Radiant Diamond
Like the Princess Cut, the Radiant cut diamond is also a square cut. Unlike the princess cut, however, the radiant cut diamond is round faced and has rounded corners, making the radiant cut diamond reflect and refract light in many more directions than the princess.
The radiant cut diamond was perfected in 1977 by Henry Grossbard, who sought to combine the reflectiveness of the round brilliant with the step cut of the emerald. The radiant cut diamond, therefore, has the advantages of maintaining more of the diamond rough without having to lop off the whole bottom, plus the brilliance and fire of a round cut. Radiant cut diamondscan also be either rectangular or square, depending entirely on the personal preferences of the purchaser. Neither shape adversely affects the radiant cut diamond’s grading, which is one of the advantages of the cut and exactly what Grossbard had in mind when he designed it.
The fire of a properly cut radiant cut diamond is intense to the point that it catches the peripheral vision of anyone who comes close to its wearer. However, despite the advantages of the radiant cut diamond, there is, like the princess cut, a danger in purchasing one. The radiant cut diamond is so complicated and multifaceted that nearly all major gemological institutes refuse to give it a grading. This leaves the actual grading up to the people who sell the diamond, making it difficult for any third party to independently grade the cut of a radiant cut diamond.
The most important characteristic of a properly cut radiant cut diamond, however, is visible to the naked eye. The more the radiant cut diamond sparkles and the more fire the diamond has, the more successful the cutter was in achieving the objective of conspicuousness. Of course, one cannot simply randomly hack away at a diamond and hope it becomes sparkly. Symmetry and balance are also crucial, though this can be objectively measured, if only excruciatingly.
The round brilliant cut has certain proportions that are quickly recognizable and graded according to whatever proportions are considered ideal. The radiant cut diamond, however, has to be thoroughly examined for symmetry in every crevice to make sure that its cut is ideal. This would take way too long for your average gemological institute staff, where time is money and such excruciating activity cannot reasonably be done without massive government bailouts.