How To Buy The PERFECT
Radiant-cut Diamond Engagement Ring

The Radiant-cut Diamond is a 🔒 top-5 pick in the Engagement Ring Draft. Player comp? A Hall of Fame Forward. Think The Mailman. The Slim Reaper. The King.

Radiants have stretched out over the years. Traditionally a square shape, the modern Radiant-cut Diamond is made to a rectangular ratio. A true “Stretch 4”.

Same change in the Forward position. Picture ol’ 6’2″ John Hargis of the 1951 Tri-Cities Blackhawks trying to cover 6’9″ LeBron James on the block 🫡

• Scouting Report: Gorgeous elongated shape, huge surface area by Carat Weight, excellent Color & Clarity masking, great sparkle.
• Needs improvement: Literally nothing, if your Radiant-cut Diamond is “Excellent” Cut. Only thing you need to avoid is a noticeable “bowtie” (dark shadow across the middle of the stone). 
• Popularity Rank (Current): #3
• Surface Area / Carat Weight Rank: #3
• Light Return Rank: Tied #5 (Behind Round, Princess/Cushion, and Ovals)

Want the quick steps instead of reading the whole Playbook? We got you covered.

1. Set Cut Grade from “Ideal” to “Excellent”
2. Set Color Grade to “E”
3. Set Clarity Grade to “VS1”
4. Open Advanced Filters and set Polish and Symmetry to “Excellent”
5. Set Price to your ideal budget for the whole Ring, minus a $1,000 buffer for the Setting
6. Select “IGI” as the Lab
7. Set Depth from 62-68%
8. Set Table from 62-67%
9. Manually check that Crown Height is between 12 – 15%
10. Manually check that Pavilion Depth is between 47 – 56%
11. Manually check that the Diamond is CVD Type IIA (always passes diamond tester)
12. Set your Carat Weight range. Factor in:
    1. How large of a Diamond she’s comfortable wearing
    2. How large of a Diamond looks nice but not “overpowering”
    3. The cost of the Setting (let’s say roughly $1,000)

Cut Grade of an Radiant-cut Diamond

Cut Grade refers to how well your Diamond reflects light. An “Excellent” Cut Radiant-cut Diamond makes the whole Ring better– reflecting lots of light without any big pockets of dark shadows. Star players always shine when the lights are brightest.

Straight from the IGI’s Fancy-shape “Excellent” Cut Guidelines, below are the Proportion #s behind an “Excellent” Cut Radiant-cut Diamond. “Excellent” Cut means maximum sparkle from all parts of the Diamond and no dark shadows.

Let’s look at a real “Excellent” Cut Radiant-cut Diamond’s IGI Report below…

All Proportions within “Excellent” Cut range…

• Table % is 66% in the Report above ✅ Optimal light received into the Diamond.
• Depth % is 66.7% in the Report above ✅ Optimal Carat Weight distribution, no shadows, and Diamond looks like a proper 3 carat (overly-deep Diamonds look smaller once set in a Ring, since most of the weight is on the bottom, which you can’t see).
• Crown Height is 14% in the Report above ✅ Optimal balance between fire (rainbow-colored light) and brilliance (white light). Too much brilliance and the Diamond looks “glassy”, too much fire and it looks like a Moissanite.
  • Crown is a Diamond’s top half, above the girdle.
• Pavilion Depth is 49% in the Report above ✅ Maximum volume of light is being reflected from the Diamond.
  • Pavilion is a Diamond’s bottom half, below the girdle.
• Girdle is Medium in the Report above ✅ The Diamond is durable and bears no risk of chipping while being set in your Ring.
  • Girdle is the Diamond’s border dividing crown and pavilion.
• Polish is “Excellent” in the Report above ✅ Each of the Diamond’s facets are polished to the highest degree possible.
• Symmetry is “Excellent” in the Report above ✅ If you split the Diamond in half, right down the middle, one side would look exactly like the other. Fire, brilliance and scintillation (contrast between light and dark areas) are displayed evenly.
• Length/Width (10.24 divided by 7.05) ratio is 1.45 ⚠️ Remember, traditionally Radiants were cut to a square ratio (between 1 and 1.05), but the modern Radiant is cut to an elongated ratio, usually between 1.40 and 1.47. If the light return is “Excellent” regardless, do you want your Power Forward standing 6’2″ or 6’9″? Easy call.
• Cutlet is “Pointed” ✅ The pavilion facets all meet at the pointy bottom of the Diamond, which has been cut proportionally and isn’t visible when looking down at the Diamond.
• Comments Section: This isn’t a Proportion, but since we have the Report open, make sure you’re looking at a CVD Type IIA Lab Diamond. These are the purest form of Diamond, and they always pass diamond pen testers.

When you’re searching for a Diamond online, let the Report be your guide. If you’re unsure or just want to confirm the Diamond’s beauty, call or text us @ 305-796-6143.

You see the “Additional Requirements” section at the bottom left corner of the “Excellent” Cut Guidelines chart above? Our team will double-check that in person by analyzing the Diamond under ASET Scope to confirm there’s no bowtie. 

• Note: A Radiant-cut with a bowtie will have blue (contrast) as the primary color across the middle under ASET Scope. An “Excellent” Cut will have red (max light return) and green (lesser light return) as the primary colors across the middle under ASET.

Quick Note:
“Ideal” isn’t an official Cut Grade for IGI graded Fancy-shape (non-Round) Diamonds. The highest Cut Grade they can receive is “Excellent”.

When a jeweler lists a Radiant Diamond as “Ideal”, it’s a marketing gimmick, not an official Cut Grade shown on the Diamond’s Grading Report (aka Certificate). Keep an eye out for this! Trust the data straight from the Laboratory that’s grading the Diamond (the IGI or the GIA).

Set Cut Grade from “Ideal” – “Excellent”, Table from 62-67% and Depth from 62-68%.
On the IGI Report, check Crown Height (12-15%) and Pavilion Depth (47-56%).

What’s the best Color Grade for my
Radiant-cut Diamond Engagement Ring?

When it comes to picking your Lab-Grown Radiant-cut Diamond’s Color Grade, the place to be is the “Colorless” Range- D, E and F. Our favorite Color Grade is “E”, because it’s the perfect mix of price and quality. This applies to any size Diamond, from 1 carat all the way to 6 carats+.

• “D” Color Diamonds have no included coloration. They’re perfect. The ‘72 Dolphins but make it a Diamond.
• “E” Color Diamonds have the SLIGHTEST amount of coloration. Just like “D” Color Diamonds, they’re a bright, crisp white. Think 72-10 Chicago Bulls. Perfect season? Almost. Championship-level? Absolutely.
  • The difference between a “D” Color and “E” Color Diamond is SO SLIGHT that it begs the question, “Is that tiny upgrade worth $500, $1,000, etc. more?”. That’s totally up to you, but in my opinion, “E” is the sweet-spot. 
• “F” Color Diamonds are the last grade in the “Colorless” range, with a minor amount of included coloration. Standing alone, “F” Color Diamonds are beautiful. But the difference between “E” and “F” is easily noticeable to the naked eye. “E” is a much brighter shade of white.

Set your Color Grade filter to “E” and move on to the next step. 

What’s the best Clarity Grade for my
Radiant-cut Diamond Engagement Ring?

Clarity is the least important of the 4 Cs. All that you care about in terms of Clarity is that your Diamond is eye-clean. An eye-clean Diamond has no imperfections that are visible to the naked eye. If you can’t see it without a jeweler’s loupe/microscope/etc., you shouldn’t be paying for it (in my opinion).

The best Clarity Grade for your Radiant-cut Diamond Engagement Ring is “VS1”, short for “Very Slightly Included (1)”. Straight from the GIA, VS1 Diamonds contain “inclusions that are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10X magnification”. VS1 Clarity Grade will be eye-clean on practically any Diamond size you’d use for an Engagement Ring. We’ve made Rings with 6+ carat Radiant-cut Diamonds with VS1 Clarity, and as expected, there are no imperfections visible to the naked eye.

Below, VVS1, VVS2 and VS1 Clarity 3 carat Radiant-cut Diamonds. Even under 100X zoom, the difference is zippo 😊

No one can tell the difference between VVS2 (or higher) Clarity and VS1 Clarity with their eyes. Even under 10X zoom, you’re paying $500+ for one or two less specks. 

Set your Clarity Grade filter to “VS1”.

What’s the right Carat Weight for my
Radiant-cut Diamond?

This one’s totally up to you. A 5 or 6 carat Diamond might fit within your budget range, but is your lady comfortable wearing that? Do you live in a well-lit neighborhood?? Does she keep that thing on her???

From left to right: 5.01 carats, 4.02 carats, 3.00 carats, 2.02 carats

All IGI graded Lab-Grown Diamonds, “Excellent” Cut, E Color and VS1 Clarity
Ivana’s a finger size 6!

If you’re unsure of what size Diamond she wants, ask her. Bring it up casually. Show her a Ring from our Instagram around the size you’re shopping and see what she thinks of the main Diamond. Too big? Too small? Just right? Show her a few, see which one she thinks looks best. 

With Lab-Grown Diamonds, the sweet spot seems to be between 3 and 4 carats. Not too big, and definitely not too small. Yes, some couples go with 2 carat Diamonds. And others go with 5, 6 and 7 carat Diamonds. Don’t worry about what everyone else is wearing- pick the right Diamond for you. Diamonds symbolize forever with your soulmate- no matter how big they are.

Set your Carat Weight range (3.00 – 3.25 carats if you’re unsure).

You’re ready! The PERFECT Diamond awaits.
Let’s go find it.