Compared to the classic emerald cut with its open mirror-like stepped cuts, the radiant hides a multitude of sins, which means you may be able to invest less in clarity and end up with a diamond that appears just as clean. Not only does the radiant cut sparkle more than an emerald cut, it provides crucial cover for minor inclusions, something the emerald cut lacks. Color and Clarity Issues in Radiant-Cut Diamonds Its pavilion, where most of a diamond’s scintillation originates, is faceted in the more intricate modern brilliant style. The radiant has a few of the emerald’s straight stepped cuts, but only on the crown. One of a few “mixed cuts” invented in the sixties and seventies, the radiant-cut diamond adopted (mixed) the shape of an emerald cut and a bit of its faceting. (Unfortunately, the ring that husband Brian Cox proposed with on a Hawaiian beach was lost in the sand, but that’s another story.) Technical Details of Radiant-Cut Diamonds (Photo courtesy of has a 4-carat pale pink radiant from husband Zandy Reich and Megan Fox wears a 3-ct radiant cut with pale pink side stones in a vintage setting. Actresses Lea Michele and Randy Zeich also opted for radiants but with diamond halos that made the stones look bigger. Lo’s finger in 2002 - back when they were known as “Bennifer.” Said to have cost $2.5 million, her ring featured colorless baguette side stones and a slender band.ĭrew Barrymore wore a slightly less showy 4-carat radiant before her 2016 divorce from Will Kopelman it was a prong-set as a solitaire in platinum on a slender pavé band. One of the most photographed radiant cuts ever was the 6.1-carat fancy pink sparkler Ben Affleck put on J. Their selection spans from vintage to modern - and across all budgets. So she wants a radiant-cut diamond? Go to Whiteflash or James Allen to see what kinds of ring designs work best with that shape (and others). You will often see radiant-cut rings like these beauties identified as emerald cuts because you have to be up close and personal to see the difference. Introduced in 1976, the radiant-cut marries aspects of the round brilliant to the classic emerald cut resulting in a diamond cut that, some say, tops both.ĭrew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, and Megan Fox have all rocked radiant-cut engagement rings. Unlike many diamond shapes - see our explanations of Princess and Pear cuts, for instance - this one has no storied history. The newest diamond style you’re likely to encounter is the radiant cut.