What is the proper ratio of table to depth on a radiant?

[s1203372]

I am interested in a radiant for my girlfriend, and I have looked over the numbers given in the advanced tutorial, but I was wondering if someone could shed further insight. Should I assume that any diamond with numbers falling within the range given is worth looking at? For instance, how about if the table is 60 and the depth is 67, or the table is 67 and the depth is 60. If I understand what I have read, the former should generally be a more firey diamond, and the latter a brighter diamond just from depth, but is there a ratio of one to the other that can be used to rule out diamonds? Thanks!

 

[Eva17]

Does she prefer a rectangle or square?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/24/2006 6:32:21 PM
Author:s1203372
I am interested in a radiant for my girlfriend, and I have looked over the numbers given in the advanced tutorial, but I was wondering if someone could shed further insight. Should I assume that any diamond with numbers falling within the range given is worth looking at? For instance, how about if the table is 60 and the depth is 67, or the table is 67 and the depth is 60. If I understand what I have read, the former should generally be a more firey diamond, and the latter a brighter diamond just from depth, but is there a ratio of one to the other that can be used to rule out diamonds? Thanks!

Welcome to PS

Coda is good with Radiants and she should be online soon. She has a chart she uses, but I am not sure which one it is, she will be able to help you with this.

 

[kcoursolle]

Hi there, somehow I missed this thread. I am a fellow radiant lover as well! I am not an expert, but I own a radiant and when I was looking I did quite a bit of research and viewing at B & M's. There were quite a few uglies out there...but finding a good one is well worth it.
Here is the chart Lorelei is talking about. I'm sure coda will chime in shortly, and she can definitely help. Radiants are a little more difficult than rounds or other cuts. It's harder to find radiants that are well-cut compared to a round. In general, it helps to see a radiant with your own eyes as well. What kind of radiant are you looking for, carat size, rectangular vs. square, budget, etc.?

http://www.gemappraisers.com/oldcutgraderules.asp

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/25/2006 4:26:13 AM
Author: kcoursolle

Hi there, somehow I missed this thread. I am a fellow radiant lover as well! I am not an expert, but I own a radiant and when I was looking I did quite a bit of research and viewing at B & M''s. There were quite a few uglies out there...but finding a good one is well worth it.
Here is the chart Lorelei is talking about. I''m sure coda will chime in shortly, and she can definitely help. Radiants are a little more difficult than rounds or other cuts. It''s harder to find radiants that are well-cut compared to a round, but well worth it. In general, it helps to see a radiant with your own eyes as well. What kind of radiant are you looking for, carat size, rectangular vs. square, budget, etc.?

http://www.gemappraisers.com/oldcutgraderules.asp

Thats the chart Koursie

 

[coda72]

Well, generally speaking the table should be 1-3% less than the depth. But there''s no real standard for radiants, so this isn''t set in stone. Also, people have different preferences. Some people like a table which is slightly larger than the depth. I myself have a radiant where the table is slightly smaller than the depth and it''s a very fiery stone. What you really need to do is go to a jewelry store, look at some radiants and see what your preference is. It seems like it''s harder to find a radiant with a smaller table than depth, so you may not see as many of those. But it is best to see them in person if you can.

 

[s1203372]

Thanks for all the replies! I must say, I have found this forum to be by far the most informative place on the web for really learning about diamonds.

As for the stone for my girlfriend, I am not so concerned with carat weight as such, more with the spread of the diamond. She prefers rectangles with a ratio of around 1.5, and dimensions of 7.5x5 or so. The size going up or down a little would be fine. The plan is to set this in a 3-stone configuration with two half moons of 5mm diameter, and I want the proportions to be right. Here is an image scaled correctly for a 7.5x5 radiant with 5mm half moons, although the actual dimensions may not be correct depending on the screen resolution:

 

[Rhino]

Hi s,

While radiants can come in certain shapes ranging from 1:1 squares to all varieties of rectangular shapes there are two general appearances you''ll find amongst them which will primarily be dictated by the proportions.

One is an appearance that accentuates many tiny pin flashes of white light. Fire is not strong in these types generally but when you do bring the stone into spot lighting environments you can see the small sparks of fire come from within the stone. This is a look that you will generally get with radiants of the rectangular flavor and generally have tables that are greater than their total depths.

The other is an appearance that does contribute to what many would consider a higher brightness, greater contrast and stronger fire. These types can be found amongst rectangular types but are much harder to locate. These types are generally found in the more squarer shapes and instead of of emphasis on pin flash, have more of an emphasis on broad flash. These types of stones generally have tables that are smaller than their total depths but that is not a hard fast rule.

A similar comparison can also be drawn in other fancy shapes such as cushions.

The only way to determine which of these appearances you or your fiance will enjoy most is by going out and looking at both side by side. We''ve seen consumers go either way although when viewing this comparison more tend to lean towards the 2nd appearance I''ve described. I''d show you some photography that demonstrates this but I''m punching this out from a remote location and will not be back at my store till next week. Till then beat the street. See as many as you can. Note the appearances and most importantly the one that you or your fiance enjoys most.

Hope that helps.

 

[s1203372]

Some photos of each would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your help, Rhino!