Radiant Cut Engagement Rings

The radiant cut: what a radiant cut diamond is, square or long

A radiant is a square or rectangle with its corners cut off, faceted like a round brilliant, so it sparkles where an emerald cut shows long, calm flashes. The trimmed corners chip less easily than a princess cut's sharp points. Choose the outline first. A square radiant looks close to a cushion, and a longer one draws the finger out. Radiants are often cut deep, so one can face up a little smaller than an oval of equal weight. No listing gives the stone's ratio or millimeters, so ask the desk for both.

Carat and grades: what carat radiant diamond, and its color and clarity

Start at two carats. Seven in ten rings sold carried a stone that size. The largest is a nine carat grown stone. Every grown white center is F color except that one, a G. Every center is VS clarity or better. The brilliant facets hide a small inclusion, but the corners hold on to color, so keep a white stone near F. That trait deepens a colored diamond, and two centers are colored, a natural fancy yellow and a lab-grown vivid pink.

Lab-grown or natural: lab grown radiant engagement rings and the two natural centers

Take lab-grown unless she wants a mined stone. Twelve of the fourteen centers are grown, and nearly every ring sold had one. Grown or mined, a radiant is carbon crystal read on the same color and clarity letters, and no loupe can tell them apart. Both natural centers sit near two carats. One is a K VS2 on an 18K band of round diamonds. The other is the fancy yellow, made in size 5.75 only. Side diamonds can differ from the center, so ask whether a ring's small stones are grown or mined.

The setting: radiant solitaire, hidden halo and pavé band engagement rings

Each corner should sit under a prong. Every ring holds its center on prongs or claws, none in a bezel. Most carry small diamonds along the band, as pavé or a row of side stones. Four hide a halo of little diamonds beneath the center, seen from the side, not from above. Two circle it with an open halo instead. The plain solitaire is the two-tone ring, its white gold head set on a band of yellow or rose. Three are made to sit flush with a wedding band.

Gold and her size: 14K or 18K radiant rings, and her ring size

Pick 14K for a ring worn daily, since the extra alloy makes it tougher than 18K. Nearly nine in ten rings sold were 14K. Four rings are 18K, a warmer yellow. Most come in yellow, white or rose gold. For her size, take a ring she wears on that finger to the size guide with our women's engagement rings. Except the fancy yellow, every ring comes in half sizes 5 to 7, and most reach 8. A resized or made-to-order ring is final sale.