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A+ GIA Report for a Perfect Radiant Cut Diamond

Purchasing a fancy shape (non-round) diamond is one of the trickiest aspects of the engagement ring shopping experience.  Fancy shape diamonds such as oval, radiant, cushion, emerald, princess all have a wide range of proportions, and faceting styles. This make looking at the certificate alone hard to determine how the diamond looks in real life.  While adhering to certain depth and table percentages will help, there are many other factors to consider.  Even in terms of color and clarity, each fancy diamond shape displays these factors differently and they vary for each individual stone.  We will help point out what to look for in a perfect radiant cut diamond. For our purposes we will focus on this 2.50 carat H color/SI1 clarity radiant cut diamond: read along with its accompanying GIA report and watch this video to see how it performs in real life

DATE: 

This may seem inconsequential to many, however there is certain information to take away from the date listed on a GIA report. This refers to the actual date the diamond was graded by the GIA laboratory.  The shelf life of a quality diamond that is priced to sell, is not very long. In this case the date listed is just under 1 month ago, meaning this stone is new to the market.  While you do not necessarily need a diamond that is less than one month old, having one that is certified within the last year or two is definitely plus and can ensure you that it was not sitting around being passed over by countless potential customers.

MEASUREMENTS:  

We cannot stress enough how important these numbers are as they will have a direct impact on how the diamond appears in real life.  While the carat weight is a good guide, understanding these measurements is equally important.  The first number refers to the length from top to bottom. The second one refers to the width of the diamond across the center.  Dividing these two numbers will give you the ratio, and tell you whether or not the diamond is square or rectangular.  After dissecting the numbers on this GIA report, you can take away two key notes.

The measurements of 9.46x6.88 are incredibly large, and will give you the look of a diamond that would be over 3 carats.  Before we check this off as being a plus, we must check the depth percentage to ensure the diamond is not too shallow.  Second of all, the length to width ratio is 1.37:1 which will give you a nice elongated look.  For an elongated radiant cut diamond, an acceptable length to width ratio would be 1.15:1 all the way up to 1.40:1.  Since this one falls closer to the higher end of the range, it would be a great option for someone who really wants a stone that will give them great finger coverage and gracefully elongated appearance. Continue reading below the Report image

DEPTH/TABLE PERCENTAGES: 

Jumping over to the right side of the certificate, we can read the depth and table percentages falling in the upper 60's range.  While this varies for each fancy shape, we can tell you these are ideal for a radiant cut diamond.   If the table is too large the radiant cut will lack sparkle and fire.  If the diamond has a very low depth percentage it will be too shallow and not reflect enough light.  Lastly, should a radiant cut have a depth well above 70, there will be hidden weight in the stone, resulting in a smaller appearance.  This 2.50 carat radiant is as well balanced as it gets in both of these categories

CARAT WEIGHT: 

This is a starting place to look when conducting your diamond search but always remember this weight is only an indication of face up size.  Many only focus on carat and end up buying based on the weight alone. They do not take into account the actual measurements of the stone as mentioned above. While round cut diamonds come in standard measurements for the most part, fancy shape diamonds vary greatly from their carat weight to measurements.  However, after looking at the 2.50 carat listed on this cert and combining that with the measurements of 9.46x6.88, you can be sure this diamond looks true to its weight and then some

COLOR: 

We always recommend anything in the colorless to near colorless range. Clients should choose their sweet-spot based on their own specifications.  This perfect radiant cut diamond is graded as an "H" which is a great middle ground. In most instances they will appear colorless face-up.  Remember these diamonds are graded by human beings which allows for some variances between diamonds of the same color grade. There are better "H" colors, average ones and even ones that may have a noticable brownish tint that you will want to avoid.  For this reason, you would have to see either a video or photo of the diamond to confirm everything

CLARITY: 

Clarity is tricky because inclusions come in so many varieties and some maybe visible more than others. Worse yet, you can end up with a milky/hazy diamond that has tiny inclusions and clouds resulting in a cloudy look. Here we have an SI1 grade which we say is a great place to find value as long as the diamond is eye clean of any inclusions and does not display any hazy appearance. To understand this better we would have to look at the diamond plot itself, which is on the right side of the report.

In terms of clarity, I do not think you can find a cleaner plot for an SI1 clarity diamond.  The "grade setting" inclusion is a small feather across the table.  This will most likely not be visible to the naked eye.  The second inclusion are some scattered pinpoints which are microscopic crystals that are hard to see even under magnification.  There are no clouds, crystals on this certificate which are common with SI1 clarity. You can have crustals in even higher graded clarity diamonds so this one is an unbelievable value.  While you will be paying for a good SI1 diamond, you are receiving something that can be considered a VS2.

POLISH & SYMMETRY: 

While some shoppers get hung up on this, we find it to be a secondary factor relating to the cut.  In our opinion, when the diamond has grades of "good" or better they have a beautiful appearance in real life.  In this case, both grades are "excellent" which is a nice plus. This means that all the facets are properly aligned to the highest degree. The surface is completely clean of any blemishes or scratches.  Having an excellent/excellent grade is not easy to find for fancy shape diamonds. However when you do have one it is good to know your diamond will have that extra touch of beauty.

FLUORESCENCE:

Fluorescence could be a blog post of its own. It is something that should be treated on an individual diamond basis.  It relates to how a diamond looks under UV lighting.  Note that is not how your ring/diamond will be viewed in most day to day instances.  GIA studies show that 99% of diamonds that have fluorescence, will not negatively impact the diamond's overall appearance.  Many diamonds that have fluorescence appear less colorless in person, making it a positive effect. This perfect radiant cut diamond has a medium blue fluorescence and it actually interacts very well with this H color stone.

INSCRIPTION: 

Nowadays, most diamonds graded by the GIA have a laser inscription, and this simply lists out what numbers are inscribed.  These numbers go along the girdle/edge of the diamond and can only be seen under a microscope.  An inscribed diamond is a way to confirm that the diamond you matches the GIA report.

SUMMARY: 

This perfect radiant cut diamond is well balanced and well cut for an elongated radiant cut diamond.  Its combination of size, color, clarity and most importantly cut are hard to match. This results in a beautiful stone that makes for an amazing engagement ring. While this stone may not be available when you are ready to purchase, we have similar ones in our inventory.  Remember to look at the whole picture. Contact one of our diamond advisers at Lauren B to help you find the right stone, and in case you want to look over some more videos of radiant cut diamonds you can check out our website video gallery here

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