The round brilliant has long been the uncontested queen of stunning sparkle. You know her, you love her, and she’s in every engagement ring. But what if the RB isn’t actually the boss applesauce of shine?

Enter radiant. Invented in the age of the disco ball, the radiant cut diamond brings shimmer to a whole new level. The elegant Emerald shape packs in oodles of shine and can really switch up a silhouette. But does a radiant diamond have more sparkle than a round brilliant? Let’s get into it.

Rock Emoji

Gotta love the round brilliant. It’s that classic diamond shape with princess proposal vibes and the only one with its own emoji. The round rock is certainly the most popular diamond for engagement rings. It’s also common knowledge that it’s the most brilliant diamond–or is it?

The classic cut was designed to max out on shine with 57-58 facets cut with the utmost technical precision by only the fanciest of instruments. A well-cut brilliant can reflect dearly 100% of light–ok, that’s actually pretty impressive.

Not only is the round super sparkly, but all that fancy light refraction hides color, and all that glittery goodness can hide imperfections. If you know your 4Cs, this can save you major money.

Radical Shine Bro

The radiant diamond may not even be on your radar, but this diamond deep cut packs a sparkly punch worth writing home about. The radiant diamond is extremely brilliant, giving the round a real run for its money. The cut features some 70 facets, by far the most facets of any diamond cut, and all those cuts mean oodles of sparkle.

The cut is a little deeper, meaning it holds on to a bit more color than a round, but snag a G-H for a diamond that appears colorless and saves you some skrilla. If you’re in love with the crispy cut corners of an Emerald but don’t want to lose the shine factor, radiants are the way to go. Real tea, radiants have so much sparkle it needs two categories just to contain them all.

Keepin’ it Classic

The brilliant radiant has modified brilliant style facets, as in stretched-out round brilliant sparkle. These longer facets give the stone more depth and dimension with more of a traditional diamond sparkle. As the stone moves, you can see more of the light and dark contrast creating defined lines and incredible sparkle.

Radiant Cut Diamond

Crushing It

Crushed ice radiants have tons of smaller facets, hence tons of smaller sparkles. The crushed ice cut gets its name from the look of the sparkles since they look like crushed ice glistening in the sun. It’s incredibly dazzling and even a little hypnotic in the best possible way.

With this cut, the sparkles may be smaller, but there are way more of them than in a brilliant, more traditional sparkle. Crushed ice radiants also have a brighter, more white face-up appearance that some people prefer.

The Honorable Judge Gem

A photo (or a video if it’s possible) of Round cut diamond and Radiant cut diamonds

Round brilliant diamonds have always been known as the most sparkly diamond cut. They have amazing brilliance, fire, and scintillation. In other words, it sparkles really good.

Brilliant radiants give the round a run for its money. They have tons of sparkle and more surface area to show them off. It’s that crispy classic sparkle and a lot of it.

Crushed ice radiants would win this one, hands down, if it were a numbers game. Smaller facets mean more (albeit smaller) sparkles. Watching a close-up of a brilliant diamond is stunning, but a crushed ice cut is straight-up mesmerizing.

Unpopular opinion? The radiant is more sparkly. Look, we don’t want to be the ones to take the crown from the round brilliant, but there it is.

Looky Looky

If you think bigger is better when it comes to diamonds, you’re certainly not the only one. But carats aside, there are a few factors that play into the visual size of a stone.

Round diamonds have a decent size carat for carat. Their brilliance enhances the look, but they aren’t known for finger coverage.

Radiant diamonds take up more room. The elongated stone stretches the visual size. While they are a bit deep, which can make them look a little smaller, what they lose in depth, they make up for in finger coverage.

Learn about Round Cut Diamonds

C.R.E.A.M. - Dolla Dolla Bills Y’all

So, who’s got the prettiest price tag?

Round brilliants are the more expensive cut. They leave more raw material on the cutting table than most diamond shapes. That, plus a high demand, makes them the more expensive stone. However, it’s nothing to lose sleep over.

While a round diamond does tend to be a bit more expensive, the price difference shouldn’t be big enough to sway you from your dream ring. Prices tend to vary, and with a little finesse, you’ll be able to find a diamond in your price range, no matter the shape.

Cheer Captian or The Bleachers?

The round brilliant is hands down the most popular cut of all diamonds. They make up about 70% of diamond engagement rings, and they’re stunning in any setting, so it makes sense.

Radiants might be the way to go if you’re after a more unique look. Its elongated look can shake up any silhouette, and its certainly anything but standard.

All Set For Sparkle?

Round brilliant diamonds are the stunning sweetheart cut we know and love. And hey, nine times out of ten, you’ll hear it’s the most sparkly too. But we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t point out the radiant with its spectacular sparkle on the sidelines.

So which is the most sparkly? If it isn’t obvious, we think it’s radiant. The things are glitter city with a shimmer on top, and we absolutely stan. Hey, if you disagree, we’d love to hear all about it while we help you pick the perfect rock–be it round or radiant.

Round vs. Radiant Diamonds - Which One Sparkles More?

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