Which Radiant would you choose (3 choices)? Help!

[NYT]

I''ve been researching B&Ms and online (thanks PS) for months and I''ve finally narrowed it down to 3 diamonds. I know with fancy cuts you really need to make the decision in-person, but I would REALLY appreciate any feedback helping me narrow this down in advance based on the info provided below.

The stone is for a solitare e-ring that will be in a 18k white gold "Lucida" style band (I prefer a square-ish stone). Price is not mentioned, but assume it''s similar and not a factor. All 3 choices meet my minimum spec, but I''m looking for the best value that will give my girls eye lots of bright, colourful action.

Radiant A
1.03ct
H
VVS2
Depth: 65.5
Table: 66
Girdle: Med-Stk
LxWxD: 5.95x5.63x3.39 (1.05 ratio)
GIA listed Inclusions: Pin point

Radiant B
1.11ct
H
VS2
Depth: 68.8
Table: 64
Girdle: Med-Thk
LxWxD: 6.01x5.83x4.01 (1.03 ratio)
GIA listed Inclusions: Cloud, Indented Natural

Radiant C
1.07ct
G
SI1
Depth: 65.7
Table: 62
Girdle: Med-Stk
LxWxD: 6.20x5.66x3.72 (1.09 ratio)
GIA listed Inclusions: Feather, Cloud

* All 3 diamonds are GIA with VG/EX Sym/Polish, no flourescence or culet.

Please rank them in order and/or provide any feedback. Thanks in advance!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Can you get ASET images?
ASET is best for radiants.


I have seen stones with so called bad #''s that are dogs and vice a versa.

Also do you know what type of radiant you like? Pinfire crushed glass or bright flashy?
ASET images can help delineate each type

 

[kcoursolle]

None of the numbers on these stones screams baaaaad, but it''s impossible to pick one without images. Can you ask the vendor for images of the stones? Have you seen them, do you like one versus the others?

 

[NYT]

Date: 7/5/2007 7:32:56 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
Can you get ASET images?
ASET is best for radiants.


I have seen stones with so called bad #''s that are dogs and vice a versa.

Also do you know what type of radiant you like? Pinfire crushed glass or bright flashy?
ASET images can help delineate each type

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately no images are available. However, I will have the opportunity to compare 2 of them side by side with an appraiser to help make my decision.

As for what type of radiant she will like, I only know she prefers square. She has virtually no jewelery and I really want to suprrise her. I just want to get one that has good brightness and colour - what diamonds are supossed to do. No heavy preference on which is more evident.

 

[Nicrez]

If she likes square, then get stone B. It has the best spread, the largest carat size and is 1.03. The 1.05 will show length a bit. The 1.09 will be obviously rectangular.

Plus a VVS2 is a waste of money. The VS2 is ideal for your budget. It is also a bit deeper and may exhibit the best fire with a nice 62 table, should be a good stone to consider.

See the stone in person. See if it speaks to you. Test it in every lighting and get the appraiser to view it for any potential issues of adherence to GIA cert.

Good luck!

 

[NYT]

Date: 7/5/2007 8:33:01 PM
Author: kcoursolle
None of the numbers on these stones screams baaaaad, but it''s impossible to pick one without images. Can you ask the vendor for images of the stones? Have you seen them, do you like one versus the others?

I know it’s impossible to pick the “best” stone (radiant anyway) by numbers alone, but I don’t think any of these numbers are bad.According to the AGA chart most of these specs are ideal or close to.I have to narrow my list down to 2 diamonds from this info listed, then choose the best one in person.

 

[NYT]

Date: 7/7/2007 2:27:47 AM
Author: Nicrez
If she likes square, then get stone B. It has the best spread, the largest carat size and is 1.03. The 1.05 will show length a bit. The 1.09 will be obviously rectangular.

Plus a VVS2 is a waste of money. The VS2 is ideal for your budget. It is also a bit deeper and may exhibit the best fire with a nice 62 table, should be a good stone to consider.

See the stone in person. See if it speaks to you. Test it in every lighting and get the appraiser to view it for any potential issues of adherence to GIA cert.

Good luck!

Thanks Nicrez. I''ve read many of your posts on radiants; glad you could chime in.

B is my first choice also. However, the only things that worry me are the depth might be a bit too deep (68. and I''m not sure if a bit of that 1.11 weight is also hidden in the girdle (med-thk). Am I worrying about nothing?

Why does B have the best spread... I thought the smaller the spread the better?

 

[jstarfireb]

I might be a little bit concerned about H color in a radiant because radiant cut brings out the color in a stone. However, I don''t know much else about what makes a radiant cut good or not, so I''ll defer to the experts here. You might want to take a look at the G and H side by side and see if the G looks whiter though. (I''m assuming by "bright, colorful action" you''re talking about flashes of fire, not body color!)

 

[Nicrez]

Date: 7/8/2007 7:36:23 PM
Author: NYT

Date: 7/7/2007 2:27:47 AM
Author: Nicrez
If she likes square, then get stone B. It has the best spread, the largest carat size and is 1.03. The 1.05 will show length a bit. The 1.09 will be obviously rectangular.

Plus a VVS2 is a waste of money. The VS2 is ideal for your budget. It is also a bit deeper and may exhibit the best fire with a nice 62 table, should be a good stone to consider.

See the stone in person. See if it speaks to you. Test it in every lighting and get the appraiser to view it for any potential issues of adherence to GIA cert.

Good luck!

Thanks Nicrez. I''ve read many of your posts on radiants; glad you could chime in.
NYT, Smaller tables are not ALWAYS a better sign. This one has a 64% which is a nice size. Not small, not large.

B is my first choice also. However, the only things that worry me are the depth might be a bit too deep (68. and I''m not sure if a bit of that 1.11 weight is also hidden in the girdle (med-thk). Am I worrying about nothing?
Yes you are worrying about nothing. Unless you cut the stone yourself, I doubt you will find a stone that is perfectly balanced with enough weight on the crown and pavillion for it''s size and weight. Cutting is an art, and never exact and percise in fancies. Part of the whole difficulty in finding a good one, but this one could very well be a winner...

Why does B have the best spread... I thought the smaller the spread the better?
If you want a high crown, but it''s not an asscher, and a huge spread is more like a princess cut, so somewhere in the middle is a good radiant. I would best liken the spread for a radiant like an emerald. This one is just right at 64%. Sometimes the larger tablesmake the stones flash appearance seem a bit larger. Small trick of the trade.

 

[NYT]

Date: 7/8/2007 8:51:40 PM
Author: jstarfireb
I might be a little bit concerned about H color in a radiant because radiant cut brings out the color in a stone. However, I don''t know much else about what makes a radiant cut good or not, so I''ll defer to the experts here. You might want to take a look at the G and H side by side and see if the G looks whiter though. (I''m assuming by ''bright, colorful action'' you''re talking about flashes of fire, not body color!)

I am a little concerned about the H colour (on 2 of these diamonds), however side-by-side I think H and G will be very hard to differientate... I hope.

Square radiants are hard to find to begin with, let alone one that meets all of the spec criteria I want. These 3 were the best options for my value price range. I may choose the G coloured diamond if visually the 1.09 ratio doesn''t appear too rectangular and the SI1 is actually eye-clean.

 

[NYT]

I''m thinking even if I go with choice "Radiant C" that has the 1.09 LxW ratio I''ll mount it sideways (East-West). I don''t like North-South rectangular look and this length is only ~10% longer. Think this will look ok on a size 5 finger in a Lucida setting?

 

[NYT]

UPDATE: I went with choice B (the 1.11ct) over choice C (the 1.07ct) Radiant. It was a very tough decision that I flip-flopped on at the appraisers. Here''s how I decided if anyone is interested:

Colour: The colour (or lack of) of the G stone was amazing. To my surprise you could easily tell this G and H apart. The appraiser said they were probably graded correctly, but at the high and low end of their grading ranges.

Clarity: As for the VS2 vs SI1 there was no real difference. The SI1 had more inclusions, but they were smaller and spread out so it was pretty much irrelevant. The 1.11ct VS2 had 1 main inclusion that was larger and more centered. Clarity was not really an issue as both were totally eye clean, but it was semi-interesting as the SI1 may have actually been "better" here.

Cut: They were both good. As the numbers told me in advace the extra weight of the 1.11 was lost in its larger depth, so it was a non-factor. The reason I chose the 1.11ct was really personal preference. Although the G colour of 1.07 was stunning I found the diamond a little "glassy" or "flat" in the light. The 1.11ct seemed to give me a little more colour and action when moving in the light. The other main reason I chose the 1.11ct was because of it''s box shape; the 1.09 ratio of the G colour diamond was noticeable to the naked eye and I wanted more "square". I wished the 1.11ct stone had the G colour, but when the 2 were not beside each other you could not tell, so I decided on the larger, square-ish diamond that seem to have more life in my opinion.

The appraiser preferred the 1.07 G (which I never told you guys was $200 more) mainly because of the colour and smaller depth. I guess as much as I did my numbers research and wanted the "best" stone, I''m glad that I went with the stone that suited what I wanted. It was pretty much a win-win decision either way... hopefully my girlfriend shares the same preference as me

I''ll try to get pics for you guys in a couple weeks when the ring is finished.

If anyone read all of this, can you give me your opinion on if I could go comfort fit or not?