People often think of a diamond’s cut as the shape – round, emerald, etc. – but a diamond cut actually refers to one thing, and one thing only: how well a diamond’s facets interact with light.
Out of all the diamond 4Cs – diamond color, diamond cut, diamond clarity and diamond carat weight, the cut is the most difficult to analyze.
The radiant-cut diamond is attributed to Henry Grossbard, who invented it in 1977. The radiant cut diamond first became popular in the 1980s, and provides a bridge between a cushion and a princess cut. Radiant cut diamonds come in different shapes – from a perfect square to a rectangle. The first looks much like the princess cut, but with cropped corners.
Like the princess cut, it is a square cut that has a brilliant-cut facet pattern applied to both the crown and pavilion. Its cut, according to the GIA, is especially fit for rounded or square cornered diamonds.
