Radiant Cut Questions

[se0410]

Have decided that a square, radiant cut is what she wants:

What depth percentage / table percentage should I be looking for? Do these percentages need to be close to one another? Do I need to concern myself with crown height? Or, rather than address all of these issues, can I just be comfortable if the cut is graded "excellent" or "very good"?

For a 1.5 to 1.7 carat stone, G to H color, VS2 clarity (I was told VS1 is not worth the extra $$) -- I am trying to determine what I should pay. Can I get this for less than $10K? A jeweler showed me a Rapaport sheet, but I don''t trust that the #''s on it are accurate and I don''t know when you can reasonably expect to get a discount vs. when you cannot. Is it true that discounts aren''t likely for an "excellent" cut stone, but possible for "very good" and below? Also, is it true that stones between 1.7 and 2.0 carats are very rare. A jewler told me he would have some 1.5+ carat stones for me to look at in a few days, but he said I shouldn''t expect to see anything between 1.7 and 2.0.

 

[oldminer]

The AGA specs will assist you in knowing a better cut stone from one with potential problems of too much depth, which is very typical of this cut. There are other problems that the cut class charts will help you avoid, but you will need to examine a stone with your own eyes to be sure it does make you pleased with the way it looks, too.

You will find many dealers in denial that any radiant is cut better than any other. To many, they are all "fine cut", whatever that means to them. There is no universal agreement, as yet, on cut grading these stones, but there are obvious pitfalls that the AGA Cut Class charts will make sure you can avoid them. You really won''t be asked to pay a true premium for well made radiant cut diamonds, but you will have the devil of a time finding one that stands out from the herd. These stones are mostly cut for weight retention and not for cut quality or light performance. You are bucking the market by searching for a well cut one. You might be better off looking for one that simply costs the right price, looks very nice and weighs the most possible....This is counterintuitive to me, but it is what most consumers end up doing.

Stones of certain weights are in short supply. This is a function of what other shapes might be cut from the same rough, a true shortage of material, and a little pressure on you to accept what you might be offered without making an informed decsion. Take your time. There is always another stone coming out of the major labs with a fresh cert.