would want to ask about it to make sure that it will not affect the integrity of the stone. If your considering a bezel, I'd be less concerned.....

 

[slg47]

did your GF request a radiant specifically? you are right that GIA does not grade the cut of radiants so the cut label is probably given by the vendor. I would recommend looking at it in different lighting to ensure that it looks the way you want it to. Many radiants take on a 'crushed ice' appearance which some people really like and some people do not.

 

[futurehubby]

Thanks for your reply nfowife. I followed the link and began to enter the information into the tool. One question. Is crown height % the same as depth % because I could not find a figure for crown height% in the specifications that I posted.

 

[futurehubby]

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut-loose-diamond-373349.htm
This one is still deeper than I think that I would prefer but with all the information available on the stone, it looks gorgeous!! I'm having trouble finding much with a shorter depth percentage too

This would mean going down in color, and I don't know how color sensitive you are...
http://www.adiamor.com/D-12741558.htm

I'm not sure what shape you prefer....
http://www.adiamor.com/D-12894130.htm

i like this one..
http://www.adiamor.com/D-12895735.htm

you would need to get more information on all of the stones posted from Adiamor before you could make a determination as to whether any of these are keepers, specifically ASETs. I may be going against the advice I gave earlier but I really like the one from WF How will you be setting the stone?

Hello there. Thank you for taking the time to gather all of this great info for me. I looked at the diamonds that you choose and they seem to be excellent choices with a better depth percentage. I hadn't heard of either of those vendors so that gives me 2 more options to look at. The stone will be set in a white gold setting with two smaller round stones and a baguette on each side of the stone and it will have a matching wedding band.

 

[futurehubby]

did your GF request a radiant specifically? you are right that GIA does not grade the cut of radiants so the cut label is probably given by the vendor. I would recommend looking at it in different lighting to ensure that it looks the way you want it to. Many radiants take on a 'crushed ice' appearance which some people really like and some people do not.

Sounds like a good idea to check it under different lighting. My GF has told me that she prefers the look of radiants.

 

[futurehubby]

If you are happy with the dimensions, these might be something to consider:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104049451015

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/diamond-detail/?product_id=AGS-104049455005

This probably has more of the size you are looking for, but it is also more expensive:

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/radiant-cut-loose-diamond-373349.htm

Those are some very nice choices. Thank you very much for posting the links.

 

[slg47]

while the quadex is certainly beautiful, it is not a 'traditional' radiant cut. also, the depth percentage is calculated differently so that might not be the best gauge. the best way is to find a radiant cut from a vendor who provides images/ASET images (or videos) or to see in person with your own eyes in different lighting.

if you do a search on jamesallen.com you can input table/depth percentages and see the wide variety of appearances that radiants can take. since the appearances are so varied we recommend pics/ASET images (or like you are, seeing in person)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds-search/?shape=Radiant

also the crown height is NOT the same as the depth.

 

[Christina...]

Thanks for your reply nfowife. I followed the link and began to enter the information into the tool. One question. Is crown height % the same as depth % because I could not find a figure for crown height% in the specifications that I posted.

some of the stones listed won't have all the information you need to make an informed decision, so if you don't have all the numbers required to run the AGA cut grader than you should contact the vendor and request the additional information needed.

Slg is right the quatex having different specs than a traditional radiant, it has a much smaller table, and beautiful deep cut corners, I prefer this cut to the traditional radiant and believe the light performance superior. I'm not sure what the exact spec for the quadex, but BGD could definitely help you out there.

The vendors listed are all pricescope vendors and have great track records for there customer support, there is a list of additional vendors located under the Gallery tab at the top of the page that are all worth taking a look at if you'd additional options. I think its best to choose 2 or 3 vendors that appeal to you and have a selection of stones you are interested in, as it gets very frustrating and overwhelming at times when dealing with multiple vendors. Good Luck! Oh your setting sounds amazing! Lucky girl!! I'd be less concerned about the size of the center stone and more concerned with the cut quality. And since you are planning to have mulitple side stones you should have a great finger coverage!