Radiant Cut vs Princess Cut Diamonds

Grossbard knew that many people loved the elegant elongated shape of the emerald cut but felt that it did not sparkle enough. His goal was to combine the best features of the emerald cut and the round brilliant cut into one cut that would unleash the full potential of a diamond’s brilliance.

After years of careful experimentation, Grossbard perfected the radiant cut in 1981. That was a revolution in the diamond industry; the elegant emerald shape was transformed into a new cut with unparalleled sparkle. Although it did not exceed the round brilliant cut’s brilliance, it was still more brilliant than any other angular cut.

Radiant cut diamonds come in both rectangular and square shapes with cropped corners. Featuring 70 facets, the radiant cut is the first angular cut, the second being the princess, which has a complete brilliant cut facet pattern both on the crown and pavilion.

What Is a Princess Cut Diamond?

The history of the princess cut traces back to the early 1960s when Arpad Nagy, a diamond cutter based in London, created the profile cut, which was often referred to as the princess cut at the time.

However, many believe that the true princess cut traces its roots in 1971 when Basil Watermeyer patented a new diamond shape and called it Barion cut. Being a very complex cut, Barion proved to be extremely difficult to create. Incredibly symmetrical lines were challenging even for the expert diamond cutters.

Nearly 10 years later, another cut similar to the Barion was patented and named Quadrillion. The Quadrillion cut gained some popularity as it was easier to create due to its use of 49 facets compared to the 80 facets of the Barion.

The modern princess cut is a relative newcomer to the diamond world. It was created in 1981 by Betzalel Ambar, Ygal Perelman and Israel Itskowitz. A princess cut diamond can have as few as 50 facets, but the number of facets is often modified (up to 144) to maximize brilliance and sparkle. The “gold standard” is 58 facets. Although the princess cut is usually described as a square shape with sharp corners, the shape of the cut is closer to an inverted pyramid; however, it can also come in tapered and rectangular shapes.

Radiant Cut vs Princess Cut Diamonds

Shape

Like many other diamond cuts, radiant cut and princess cut diamonds may look similar at first glance. They both have large tables, brilliant facet patterns and square or rectangular shapes. However, at a closer look, the difference in design becomes apparent.

Radiant cut diamonds have cropped corners, typically at a 45° angle, giving them an angular shape, while princess cut diamonds feature sharp corners giving them a more geometric appearance.

From a durability perspective, the princess cut is more prone to chipping, especially if the diamond has inclusions close to its sharp corners.