When it comes to optimal brilliance, fire, and sparkle, the radiant cut is a close match to the round-cut. It is also more affordable than a round-cut, yet still maintains quality and elegance. The 70 facets in the pavilion and crown of the radiant cut allow it to reflect light better than the princess cut and its shape tends to make the radiant cut look bigger than other shapes of the same carat weight.
A notable difference between the emerald and radiant cuts is shown by how the sparkle in the emerald cut is less due to its step cuts. The radiant cut, however, has more brilliance, fire, and sparkle that makes it pricier than the emerald cut due to its high light performance.
Cushion cuts may appear wider as compared to radiant cuts of the same carat weight. This is because radiant cuts have a more slender appearance. The larger facets on the cushion cuts may also aid in the appearance that they are bigger as compared to the radiant cut.
Being a recently innovated cut, the radiant cut boasts a mighty 70 facets which is why it showcases such brilliance as more light is reflected. The radiant cut has more facets than any other cut, however the round cut still creates the most sparkle.
Because of their wide tables, radiant cut diamonds do not hide inclusions well, making clarity an important factor in radiant cuts. However, color is also important in a radiant cut because color tints tend to be easier to perceive than in other diamond cuts. Therefore both of these qualities must be taken into consideration, along with the diamond’s setting, as this could also affect how its color is perceived.
When comparing these the sparkle of these two cuts, its more about how they sparkle than how much they sparkle. Radiant cuts are far more brilliant and bright than cushion cuts due to their large table and 70 facets which allows a greater reflection of light, cushion cuts only have 58 facets. However, the cushion cuts are more fiery – they produce more colored light reflections. So it depends on the kind of sparkle a wearer is looking for – fire or brilliance.