Princess vs Cushion vs Radiant Cut Diamond

Princess Vs Cushion Vs Radiant Cut Diamond

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

These 3 diamonds are 3 of the most common diamonds in the diamond market today. But they look very much alike and it might be difficult for the layman to recognize and differentiate these diamonds from themselves. We can compare these diamonds in many ways to differentiate them;

  • Diamond shape: The cushion diamond can be found in both square and rectangular shapes with rounded edges. The radiant diamond is largely rectangular (but can also be square-shaped) in shape with a cut or trimmed corners. While the princess diamond can also be found in square and rectangular shapes but with pointed edges.
  • Cut and facet: The cushion cut diamond is a brilliant-cut diamond and its facets are designed for the purpose of enhancing the diamond’s brilliance and beauty. The radiant cut diamond is more brilliant than the cushion diamond because of the higher number of facets that it possesses. The princess diamond is also a brilliant diamond but with a relatively small 58 facets. Its light performance is enhanced by the deep cut.
  • Color: The radiant diamond tends to retain whatever color is in them and this will likely be seen in the diamond’s appearance. The cushion diamond also retains a lot of colors, although not as much as radiant diamonds. The princess diamond has the ability to hide color in them. The way the diamond is cut allows the brilliance of the diamond to cover the color that may be in the diamond.
  • Clarity: The cushion cut diamonds have the ability to mask imperfections that may be present in them. If the radiant diamond is ideally cut, it will have a high tendency and ability to hide inclusions in it. The princess diamonds are more prone to inclusions and chipping at the edges. Your preferred setting should be able to protect the diamond edges.

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There are different diamond shapes in the market and these three diamond shapes (princess, cushion and radiant) are very common diamond shapes in today’s market. The hard task, however, is differentiating these 3 diamond shapes. They are similar in many ways, that trying to identify them in the market seems like a very difficult task. You might easily get confused by the similar shape, cut, clarity and color of these diamonds. This is why understanding the basics of these diamonds is very important to help you differentiate them.

Comparisons

The easiest way to differentiate between these 3 diamond shapes is to compare their characteristics. Having a quick run through the shape, cut and facet, brilliance and sparkle, color, clarity, value, and availability and setting of these diamonds would pretty much give us an idea of how these diamonds are different from one another.

Diamond Shape

The cushion diamond can be found in both square and rectangular shapes. Unlike many other diamond shapes with pointed edges, the diamond has rounded edges. The rounded edges of this diamond coupled with the predominantly square shape give it an appearance very much similar to a pillow. Hence the name, “cushion” cut diamond. There are, however, very few very rounded cushion diamonds, they almost assume an oval shape. For a square cushion diamond, the ideal length to width ratio is between 1.0 – 1.05. While for the rectangular cushion diamond, it is from 1.15 and above.

The radiant diamond is largely rectangular with cut corners. It is popularly said to be a hybrid of round cut diamond and emerald diamond. This results in the rectangular, square or near-square shape that it has, with cropped or trimmed edges. For a square radiant diamond, the ideal length to width ratio is between 1.0 – 1.05. While for the rectangular radiant diamond, it is from 1.15 and above.

Very much like the cushion and radiant diamonds, the princess diamond can also be found in square and rectangular shapes. The major difference would be that princess diamonds have pointed edges. Unlike cushion (rounded) and radiant (trimmed) diamonds. The sides of this diamond are also delineated. For a square princess diamond, the ideal length to width ratio is between 1.0 – 1.05. While for the rectangular princess diamond, it is from 1.10 and above.

Cut and Facet

The cushion cut diamond is a brilliant-cut diamond. The diamond facets are designed to enhance the diamond’s brilliance and beauty. The cushion diamond is said to have evolved from the old mine cut diamond but they have a large difference between them. The old mine cut had 58 facets (25 pavilion facets and 33 crown facets). Although this is largely the same with many cushion diamonds, there are modern cushion diamonds that have 6 facets more, making a total of 64 facets all designed to maximize the diamond’s beauty.

The radiant cut diamond is also a brilliant diamond and is in most cases more brilliant than the cushion diamond. This is because of the higher number of facets that it possesses. The radiant diamond has a total of 70 facets and a larger table than the cushion diamond. This contributes to the brilliance exhibited by the diamond. The facet if the radiant diamond displays an “X” pattern. It stretches from the diamond’s culet towards the diamond’s girdle, thereby assuming a star shape and the “X” pattern.

The princess diamonds are square diamonds and also belong to the group of brilliant diamonds. The number of facets in the princess diamond is 58, which is relatively small compared to the cushion and radiant cuts. Although, modern princess diamonds can also have as much as 76 facets. The light performance of this diamond is enhanced by the deep cut of the diamond.

Brilliance

Of all 3 diamonds, it has to be said that the most brilliant of them is the radiant diamond. It has an outstanding brilliance and sparkle that is only outdone by the round brilliant diamond. This beautiful light sparkle of this diamond is due to the high number of the facet that the diamond has. This allows the diamond to disperse light radiantly and exceptionally. This is in fact, how the diamond got the name “Radiant Diamond”. When you view the diamond from the table at the top of the diamond, you will see a distinct and beautiful cracked ice pattern that the diamond facets create. But this can only be noticed when the diamond is ideally cut. Otherwise, if it is poorly cut, you will only see a dark band across the middle of the diamond.

The cushion diamonds are also brilliant diamonds (with much light sparkle). But they generally do not show as much brilliance as the radiant diamonds because of they of their larger facets. Older cushion diamonds even show less brilliance. But depending on the cut of individual diamonds, you can find cushion diamonds that show more brilliance than radiant diamonds. It is safer to compare both diamonds side by side, to determine which is more brilliant.

The princess diamond is also a brilliant diamond and the facets are created to maximize its sparkle. The 3 diamonds interact with light differently and it makes it difficult to say categorically which is the most brilliant. The facets of the princess diamond have neatly arranged patterns and so the diamond reflects light in an organized manner. This is unlike the radiant diamonds where the light is reflected more haphazardly due to the type of facet arrangement. This mostly is the reason why radiant diamonds appear more brilliant than princess diamond. But other factors determine a diamond’s sparkle. So it is better to evaluate the side of the individual diamonds by side to determine which is more brilliant.

Color

Diamonds are known and expected to be colorless. So the presence of colors in a diamond is not something pleasant (except they are fancy diamonds). Different diamond cuts have the ability to hide the colors in them, while others can’t hide the colors in them.

Of all the three diamonds in question, the one with the least ability to hide color is the radiant diamond. The radiant diamond tends to retain whatever color is in them and this will likely be seen in the diamond’s appearance. This means that when you are considering buying the radiant diamond, you should ensure that you go up the clarity grade as much as your budget allows. You should ideally opt for grade G or H to maximize price and value. Your preferred setting can also play a role in what color grade to buy.

The cushion diamond also retains a lot of colors, although not as much as radiant diamonds do. So when considering a cushion diamond, you also have to go a little up the clarity grade as much as your budget allows. You should also opt for grade G or H.

Unlike the radiant and cushion diamonds, the princess diamond has the ability to hide color in them. The way the diamond is cut allows the brilliance of the diamond to cover the color that may be in the diamond. This means that you can successfully go lower down the color grade when you are considering the princess diamond, and it will not be noticed. This gives you an avenue to save some money off the diamond color. You can decide to go for grade I. depending on the diamond setting that you choose, you can also go as far as grade K.

Clarity

The cushion-cut diamonds, because of their brilliance and the arrangement of their facets, have the ability to mask imperfections that may be present in the diamond. The high number of facets which they have provides enough surface for light to be dispersed and this adds to the sparkle and fire of the diamond, enabling it to hide flaws that may be in it. This ability to hide imperfections allows the buyer to go further down the clarity grade when considering the diamond. You could go as low as VS2 or SI1 or even lower, as long as the diamond does not have impurities visible to the naked eye.

The location of a diamond’s impurity is very important when evaluating the diamond’s clarity. Princess diamonds do not have rounded edges or trimmed edges (like the cushion and radiant diamonds respectively) and this makes them more prone to chipping and inclusions at the edges. So, if you’re considering a princess diamond, make sure you choose a clarity without impurities visible to the eye. But importantly, check out the edges too. You can get a setting that protects the diamond edges from chipping and also covers the impurities that are likely to be there.

The radiance and brilliance of the radiant diamond allow it to forgive imperfections in the diamond easily. If the diamond is ideally cut, it will have a high tendency and ability to hide inclusions in it. In this case, the cut helps to improve the diamond’s clarity. This gives the buyer a chance to also go further down the clarity scale. You can go down as low the scale as is possible, as long as the inclusions in the diamond are not visible to the naked eye. That’s why it’s not appropriate to buy a diamond blind without physically inspecting it first. You can’t tell from a certificate if the inclusions in the diamond are clearly visible or not.

The Diamond Settings

The peculiarities of the different diamonds mean that different settings work for different diamonds. Because of the edges that princess diamonds have, the setting that works best for it is one that protects the 4 edges of the diamond. the edge of the princess diamond is the part of the diamond that was closer to earth in the unrefined stone, so there is a likelihood that the inclusions in the diamond will be more concentrated at the edges. The pointed tip of the diamond edges also makes it prone to chipping. So when choosing the setting for your princess diamond, it is best to choose a 4 prong setting that protects the 4 edges of the diamond from chipping and also covers the impurities that may be at the edges. The diamond color is another thing to consider. If you want to save more money on the diamond color, you can opt for a rose gold or yellow setting. This would allow you to go down as low as grade K on the color scale. If you are choosing a platinum or white gold setting, you can buy a grade I princess diamond.

The radiant diamonds retain a lot of colors, so you cannot afford to go too far down the color grade. You can opt for a grade G or H diamond surrounded by colorless stones or mounted on a clear metal. But if you are going slower than this grade, you can choose a yellow or rose gold setting. However, the most ideal setting for the radiant diamond is the 4 prong or 6 prong settings. The 6 prong setting emphasizes the brilliance and sparkle of the diamond but the 4 prong setting emphasizes the diamond shape. It all depends on what your preference is.

The 4 prong setting again, is the most ideal and practical setting for the cushion cut diamond. It is a setting that makes sure the stone is in place for a long time. You might make a case for the 6 prong setting but it is only ideal for cushion cut diamond of larger sizes. If it is used with smaller cushion diamonds, the extra prongs may block the reflection of light and give the diamond a duller appearance. But when it is used for the larger cushion diamonds, it ensures that the diamond has maximal stability. Another popular setting used is the bezel setting. This setting works best for colored gemstones. Many diamond experts do not recommend it for cushion diamonds (although many people use it popular) because it wraps around the diamond and reduces the diamond’s shine.

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