Radiant Stone Question

[taghans]

Are these specs OK? I am concerned about the Table and Depth being different, what is the benefit of the table being larger than the depth and or the depth being larger than the table? I am concerned in that this stone the depth is larger than the table.

 

[lizzyd]

Where are the specs?

 

[taghans]

Shape: Radiant
Carat weight: 1.98
Cut: Premium
Color: G
Clarity: VS1
Certificate: GIA
Depth: 64.9
Table: 62
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: M-STK
Culet: NONE
Fluorescence: NONE
Measurements: 8.25*6.72*4.36


Go BoSox and Tigers!

Oh and another one I just came across: (Want to stay away from H color though)
2.02 carats, H color, VS1 clarity, GIA certified
The diamond features a 68.6% depth, 64% table, Slightly Thick Girdle, Very Good Polish, Excellent Symmetry, faint fluorescence and measures 8.92 x 6.30 x 4.32mm

 

[kcoursolle]

Hi taghans! Radiants are not like round brilliants. It is much harder to find a great radiant with the numbers alone and they vary substantially in appearance. Also, radiants in general are not cut very well. It''s not easy to find a good one, but it is completely worth it when you do!! I personally enjoyed the search for my radiant that I love. In general, I would recommend that you at least see a picture of a radiant you are thinking of purchasing and get out there and look at many radiants and see what types of cuts you like.

As far as your question:
lt is ok and normal that the depth and table are not identical. Most prefer for them to be about 2-5% different. However, personal preference dictates about preference as to if the table should be larger than the depth. Some like a table smaller than the depth, some like the opposite. I personally prefer a table that is about 2-4% larger than the depth.

With radiants in general, I prefer a depth of 60-65% and a table slightly larger than the depth. I like the girdle to be thin-med, to slightly thick. Also, I like the polish and symmetry to be VG/VG if possible because this is a good indicator of attention to detail by the cutter. However, most radiants are not cut like this and you may personally prefer other cuts as well. As far as color/clarity goes, radiants show more color than rounds, but hide inclusions better than rounds. I would go as low as an H in a radiant, while I might go down to a J in a round. Also, I would be willing go down to a SI2 to save money in a radiant because radiants hide inclusions pretty well.

As far as this radiant goes, did you see it? Did you love it? How did the symmetry look under a loupe-were the facets crisp and defined or did they blur together? When you look at stones try turning them slowly in a horizontal circle to view light preformance and taking them into various lighting conditions if possible. How does this stone perform in sunlight compared to the lights of the store?

Hope this helps, radiants are difficult but worth it!

 

[taghans]

Hmm, I have not seen the stone via a photo or in person. I found it on the pricescope search and am woking with a few jewelers. The thing is they want me to pay for shipping etc if I choose not to buy it from them. I wonder if I can fins out what wholesaler they are talking to regarding the stone. You suggest looking at it under a scope but how will I know what to look for?

 

[SuzyQZ]

Excellent response kcoursolle. I ditto that!

******

 

[kcoursolle]

Hi tagans, I would try asking the pricescope vendor to send you pictures via email. Many vendors will and should do this for you if the stone is in house versus virtual. Feel free to post them here and we can comment on them. Also, I would call pricescope vendors and ask if they have any well-cut radiants and they will use their eyes and help you pick a good one.

Also, you would be able to personally view and compare stones if you have them sent to an independent appraiser. The gemologist you send them to will assist you in comparing the stones and you can see for yourself if you like them with no obligation to buy. Many pricescope vendors allow for this. Also, consider purchasing from a vendor with a good return policy, then if you view the stone and don''t like it and your independent appraisal doesn''t go well you can return it. However, you will probably have to suck up the shipping costs. However, this is a small price to pay and you will still save money going through trusted internet venders versus buying from overpriced jewelry stores.

 

[taghans]

Thanks I will do just that, I just found a stone but have to decide which vendor to select regarding the setting and side stones. Many vendors are quoting different prices (some w/ Military Discount etc..) and others with high costs overall.

 

[kcoursolle]

If you go through a pricescope vendor be sure to ask for the pricescope discount!! It''s not huge, but it helps. Many of the prices listed on here are special rates for pricescope customers. You have to ask for the discount in order to get it.

There are many good vendors we could recommend for you here for the setting or the stone. All of them are trusted and reliable on this site. I personally went through dirt cheap diamonds (the same company as james allen by the way) for my diamond and a local jeweler for my setting. Other possible vendors are Good old gold, whiteflash, diamonds by lauren (they specialize in radiants), knox jewelers was great for a custom ring setting. There are others as well.

 

[taghans]

Why would they offer a pricescope discount? I have been working all but knox jewlery. Diamonds by Lauren has not responded to me which is odd.

Thanks!

 

[kcoursolle]

I think they offer a pricescope member discount because this site has many readers. If we are happy with our purchases from those vendors word gets around and they will get more business. Strange that diamonds by lauren hasn''t contacted you...also, I don''t think knox offers pricescope discounts, they didn''t for me, but they are great regardless.

 

[coda72]

Shape: Radiant
Carat weight: 1.98
Cut: Premium
Color: G
Clarity: VS1
Certificate: GIA
Depth: 64.9
Table: 62
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Good
Girdle: M-STK
Culet: NONE
Fluorescence: NONE
Measurements: 8.25*6.72*4.36
I like the measurements on this stone. I personally am a fan of the table being slightly smaller than the depth, but as you can see, others opinions will differ. Since there is no standard for how radiants are cut, other than the Original Radiant Cuts, the depth and table measurements can go all over the place. If it were me, I would definitely take a good look at this stone. By the numbers it looks good.

Sorry if my reply is a little garbled, I''m pretty tired today.

 

[Emeraldfan]

I actually viewed this exact stone myself a few months back when I was looking for a radiant. I did have the GIA report around here somewhere (if you know ithe number then I could tell you for sure it was the exact stone - but the measurements and specs you quoted are what I remember). I thought it was a great diamond and the online price I saw it for was reasonable. I decided against it however, for 2 reasons 1) this radiant had more of the shattered glass look than I personally liked and the "good" rather than VG or excellent bothered me 2) a local B&M brought it in for me to see (not knowing I had seen it online) and tried to charge me $2k more than I had seen it for on the online website. That just turned me off completely so I went to another B&M and had them bring in a radiant I did love and bought.

All in all though, it is a nice stone for the online price and worth taking a look at to see if you like it for yourself.