Best Places to Buy Radiant Cut Diamond Rings Online

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Sabrina Lopez is a professional jewelry designer and illustrator with a degree in fashion design. She has created jewelry collections and illustrations for brands around the world, and her contemporary pieces have been exhibited in several museums. She also runs her own jewelry brand, bringing a designer’s eye and hands-on industry knowledge to every piece she creates and writes about.

At a Glance: The Five Best Online Retailers for Radiant Cut Diamonds

Best Place to Buy Radiant Cut Diamond Rings Online

Blue Nile: Best for variety and high-quality videos.
Rare Carat: Best for seasonal offers and coupons.
Ritani: Best for comparing prices.
Grown Brilliance: Best for lab-grown radiant cut diamonds.
Brilliant Earth: Best for a variety of radiant cut colored stones.

First, What Is a Radiant Cut Diamond?

The radiant cut is one of the newest diamond shapes. This diamond cutting style was patented in the late 1970s by Henry Grossbard and became an instant success.

The best way to explain this cut is to say that it’s a hybrid cut: a blend of the emerald cut and the round brilliant. It starts with the emerald cut’s shape, but the table features facets like a brilliant-cut diamond. This allows it to reflect more light and, therefore, exhibit more brilliance and fire, similar to a round cut.

The radiant cut has an eight sided outline, is typically square or rectangular in shape with cut corners and 70 facets that create that distinctive sparkle.

What Is the Bow Tie Effect in a Radiant Cut Diamond?

Not everything is perfect with the radiant cut. In some elongated diamonds, including radiant, pear, marquise, and oval cuts, you can see a dark shadow cutting across the center that resembles a bow tie.

Why does this happen? Radiant cuts borrow the faceting style of the round brilliant, but while the round cut is circular, the radiant cut is elongated. As a result, a dark line is more likely to appear because of the stone’s elongated shape.

The effect results from how the diamond’s facets interact with light based on its cut proportions.

Is This a Good or Bad Thing?

Well, most people don’t like seeing that dark line, but I should clarify that having absolutely no contrast isn’t necessarily good either. If you’re someone who doesn’t want a noticeable bow-tie effect in your diamond, though, there is a way to avoid it.

You’ll find this effect in most elongated diamonds. The key is to analyze the intensity of the bow-tie effect. There are diamonds where this effect is acceptable because it’s barely visible, appearing only from certain angles and not affecting the stone’s overall brilliance.

However, there are severe cases where the effect should be avoided because it’s visible from every angle and in different lighting conditions. In these cases, it can also make the stone appear less brilliant.

How to Avoid a Strong Bow Tie Effect

To avoid this extreme scenario, I recommend carefully viewing the high-quality 360° video before purchasing a diamond. It’s one of the best ways to buy a diamond online while checking for this effect, since videos allow you to view the stone from every angle and see how it sparkles in the light.

How to Choose a Radiant Cut Diamond

Radiant Diamond Cut Quality

Unfortunately, there are no official cut grades for radiant diamonds, but don’t worry!

You can still evaluate some aspects of the diamond’s cut, such as its proportions. You should avoid uneven corners, make sure the culet is centered, look for parallel sides, and avoid a girdle that’s too thick.

But if all of this feels like too much, my advice is to look for the sparkle. A good cut reflects light, making the diamond shine, and this type of cut is known for its brilliance and fire.

That’s why it’s especially important that, if you buy a diamond online, you can view the stone in a 360° video.

Radiant Diamond Clarity

One positive aspect of the radiant cut is that it hides inclusions well, unlike, for example, the emerald cut. This is due to the fast scintillation patterns of radiant cuts, which make inclusions harder to see. However, as with any diamond shape, it’s important to see where those inclusions are located. It’s always better if they aren’t in the center of the table.

Expert tip: SI1 or SI2 radiant cut diamonds can still look beautiful and shiny. Choosing a diamond in this clarity range may allow you to put more of your budget toward other features, such as the setting or carat weight.

Radiant Diamond Color

In this case, my advice is to look for a diamond with a color grade of H or better, as radiant cuts tend to make color more noticeable.

This can be a disadvantage if you want a colorless diamond, but it can be an advantage if you want a colored (fancy) diamond, as the cut can enhance the color.

Expert tip: One thing you can do to minimize the appearance of a diamond’s color is to choose a white gold or platinum setting for your ring.

What to Look for in a Radiant Cut Diamond

Look for a diamond with a centered culet and parallel sides.
Avoid uneven corners that are too wide or too narrow.
Avoid a severe bow-tie effect.
Radiant cuts tend to show more color: if you want a white diamond, look for a G-H color grade.
Radiant cuts hide inclusions well: so you may be able to choose a VS2 diamond without compromising on appearance.
Avoid diamonds that look dull or lack contrast.
Always look for a 360° video. Yes: I know I’ve mentioned it many times: but it’s one of the best ways to evaluate a radiant cut’s brilliance and overall appearance online.

Best Places to Buy Radiant Cut Diamond Rings

1. Blue Nile: Best for Selection and 360° Diamond Videos

If you’re thinking about buying a radiant cut diamond ring online, this should be your first choice. Why?

First, you’ll find a wide variety of radiant cut diamonds in terms of quality. Whether you prioritize clarity over color or cut over carat weight, you can choose the combination that works best for you. If there’s one thing Blue Nile has, it’s one of the largest online diamond inventories.

Secondly, you’ll be able to choose from natural radiant diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, and even colored diamonds.

Last but not least, Blue Nile offers 360° videos that let you see the diamond you’ve chosen in detail. You can see at a glance whether the diamond has inclusions, whether it sparkles or looks dull, and whether there are any unwanted color tints.

You can also compare what you see against the certificate available online. Blue Nile works with major diamond grading labs, including GIA and IGI.

My advice: The sheer number of diamonds can be overwhelming, so be sure to activate all the filters you need for your search. Blue Nile offers specific filters that can make your search much easier.

2. Rare Carat: Best for Deals and Price Comparison

Rare Carat is also a good option for finding a radiant cut diamond. You can choose between natural and lab-grown diamonds, and they frequently offer deals and discounts. However, don’t rush into a purchase based on price alone.

One thing to keep in mind is that not all diamonds come with a 360° video, which is especially important for radiant cuts. Some videos are also lower quality, which can make it difficult to evaluate the diamond. Remember: choose a diamond where you can clearly see its sparkle in high-quality images or video.

The good thing is that Rare Carat works with GIA and IGI, so you can compare the diamond’s quality against its grading report.

My advice: They frequently offer discount coupons, so use them! But when buying a diamond, prioritize one with good image and video quality. Otherwise, it’s like buying blind.

3. Ritani: Best for Comparing Diamond Prices

Ritani is another well-known online diamond retailer, and its offers and discount coupons make it an attractive option. The key is knowing the quality of diamond you’re looking for and making sure it’s certified by a reputable grading lab, such as GIA or IGI.

You should also be aware that not all diamonds offered by these online retailers come with high-resolution videos or ultra-sharp images. Consequently, a purchase that seems straightforward can end up requiring more effort. Even if the diamond is well-priced and the quality is what you want, a lack of good images or video means you won’t be able to properly evaluate its brilliance.

Brilliance is largely determined by the cut, and keep in mind that for radiant cuts, the cut quality isn’t listed on the certificate. This means you’ll have to determine for yourself whether the cut looks good. That’s very difficult to do if the image quality is poor or there is no video.

My advice: Filter for diamonds that have a 360° video, and choose the ones where you can clearly see their brilliance in high definition.

4. Grown Brilliance: Best for Lab-Grown Radiant Diamonds

If you know you want a lab-grown radiant cut diamond, Grown Brilliance is a good place to start. The company specializes in lab-grown diamonds and provides high-quality images as well as 360° videos. For grading reports, it works with major labs, including GIA and IGI.

My advice: Since lab-grown diamonds typically cost less than natural diamonds, you may be able to put that savings toward a larger carat weight if that’s a priority for you.

5. Brilliant Earth: Best for Colored Radiant Cut Stones

Brilliant Earth is another major online diamond retailer. If you’re looking for a radiant cut diamond, you can find both natural and lab-grown options. You can also find colored gemstones featuring this cut.

They offer a wide selection, along with high-quality images and videos. They also have stones available with GIA and IGI certification, as well as useful search filters.

My advice: If you’re specifically looking for a lab-grown radiant cut diamond, I suggest looking elsewhere, as the selection isn’t as extensive as its natural radiant diamond options.

Radiant Cut Diamond Pros and Cons

Pros of Radiant Cut Diamonds

This cut hides inclusions well due to its fast scintillation patterns.
If you like the brilliance of a round cut but prefer the rectangular shape of an emerald cut, the radiant cut can be a great choice.
It’s a highly brilliant diamond cut.
Since it lacks sharp corners like the princess cut, it offers greater durability and a lower risk of chipping.
It’s a modern and distinctive alternative to the classic round brilliant cut.

Cons of Radiant Cut Diamonds

The radiant cut can make a diamond’s color more noticeable. If the stone has a brown or yellow tint, the cut can make it more apparent. However, this can be a positive feature if you’re looking for a fancy-colored diamond.
There is no official cut grade for radiant diamonds on their certificates, so you’ll need to evaluate the cut quality yourself.
The bow-tie effect is relatively common in radiant cuts, particularly in elongated stones.
There are fewer radiant cut options on the market than, for example, round cut diamonds.

Are Radiant Cut Diamonds a Good Choice for an Engagement Ring?

And why not? It’s a stunning cut that’s full of brilliance and highly durable thanks to its lack of sharp corners. Furthermore, the fact that it effectively hides inclusions can allow you to focus more of your budget on carat weight or other features.

Some of the most popular settings for this type of ring are solitaires, which allow plenty of light to enter the stone, and halo settings, which can enhance the center stone’s sparkle. Sidestone settings are also popular because, as I’ve said before, this cut is all about brilliance and finding ways to maximize it.

Consider a radiant cut for your ring if you’re tired of the round cut and want something different and modern without sacrificing diamond brilliance. After all, one of the things that makes a diamond so desirable is that signature brilliance and sparkle.