Radiant Cut Confusion

[TheBlu]

The girlfriend, now fiancee, told me she liked princess diamonds before so I got her one. She has been married before and her first ering was princess so she would like another cut and I just want to get her what she wants. After going to a Shane Co. here in town just to look at settings & stones, she decided she liked the radiant cut.

Weeelll all my research on princess cut is now worthless. Can anyone help me with info on the radiant cut. I''ve done a search on this site for "radiant" and got some information, but the posts don''t always agree accept to say "you have to see them in person, numbers don''t mean anything." We saw a H SI1 2.3 carat radiant at Shane''s for a little over $16k. It wasn''t GIA cert, but one from Isreal. I didn''t check into it much further b/c we just wanted to look, but it did look very nice (I know..they all do under those lights)

Need any help anyone can give me. I''m looking for greater than 2 carat, color @ G-H, clarity VS1- "eyeclean" SI1. I''m looking for a stone with nice light performance. Any help?

 

[coda72]

Well, I''ll try to give you a bit of help. I know you have to see radiants to know, but you can use numbers as guidelines. I like both depth and table to be in the low to mid 60''s. I would also stay away from EGL Israel reports. GIA is probably your best bet. Also, does your fiancee want a square or rectangular radiant? The two look very different.

Here''s a few I liked to get you started.

http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=7135758&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

This one is probably my favorite. It''s pretty square, and the numbers seem good. Of course you would have to see it in person or at least pictures of it to judge better.

http://search.virtcert.com/cgi/u/1012/v.cgi?stock=7058155&_s=1012&_p=sdf348gd743&_c=&_fs=1&prestock=&_ln=ps

This one is also nice, but I''m not in love with the thick girdle. It''s also slightly more rectangular.

http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_details.asp?pid=LD00108883

One other possibility, but SI2 may or may not be eyeclean. There''s a pretty big variation in the girdle, and it''s also slightly rectangular.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 8/27/2007 12:49:49 AM
Author:TheBlu
The girlfriend, now fiancee, told me she liked princess diamonds before so I got her one. She has been married before and her first ering was princess so she would like another cut and I just want to get her what she wants. After going to a Shane Co. here in town just to look at settings & stones, she decided she liked the radiant cut.

Weeelll all my research on princess cut is now worthless. Can anyone help me with info on the radiant cut. I've done a search on this site for 'radiant' and got some information, but the posts don't always agree accept to say 'you have to see them in person, numbers don't mean anything.' We saw a H SI1 2.3 carat radiant at Shane's for a little over $16k. It wasn't GIA cert, but one from Isreal. I didn't check into it much further b/c we just wanted to look, but it did look very nice (I know..they all do under those lights)

Need any help anyone can give me. I'm looking for greater than 2 carat, color @ G-H, clarity VS1- 'eyeclean' SI1. I'm looking for a stone with nice light performance. Any help?

Advice: Don't go to Shane & Co only. They are a bit too 47th Street IMO. I will never walk in there, and I know diamonds...Try other shops and SEE THE STONES. I know you hate that line, but if your fiancee had chosen a RB you would be happy online and doing your reasearch from the comfort of your couch. Also, if you want to get what you pay for, buy with a GIA cert. Get a stone just under 2.ct to save your money, but don't get certs that are not GIA as an H SI1 could really be a J SI2, yet you'll pay for the H SI1. GIA tend to be FAR closer to the actual grade than any other EGL, IGI or other such smaller labs, especially EGL from Israel.


Radiants are not by numbers because if you FIND good numbers, the stone may still look dead. Then you have to factor in the different looks of a radiant. I have seen stones with mid to early 70's depths that outshined the 60's depths i saw. And it all had to do with the magic of the crown angles and pavillions angles being complimentary, even with a greater depth.

If you are in NY, (as that's where Shane & Co are, so I am assuming you are) try Philmar Jewlers who is in the Fifth Avenue Pavillion. He is an authorized Original Radiant seller, and then go to others that carry radiants. See if you can make a criteria list, and leave the specs with a few people. You can try the AGA charts if you are bent on the numbers, that will give a ROUGH guideline. When they have something in within the range, then make appointments to see them. When you are ready to buy, take it to an appraiser and have them check the stone and valuate. From there negotatiate based on the internet prices closest to your search and see what you can get.

Good luck!

 

[DBM]

Date: 8/27/2007 10:06:29 AM
Author: Nicrez


If you are in NY, (as that''s where Shane & Co are, so I am assuming you are) try Philmar Jewlers who is in the Fifth Avenue Pavillion.

are you sure you''re not confusing this with a different company. i don''t recognize the name from new york

http://www.shaneco.com/about/stores.asp

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 8/27/2007 11:47:16 AM
Author: DBM

Date: 8/27/2007 10:06:29 AM
Author: Nicrez


If you are in NY, (as that''s where Shane & Co are, so I am assuming you are) try Philmar Jewlers who is in the Fifth Avenue Pavillion.

are you sure you''re not confusing this with a different company. i don''t recognize the name from new york

http://www.shaneco.com/about/stores.asp

Perhaps. "Shane & Co" here in NY different than Shane Co, thanks for pointing that out! I stand by my feeling that Shane & Co here in NY is too 47th Street.

But the chain store, "Shane Co" had some issues with posters who purchased from them. A quick search will give you a sample of what those issues were...

I always think that one should trust the jewler they go to, so instinct and research are very important to buying diamonds...

 

[TheBlu]

We went to Shane Co. the chain just to get started as they were open on Sunday and the store here in St. Louis is quite large. I wanted her to see a selection of cut shapes to see what she liked. She liked the rectangular radiant. I also wanted her to see a wide selection of settings to get an idea of what she wanted. She is leaning toward a pave type setting. She doesn''t like the "cathedral" look.

There is a jeweler here in town that carries the original radiant cut diamond. I am going to look at some stones there. I don''t relish paying the additional cost and sales taxes that go along with buying from a B&M store, but with this cut of stone I don''t want to ship diamonds back and forth.

Anyone have any input on Christian Bernard or Bailey Banks and Biddle. We looked at settings in both stores today just to get some more input.

 

[fullojoy]

I recently purchased a 3 carat radiant. I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures of the gorgeous ring that quest jewelers (www.questfinejewelers.com) custom made for me.

They gave me an information sheet about radiant diamonds. According to what they gave me, the best table and depth to consider are between 64% and 70%, and the best crown height is between 8.5% and 13.5%

Originally, I really wanted one which was more rectangular in shape, but I just couldn''t find one that had the sparkle I was looking for. I looked at so many, and they often seemed to have "dead" areas in them. I found the rectangle ones appeared quite large, as they were shallower then the more square ones. Many of the rectanges I looked at had bowties, and I don''t care for this look.

I ended up with one which is more square- the ratio is 1:07. It has great sparkle, and fire. I have no idea what the crown height is. Both the table and depth of mine are 69%. Mine has good symetry and polish. (When I purchased it, I was comparing it to another one with very good symmetry and polish. The stone with the "very good" ratings was not nearly as pretty as the one which I selected). During my search, I found that the stones that had greatest discrepancy in the girdle (ex, very thin to very thick) had less "life" then those whose girdle size was closer. (This was my observation and could be totally coincidental).

Many people on this listserv will tell you that radiants show color, and not to go above a G or H. My stone is an I, SI1, and to me, it is white as can be. This stone replaced an E color round that I had for the past 20 years and I honestly see no difference in the color. My stone has no visible inclusions. Purchasing an I colored stone, as opposed to G/H allowed me to get a bigger stone and stay within my budget.

I recommend sticking with a GIA certified stone. EGL Israel is very lenient on how they grade stones. The first jeweler I went to showed me an H colored EGL Israel stone. I kept telling the jeweler that I thought it looked yellow. I finally made him bring out a GIA certified H colored stone, and there was a big difference in the color.

The truth is, you really do need to look at many radiants before you find the one you love. Good luck.

 

[marcy]

I love radiants and the most important thing is what looks good to you. I have had nothing but good luck with the Shane Company in our area and recommend them to people all the time. I think BBB has some nice things but they seem a little pricey to me. I will be anxious to see what you get.

 

[Freakazoid]

Depth% is going to be crucial for the size/carat size you''re looking at. I wouldn''t even consider a radiant with less than 67% depth. But that''s me, you''ll get more for your money that way.

For an example of what you''re looking at in terms of selection at 16,000, I''m looking at a 2.22 branded RCDC original radiant cut (which as most radiant lovers know, original radiants are pretty safe bets, they usually look REAL good) I/SI1/d59.2/t68. With an absolutely perfect girdle (imo) of TN-M. Dimensions of 7.84x7.65x4.53. And that was just a quick search. With a 16k budget finding a STUNNING 2 carat radiant will be VERY easy with a little legwork.

But in terms of pure numbers, everyone''s been telling you spot on about the general blanket statement of table and depth