radiant vs. pear

[premium cut]

Which diamond will look bigger- a 1.61 original radiant cut or a 1.61 pear and why?

Thanks in advance for any opinions.

 

[jaz464]

All things being equal (depth, table, etc) the pear will look bigger. In fact, pears are generally considered to be one of the largest-looking cuts.

Check this out:

http://images.amazon.com/media/i3d/01/actual-diamond-size.pdf

 

[premium cut]

Great link!!! Thanks so much!!

 

[premium cut]

Which cut sparkles more? A pear, princess or radiant???

 

[RADIANTMAN]

Hi premium,

With respect to your first question, there is absolutely no question that in comparing diamonds of equal cut quality, a pearshape will appear larger for its carat weight than a radiant. A well cut radiant spreads about the same as a round; a pear spreads considerably larger. If spread is your primary concern in a diamond, you should focus your search on pears, marquises and flat ovals. These shapes will by far give you the best bang for your buck in terms of apparent size.

As to which cut sparkes more, each shape has its own personality based on the attractiveness of the shape itself, how it works in a particular piece of jewelry and the way it reflects light. Discussions as to "what sparkles more" kind of miss the point. Different diamond cuts sparkle differently - which one is most appealing is an individual choice. Notwithstanding a lot of the "scientific answers" being bandied about, this is even true in comparing one round diamond to another.

Choose the shape you like the best, after seeing as many diamonds as you feel you need to in order to make an informed choice. Then, choose a diamond you think is beautiful. " Nobody can tell you what "sparkles" more.

To use an example close to home for me, it would be easy for me to say that a radiant has nicer life than an emerald cut. It would also be self serving and untrue. Radiants and emerald cuts reflect light completely differently, and which is nicer is entirely a matter of taste.

Choose the diamond you like the best, the one that best reflects who you are.

 

[premium cut]

Thanks for the input. What do you think of these radiant specifications?

What do you think about these numbers for a 1.61 radiant cut?
measurements- 7.38 x 6.55 x 3.99 mm
depth- 60.9
table- 67%
crown height- 10
girdle- medium to slighly thick
cutlet-none
finish-good
polish- good
symmetry-good
clarity grade- vs1
color grade- E
fluorescence- none
Do you think the depth is too shallow, the crown hight too small and the table to big? Am I being to cerebral with the whole dimensions and numbers?

 

[coda72]

The numbers for this radiant look pretty good. It's not too shallow and the table isn't too large. It may be better if the table were slightly lower than the depth, but that's not absolutely necessary for it to be a beautiful diamond. If I were buying by the numbers, I'd give this one a shot. Only by seeing it in person will you really be able to judge whether you like it or not.

 

[jaz464]

The crown height may be a little shallow but really, this diamond could be beautiful. You could definelty go down in clarity and get a larger diamond w/o seeing a visual difference at all (in terms of the clarity). You''re paying more for an "E" too of course. Many here would drop down in color but I personally like my diamonds in the colorless range. Any pics?

 

[RADIANTMAN]

I''m not sure what the rules are on this forum for my commenting on a question relating to an Original Radiant Cut, so hopefully this post will fall within the rules.

First, the crown height provided by us for Original radiants is an adjusted number, reflecting the length - width ratio of the stone. The 10% adjusted crown height on that diamond would reflect a conventional crown height measurement closer to 11 (10.6%). In a more rectangular stone the difference between conventional crown height and adjusted crown height can be as much as 2%.

Second, cut information has no meaning if it doesn''t translate into something visual. Is there something missing in the life of the diamond which you think may result from the crown height? Or is it a beautiful diamond but you''re concerned about the crown height because of something you read?

The answer is important because proportions are a means to an end, not an end itself. The end is a beautiful diamond, and proportions are just the means of getting there. Whether it''s an Original Radiant or a generic, don''t let a focus on numbers cause you to lose sight of the true goal. Whether its our proportion set or anybody elses, proportions only have meaning if they result in visual differences in the diamond. If all we are making are distinctions without a difference then those distinctions stop having any real meaning.