Radiant Square Cut Emerald: cropped corners, and lighter in weight than the diamond version

Brilliance 57 · Fire 20 · Scintillation 66 · in our census, where the T73 scores 78 · 39 · 80 in emerald

A square with cropped corners and a brilliant plan beneath. In emerald it holds more light than the princess, and loses most of the diamond version's fire.

See it in the simulatorGet the files
The Radiant Square Cut in emerald, rendered at an angle in our 3D Gemstone Simulator under studio light
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Radiant Square Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.

Radiant Square Cut Emerald

The radiant square trades the princess's sharp corners for cropped ones. Our model has 49 facets, a pavilion figure of 34.64° and a deep profile: 72.8% from table to culet.

That pavilion figure sits under emerald's 39.4° guide minimum, and in our census 41% of the light leaks, against 12% for the same cut in diamond. We have no measurement of a steeper radiant square, so we cannot say whether one would hold more.

Set beside the princess in emerald, it returns more light and holds it better when tipped; the princess has more fire and more sparkle.

Radiant square emerald: strong or weak? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald and with the Radiant Square Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 4% (face-up size per carat) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Radiant Square Cut in emerald (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Performance wheel: Radiant Square Cut in emerald, against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−13Brilliance−21Fire−19Scintillation−14Spread+1Symmetry0Shape-norm−18Tilt+11

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: ahead on 2, level on 1, behind on 5.

  • Global60, the comparison 73, difference −13
  • Brilliance57, the comparison 78, difference −21
  • Fire20, the comparison 39, difference −19
  • Scintillation66, the comparison 80, difference −14
  • Spread101, the comparison 100, difference +1
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm66, the comparison 84, difference −18
  • Tilt88, the comparison 77, difference +11
Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring. Spread is the census's estimate from depth alone; the face-up size in the pros and cons is measured from each model's outline.
Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What emerald gains in a radiant square cut

Lighter than a diamond radiant square

1.25 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.62 ct for the same cut in diamond (−23%)

The deep profile carries a lot of stone, and emerald makes it lighter: 1.25 ct for a 6.5 mm radiant square, against 1.62 ct in diamond.

Emerald1.25 ctDiamond1.62 ct
A Radiant Square Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Radiant Square Cut page

The catch with a radiant square emerald

Little fire, far below the diamond version

Fire 20 against 62 for the Radiant Square Cut in diamond: 42 points lower

20 against 62, and below the T73's 39 in emerald. Of every cut we measure in emerald, only the Peruzzi and the Portuguese Bird's Nest score less.

Radiant square cut in emerald face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 20)

Radiant Square Cut in emerald · Fire 20

Radiant square cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 62)

Radiant Square Cut in diamond · Fire 62

Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

What helps: Among the cuts that keep their light in emerald, DG-Anteros Emerald scores 52; in a square outline, the square brilliant scores 38.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

More than three times the diamond version's leakage

Leakage 41 against 12 for the Radiant Square Cut in diamond: 29 points higher

41% in emerald against 12% in diamond. The cut is the same in both; the stone, with its 39.4° critical angle, is what lets the extra light out.

Radiant Square Cut in emerald · Leakage 41

Radiant square cut in emerald tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 43% of the face leaking0° · 43% leak
Radiant square cut in emerald tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 39% of the face leaking10° · 39% leak
Radiant square cut in emerald tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 44% of the face leaking20° · 44% leak
Radiant square cut in emerald tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 47% of the face leaking30° · 47% leak

Radiant Square Cut in diamond · Leakage 12

Radiant square cut in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 18% of the face leaking0° · 18% leak
Radiant square cut in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking10° · 16% leak
Radiant square cut in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 16% of the face leaking20° · 16% leak
Radiant square cut in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 20% of the face leaking30° · 20% leak
Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: We cannot promise that a steeper radiant square would leak less. In emerald our square brilliant loses 26% and our cushion 25%.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

Less light than a round

Brilliance 57 against 78 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 21 points lower

57 against 78, and more than the princess's 51 in emerald. In diamond the same radiant square returns 72.

Radiant square cut in emerald face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 57)

Radiant Square Cut in emerald · Brilliance 57

T73 round brilliant in emerald face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 78)

T73 Round Brilliant in emerald · Brilliance 78

Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: For cropped corners and more light, the Octagon Cut Emerald returns 69; with rounded corners, the Cushion Cut Emerald 74.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

Fewer flashes than a round

Scintillation 66 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 14 points lower

With 49 facets to the T73's 73, a radiant square flashes less often, 66 to 80. The princess, with far more facets, scores 78; the figure is the plan's and holds in any stone.

Radiant Square Cut · 49 facets · Scintillation 66

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Scintillation 80

Scintillation follows the number of facets: more facets, more and smaller flashes as the stone moves. Count the facets in each crown. Drawn from each cut's own model.

What helps: On a square outline, the finer plan of the square brilliant scores 78.

Try it yourself: Compare the Scintillation spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Who a radiant square emerald suits

The radiant square suits a square emerald with corners less exposed than a princess's, where the stone's body colour matters more than flashes of fire. Between the two in emerald, our census prefers it for light and steadiness.

For more light and more fire in a square, the square brilliant. For the most light in a square outline, the Cushion Cut Emerald.

Radiant Square Cut Emerald: questions

Is a radiant square cut good for emerald?

Middling: Brilliance 57 against 78 for the T73, with 41% leaking. Its weak point is fire: 20, against 62 for the same cut in diamond.

Radiant square or princess for an emerald?

The radiant square returns more light (57 against 51), leaks less (41% against 45%) and holds steadier when tipped (88 against 77). The princess has more fire and sparkle.

Does a radiant square emerald face up small?

A little: Face-up size 91 against 100 for the T73. At 72.8% deep it carries more weight below the girdle, so a carat covers less area.

What does a 6.5 mm radiant square emerald weigh?

Close to 1.25 ct by our model, where a diamond radiant square of that width is 1.62 ct.

Get the Radiant Square Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Radiant Square Cut 3D files

The Radiant Square Cut as exact geometry: 49 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

  • STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
  • 3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
  • STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
  • OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
  • FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
  • GLBWeb, AR and quick previews
€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files
GemCad96 index

Radiant Square Cut cutting files

The Radiant Square Cut as a faceting design: 41 + 8 girdles = 49 facets, 96 index, 4-fold symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram
€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

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More gemstones and cuts

Emerald: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Radiant Square Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in emerald

The Radiant Square Cut in other gemstones