Requesting Advice on Radiants

[RadiantSeeker]

Alright guys, fairly new to the forum (lurked for 2 days) but I think I''ve narrowed my choices down. I definitely want a radiant cut (well, more importantly, SHE does!) Take a look at these specs and let me know the good, the bad, and, well, these better not be ugly -

All are original radiant cut diamonds and have the GIA''s blessing. FYI - I''m looking more for a rectangular radiant than square...

I''m fairly clear on the 4 C''s, but the rest is another language to me. I''ve seen "Radiant One" in person, and it definitely sparkled, and had only 1 minor inclusion when I looked at it under the scope. I haven''t seen Radiants 2 or 3 yet, but could get them in the store to look (I pulled their specs online). I realize I''ll need to see them, but does anything send up an immediate red flag? Thanks for your help and insight!!

Radiant One
1.09, G, SI1
6.81 x 5.17 x 3.62mm
Polish:Ex
Sym: Good
Flour: None
$8800

Radiant Two
1.07, D, SI1
7.13x5.11x3.55
Polish: Ex
Sym: Ex
Flour: N
Depth: 69.5
Table: 61
Girdle M-STK
Culet N
Additional Radiant Cut Specifications
Spread 34.50
Adjusted Depth% 58.0 %
Adjusted Crown Height% 8.0%
Adjusted Pavillion Depth% 47.5 %
$8443

Radiant Three
1.08, F, VS2
6.69x5.44x3.65
Polish:VG
Symmetry:VG
Flour: N
Depth:67.1
Table:63
Girdle:M-STK
Culet: N
Additional Radiant Cut Specifications
Spread 34.00
Adjusted Depth% 60.0 %
Adjusted Crown Height% 9.0%
Adjusted Pavillion Depth% 49.5 %
$8709

 

[coda72]

I''m not sure what the adjusted terms mean, how are they adjusted? But at any rate, the adjusted crown height on 2 and 3 seem low. Crown heights above 10% will usually make the radiant more fiery. Other than that, I don''t know what to say. I would have stone 2 called in. It''s the cheapest, it''s a D, and it''s the most rectangular. Original Radiant Cuts usually look pretty nice, so none of them may be a bad choice.

 

[RadiantSeeker]

Thanks Coda - I''m not sure what adjusted means, either! I''ll have to ask.

I think I''ll just get both in the store and then compare all 3 (including the one I saw yesterday). Anyone else have words of wisdom for me? Should I be worried about 2 of them being SI1 when there is a VS2 in the bunch? (That doesn''t affect sparkle, does it?) I hate being so ignorant on this stuff!

 

[oldminer]

Any one of these "might" be the right one for you. Although the specs all look promising, one can''t judge the appearance of a radiant by "the numbers". Both reples above are using terms which are not well defined such as "firey" and "sparkle". Without agreed definitions no one is communicating in a way which has a clearly understood meaning.

Here is how I define them in simple terms:
Fire=dispersion, spectral colors
Sparkle=Bright glints of light return and the potential for scintillation when in motion.

The problem with both of the above terms is that they are nearly completely light situation dependent. Only in certain lighting will these factors be highly visible and potentially important, but they are not going to be highly visible in a grading environemt other than in a retail store with pinpoint lighting sources overhead.

You really want to avoid dead zones of whitish, non-brilliant character often seen in radiant cuts. By comparing their brightness with princesses or rounds, you can learn to detect this often ocurring zone of non-performance. This is what hurts radiant cuts more than any other factor in appearance comparison.

One might question the advice that higher crown heights contribute to greater fire as being either wrong or an overly general statement which is not ''always" true. Sorry.

Look with your own eyes and compare to other shapes before you commit. In this way, you will be very sure you did well.

 

[sklingem]

The only thing that I can add in addition to agreeing that you should see them all in person to make a choice is that they seem on the expensive side!!! I just bought a wonderful 1.01ct radiant for half the prices you listed (GIA cert, great specs, F color etc.)

 

[iheartscience]

I agree with rob-the prices seem VERY high. I got my 1.5 carat G/SI1 radiant for about the same price as radiant #1 last year. If you''re using a B&M, you should really think about getting a radiant from an online vendor to get a much better price. And if you are using an online vendor, try another one!

Whiteflash.com sourced my radiant for me. GoodOldGold.com and Whiteflash.com are two vendors that are highly recommended around here. The prices for those 1 carat radiants should really be about half that. I did a quick search at GoodOldGold.com (they usually have fancy cuts in stock) and they had some 1 carat radiants and 1 carat cut cornered square brilliants (similar to a radiant, depending on the look you want in a radiant) for $3600-$5000ish. Please shop around-there''s no reason you should spend $8000+ for a 1 carat radiant, in my opinion!

 

[RadiantSeeker]

Excellent advice, guys. Thanks.

Yes, the diamonds I saw are in a B&M store and they ordered them from OriginalRadiant.com (and apparently can''t come off the price because the prices come from OriginalRadiant.com...), so I know they are quality diamonds. And I''ll see all 3 radiants side by side tomorrow.

I just have the Forrest Gump philosophy with internet stores - never know what you''re gonna get. Although if the internet diamonds are on the SAME grading scale (GIA reports) as the B&M, I guess I''m strictly paying for a name-brand (which, for me, comes with piece of mind). FYI I was looking at BlueNile.com. GOG didn''t have any radiants in stock.

What to do - What to do!

 

[sklingem]

My advice is to compare "original" and "non-original" radiants. That is what I did and, without knowing, I preferred a non-branded stone. You can always order online and ship stones back if you are not satisfied (see return policies). That will cost you a few hundred bucks but that should not be an issue if (a) you are willing to spend 8-9K anyway and (b) potential savings could be in the thousands. It is actually pretty simple!

 

[iheartscience]

Date: 4/9/2008 5:56:01 PM
Author: RadiantSeeker
Excellent advice, guys. Thanks.

Yes, the diamonds I saw are in a B&M store and they ordered them from OriginalRadiant.com (and apparently can't come off the price because the prices come from OriginalRadiant.com...), so I know they are quality diamonds. And I'll see all 3 radiants side by side tomorrow.

I just have the Forrest Gump philosophy with internet stores - never know what you're gonna get. Although if the internet diamonds are on the SAME grading scale (GIA reports) as the B&M, I guess I'm strictly paying for a name-brand (which, for me, comes with piece of mind). FYI I was looking at BlueNile.com. GOG didn't have any radiants in stock.

What to do - What to do!

Well, any reputable online vendor has a good return policy, so you'd only be out shipping $ if you don't like what you see. Plus, if the diamond is GIA or AGS certed and the vendor takes pictures and does an Idealscope and a sarin, you do know what you're going to get. Also, some vendors will send several diamonds to an approved appraiser and let you look at them before purchasing, too.

I just don't think that spending literally twice as much money is worth it for the ability to walk into a B&M store and buy the diamond. As for the Original Radiant Cut, I also checked them out when I was diamond searching, but as far as I'm aware, the cut isn't different from any other good radiant cut. It's not like the Tiffany Legacy stone where you can't get the same thing anywhere else. So I wasn't up for paying more money for the same thing I could get elsewhere.

Anyways, just my two cents! If the price is worth it to you, then I would just go for whichever looks better to your eye when you see them in person. And no matter what you do, please post pictures!

ETA that I think you should at least check out diamonds online-it doesn't hurt to do research, and you can always buy a diamond from the B&M if you don't find anything you like or don't feel comfortable buying online.

 

[RADIANTMAN]

Hi Radiantseeker,

The adjustments made to depth%, crownheight% and depth% are necessary because radiants vary in shape from square to long rectangles. The adjustments are necessary to make those numbers meaningfull across the full spectrum of radiant cut shapes. Squares and rectangles are geometrically different, and, with all due respect to Coda, applying the same proportion standards to the different shapes, without the necessary adjustments, gives you information which is just plain wrong (IMHO).

As the diamond gets longer, the %''s adjust downward. For example, the 8% crown height% on the 1.07 corresponds to approximately 9.5% measured the old fashioned way.

Radiants are extremely complicated, and have so many variables that the proportion #''s alone, even when properly adjusted, cannot guaranty that a radiant is well cut. Photos and "asset" scans, while they add some useful information if interpreted properly, still do not provide anything close to a complete picture of what the diamond will actually look like to your eyes. The diamonds need to be seen in person to be fully evaluated properly.