Emerald Vs Radiant Cut Loose Diamonds

Comparing Emerald And Radiant Cut Loose Diamonds

While classic diamond shapes such as round cut diamonds are the most popular, fancy shapes such as marquise, princess and radiant diamonds still make up around 30% of diamond rings purchased today. With many fancy shapes, such as radiant and emerald cut diamonds, much lower in price than round cut diamonds, no wonder so many customers look for fancy diamond shapes to use as center stones for engagement rings or solitaire diamond pendants.

Radiant and emerald diamonds are very similar to each other in profile and customers purchasing a center stone for a diamond engagement ring may often choose between emerald and radiant diamonds. Further, one of the appeals of radiant and emerald cut diamonds is that they are cornered, thus minimizing the chance of the diamond chipping. This article will highlight some of the main differences between emerald and radiant shaped loose diamonds.

Brilliant Cut Vs Step Cut Diamonds

Most diamonds are either brilliant cut or step cut diamonds. A brilliant cut diamond will have many facets, producing a large amount of light, particularly with high color graded diamonds. The light produced by the diamond is referred to as brilliance. A diamond that produces a high level of brilliance will often also have a cone shaped girdle, whereas diamonds that have a pointier or flatter base will most likely have less brilliance.

A step cut diamond will have its facets arranged in such a way that it does not produce as much light. An emerald cut diamond, for example, gives off a lot of reflection, creating a “hall of mirrors” effect. The radiant cut diamond, on the other hand, has a more unique facet arrangement. It is a mixture of step cut and brilliant cut, referred to as “mixed cut”.

Brilliance And Sparkle

Radiant cut diamonds tend to produce far more fire than emerald cut diamonds, but emerald diamonds often give off sudden flashes of sharp flashes of light. Due to the radiant cut being more brilliant, fancy colored diamonds are more likely to be cut into radiant diamonds than emeralds. Yellow radiant cut diamonds, such as this 2 carat canary yellow irradiated treated radiant cut loose diamond with a clarity enhanced SI1 clarity, gives off great sparkle and light.

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Nonetheless, there are still many natural fancy color emerald shaped diamonds in the market. For example, a 2.24 carat GIA certified natural fancy color dark yellowish brown with VS2 clarity will make a great center stone for a solitaire diamond engagement ring or solitaire diamond pendant.


2.24 Carat GIA Certified Emerald Cut Loose Diamond, Natural Fancy Dark Yellowish Brown, VS2 Clarity

Color, Clarity And Imperfections

The “hall of mirrors” effect of the emerald cut diamond makes imperfections slightly more visible to the naked eye than with brilliant cuts such as radiant shaped diamonds. For example, whereas an SI1 GIA graded radiant cut diamond would usually be eye clean, the imperfections would be more visible in an SI1 GIA graded emerald cut diamond.

Therefore, many jewelers and diamond experts recommend not to purchase emerald diamonds with less than a VS2 GIA clarity grading. Similarly, you shouldn’t try to avoid emerald diamonds with a color grade lower than I color. Lower color graded diamonds will look slightly tinted. Nonetheless, some customers will prefer to purchase a larger emerald diamond with an SI2 clarity and J color grade, rather than a ier VS2 clarity and G color graded diamond.


0.74 Carat F Color, VS1 Clarity Emerald Step Cut Loose Diamond, WGI Certified

Choosing Between Radiant And Emerald Cut Diamonds

When it comes to choosing between loose diamond shapes, there is no right or wrong answer. What each customer decides depends on personal preference, the type of jewelry piece there are setting the diamond in and their budget. Here are some of the key differences to keep in mind when choosing between emerald and radiant diamonds:

Radiant Diamonds	Emerald Diamonds
A mixture of step cut and brilliant cut referred to as “mixed cut”	Step cut diamond, with facets parallel to each other
Triangular facet arrangements means SI1 to SI2 GIA graded radiant cuts will be eye clean	Imperfections in Emerald diamonds graded below VS2 will be more apparent
White diamonds with a GIA color grade up to J will be close to colorless	Diamonds with a GIA color grade lower than I color will look tinted

Want to know more about purchasing radiant and emerald cut diamonds? Contact one of our experts on 1-800-557-7095 or email us at [email protected] with any questions you may have.