Radiant cuts

[cmcwill]

Hi everyone! I love ALL the pictures and the helpful friendly people here!

Does anyone know of some great dealers in the NJ, NY, PA area that have a wide selection of radiant cuts? I was looking mainly for Princesses and stumbled across a radiant that I love but want to do some more research. Being as though I first loved Princesses, I''m interested in the Radiants that more closely resemble that look than the RB look (from the inside). We might head down to Sansom St. in Philly and I would like to know if any visitors thought it was worth it there.

Thanks so much!
Colleen

 

[cmcwill]

BTW here are the specs of the radiant I first fell in love with (super sparkly) but after being here for a couple LATE nights have learned a lot. Any opinion on this stone?

.707 c
F
SI2
total depth 72.1%
Pav depth 46.0
Crown height 5.5
Table 79.0
Girdle 6.0
Length to Width 1.03
5.06 X 4.91 X 3.54

Love the Length to Width...worried about the crown and table.

Thanks!!!

 

[valeria101]

Opinion... if you like this stone compared to all other you have seen, why not. However, this kind of cut should be discounted for!

Those number are all red flags, but this says little in absence of the stone. These proportions could deliver great light return - if you say so - but then you have to put up with an extra flat crown (so virtually no diamond would show above the tips of the prongs or whatever setting element hold the stone), oversize depth (making the face-up surface of the stone smaller compared to stones of same weight)... If this is ok with you, why not. Also, I should add that the lighting conditions under which you have seen the stone could add more to the "sparkle" than the cut. This is possible, and the odd numbers you post here make me suspect it was the case.

Another red flag? If a cutter chose to "cut the corners" of a princess, it usually wasn't to achieve the best cut out there but to place larger facets on the pavilion and get the biggest stone out of the piece of rough, regardless of the look of the outcome.

All in all, this could be one great diamond, but the numbers alone do not recommend it. One way to tell whether this is an exception to every rule or just your average stone with "commercial" cut quality and look, would be to see a couple of well cut princess and radiants for reference.

 

[cmcwill]

Thanks Valeria!

I think I definitely need to do more shopping around, I'll have to wait 2 weeks to do it with my boyfriend though

You are correct about it probably looking smaller than the actual weight because of the depth- when the jeweler put it in this computer system to be analyzed by different lazers and such, it came out a .6999 ct.
We did drop it in some open settings and there are definitely some that wipe out its size and then there are those that complement it well. Bottom line- I need to do more research and not be too attached the the jeweler of this particular stone, who has been nothing but honest about its strengths and weaknesses. And getting a discount isn't as important to me as getting a stone I'm going to wear forever...

Thanks again!!
Colleen

 

[Nicrez]

Coleen, if you can try to look at The Radiant Cuts http://www.radiantcut.com to see the stones in person and get a feel for the cuts that started the Radiants. I only say this becuase we first started our radiant search that way...and we knew much more so what a well proportioned stone SHOULD look like. After that we could really tell the differences in "good", "bad", and "UGLY"...the numbers are not everything, of course, but they really DO help, according to the AGA charts:

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fnc2.asp

This will help weed out the really bad cuts, as a good reference. I always recommend to try finding stone with depth and table percents UNER 70%, but some over can really work. The Majorit of the best stones though, I have found to really be under 70. I saw a 68% table, and 74% depth on a truly beautiful stone that had so much fire, i thought it was a RB!!! But, it had quite a bit of other imprefections so we passed...

I think you'll find your stone, with a bit of looking (for now before your BF can help, try on-line, and start by creating a spreadsheet of all your stones and their stats, as well as where you can find them, price and your own scale of 1-10 of how you like them in person for fire and brilliance. This helps, seriously! The vendors on PS are so helpful and accomodating and I am sure if they have the means to get Sarins and Ideal Scope pics they will. To me, a shpaed stone should always be seen through an I-scope to see how much light leakage there is...that makes sure it's cut well for refraction and reflection. Either way, start the search process on-line and keep going to B&Ms who carry the stones. Ask for the specifics you want, and demand no less than the best, because I think it's very likely you'll get the perfect stone. It's out there! Good luck and keep posting! Hopefully we can give you some good guidance and the rest is up to your gut insticts!

 

[cmcwill]

Thanks for the replies Valeria and Nicrez! I am very excited about our trip to Philly in two weeks. Does anyone out there have experience with certain jewelers in the Philly diamond district? We might have to just work our way up the street, but if anyone who has dealt with some stores can recommend or warn us away from them, that would be appreciated!

Colleen

 

[njchoochoo]

After looking at the site, www.radiantcut.com, I went to McGarrys jewelers on 2nd street in Phila.. The few radiants I looked at to the eye were very nice looking diamonds. I still have a bit more looking to do, and I'm not sure if it's worth paying a possible premium to get a Grossbard radiant. I guess as I narrow my choices down, I'll figure it out. If anyone cares to comment about the Grossbard radiant and price, I'm interested to hear opinions. Here is some basic info and prices of a few radiants I looked at...

1.00ct G VS2 5500. Table and Depth 66%
1.58ct G SI1 9800. " " " "