Finding The Best Radiant Cut Diamonds in NYC (or anywhere)

Radiant Cut Diamond buyers are a unique bunch. Less than 5% of diamond sold are radiant cut , yet the buyers of these beautiful stones know exactly what they want. Still diamond jewelry buyers in NYC should be able to acquire these rare and precious offering at a competitive price in NYC because supply and demand meet at the same place for radiants as they do for the most popular, round brilliants – otherwise diamond cutters would make more of them to fulfill demand right? Yes and no…

If you know what you’re doing, finding the perfect radiant cut diamond should be easy. After all in the diamond capital of the world, NYC sees 24 billion dollars’ worth of inventory enter and exit Jewelers Row NYC every year. The reality is that finding the perfect radiant cut diamond is far from easy.

About Radiant Cut Diamonds and The Risks of Getting it Wrong

It is said that women who wear Radiant Cut Diamonds are trendy and flirty. These magnificent stones display incredible flash and look awesome sitting atop a diamond engagement ring, cocktail ring or other fashionable jewelry. They are a rare cut designed for a very specific (and special) discriminating buyer. Here in lies the problem. Unlike round brilliant stones that are easy to price and quality benchmark, radiant cut diamonds are rare enough so that not a lot is out there about them. In fact this [xxx] word article might be one of the most complete discussion out there on the stone.

Moreover, unlike round brilliant and princess cut diamonds, radiant cut diamonds are not measured on the 4^th C – Cut. This is because both round and princess cut diamonds have a proven geometric relationship between their proportions and the fire, brilliance and scintillation they give off, but radiant cut diamonds do not. You need to “eyeball it.” This creates some risk.

Quick Discussion about the “3C’s”

However you cut it, knowing the “three” C’s of your radiant cut diamond is very, very important. Not only because of the 3C’s themselves, which is shorthand information about the diamond you seek, but because of their price relativity. You may or may not know the difference between a D and G colored diamond, or a SI1 or VS1 clarity stone, but knowing the value difference is important to pay the best price.

The fact is, a 1 carat Radiant Cut Diamond can have 80 different combinations of color and clarity. When this happens the price swing can be 5X depending where you are on the quality scale. $2000 or $11,000 (or a point in between). In other words, knowing the “3 C’s” is that significant.

Play with the 3 C’s with A+ rated online discount diamond seller James Allen’s diamond pricer here.

So, the 3Cs’ now serve two functions: 1) to describe the quality of your purchase, but also 2) to help you find the best price.

First, determine which diamond quality you want. If you need help in this area, read our 3 articles on color, clarity and carat weight:

Once you know what you want, then determining the best price is a matter of benchmarking. Start with GIA graded diamonds (always), and finding the best price. What is the best price? Use James Allen’s online diamond pricing page to determine what they would change you. James Allen is one of the (if not the) best price online discount diamond dealers in the world. If you can’t price outperform James Allen, strongly consider acquiring your diamond there.

Once you know that price, you now know what your ceiling is.

The big lie – there are “special diamonds” that exceed their graded value..

Never let a jeweler tell you that a diamond’s graded value is different than its’ true value… While there might be a little give and take around the edges, the GIA diamond grading system is quite rigorous and exact.

Jeweler Selection

Once you know what a good price is, the next phase is to select a great jeweler. This is easy with our Jeweler Directory, because jewelers are rated on three separate criteria: Price, Quality and Trust. Each of these, together, is how you find the best jeweler for your Radiant Cut Diamonds.

To access our directory please click here. And please don’t forget to come back and rate your jeweler. We value your feedback and it helps others coming after you.