Advice choosing a cushion cut diamond!

[david16e]

Newbie diamond shopper first time posting! I'm in the market for a cushion cut diamond engagement ring set in a halo band. I've been lurking on the forums for a few days and have read up on how to read ASET images, the different kinds of cushion cuts, and some more of the basics. I think that now I'm at the point where I can use some custom advise based on my size range and budget. I appreciate SO much in advance any help provided.

I would like to keep the ring+diamond around 10-12k. I believe that should be able to get me a quality ring in the +/- 1.25 carat range with a nice halo setting. I'd like something more square than rectangular. I'm willing to sacrifice on color and clarity - maybe down to a G/H, and maybe down to VS2 (but no lower). The most important thing to me is that it is cut well and produces the brilliance and fire that a diamond is meant to produce.

James Allen seems to be well respected so I'll link a few stones that seem like good candidates to my untrained eye. Feel free to tell me I'm way off! I'll request the ASETs on good candidates when it comes to that.


http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.20-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-116848
This one is a bit rectangular (6.17x5.77) but seems lively to me. My girlfriend liked this one the most based on the JA pictures, if that is a useful data point.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.21-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-116837
This one seems nice up front to me but becomes "cloudy" from the sides. Is that normal/acceptable? 6.38x5.71.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-22311
Another option. To me this one has a lot of life when viewed head on. 6.13x6.88, so it has a larger face than the prior two.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Gypsy]

Only the last stone has decent potential. The other two are poor choices.

Please post your budget and color and clarity requirements. Personally I think H Si1 or better is where you should be looking.

Sticking to G VS1 shows a lack of understanding on how to purchase cushions and fancy diamonds.

Please read my posts in this thread (pay special attention to what I said in RED ink): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-and-looking-for-help-choosing-cushion-cut-diamond-to-oz.205195/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-and-looking-for-help-choosing-cushion-cut-diamond-to-oz.205195/[/URL]

 

[david16e]

Thanks for the feedback! I will freely admit to having a lack of understanding

Budget is ideally around 8k for the diamond, but I could go up to 10k and it wouldn't break the bank. Trying to keep 10-12k for the diamond+ring. I'm trying to give myself a range and stick to it so I don't slide the size/quality filter higher and higher...

My concern with dipping down to Si1 is that the my lady has stated she would like to stay eye-clean. As a rule, wouldn't Si1 trend away from that? As for color, I think that is less of a concern and I'm willing to dip down to G/H if the cut makes up for it.

In order to start filtering down the hundreds of choices, would you restrict to a particular cushion cut style and go from there? For example, this cut you mention as generally leading to sub-par diamonds. Easily done to avoid:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.20-carat-d-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-357119

 

[Gypsy]

I will search for you.

Yes, that facet pattern does usually underwhelm. But there is no way to sort by facet pattern in terms of a search engine. You have to do it by sight.

As for SI1 and eyeclean. Many SI1 stones will be eyeclean in brilliant cut facet patterns (which is what cushions are).

And the gemologists at JA will be honest with you as to which stones are eyeclean and which aren't.

What type of setting does you lady want? If your total budget is 12K we need to work backward to a diamond price from the setting.

Pictures appreciated.

 

[david16e]

Gypsy, thanks for all of your help. This forum is a lifesaver!

She definitely wants a halo ring. I think I can get a suitable halo ring for around 2.5k (?). Which would leave 9.5k for the diamond itself. The ring doesn't need to be custom made. A band similar to the one in the picture below would be perfect.

In order to provide more information, I'm going to answer these questions from this excellent thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

1. What is the total amount you want to spend on the ring? 12k
2. What is more important to you – the diamond or the setting? the diamond, but the setting needs to be halo
3. What type of cushion do you want (refer to step 1 above)? leaning towards cushion brilliant, potentially 4 main. would definitely like to avoid the crushed ice look (modified brilliant).
4. What are the cut parameters you want? would like a diamond that is more square
Color: Recommend G/H unless she doesn’t care if it is warmer agreed
Clarity: Recommend VS1/2 or eyeclean SI1 agreed, but she definitely wants eye clean
Carat How important is size to her or you just want to work within budget would like at least 1.25
L/W Ratio: Square or Rectangle square
5. Do you want a ready made setting or a custom made one? ready made is fine
6. If custom made, do you want it all fully hand made (more expensive but more refined) or CAD/CAST?
7. Are you willing to go to the second hand market? potentially

This is the look she is going for (this is her friend's ring, on her hand)

 

[Gypsy]

OK so you are prepared! And I appreciate that very much.

So here are the two settings I recommend, these are going to be the best quality for your budget:
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-60-14.html
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/the-anita-halo-platinum-5950p (they will make for a cushion center).


You absolutely should go for platinum setting. Platinum is the best metal for pave.You can read my posts here on that [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-online-retailer-for-a-custom-setting.203660/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-online-retailer-for-a-custom-setting.203660/[/URL]

I think we'll pin your stone budget at approximately 9,000.

Bad news, I didn't see anything spectacular at JA that would be eyeclean. Nothing with good performance that is eyeclean at B2C. Nothing And nothing IN STOCK at ERD or GOG that is modern faceted, has great performance and is over 1.25 and H SI1 eyeclean or better.

Good news: Both ERD and GOG can source cushions for you and do it well. And if you get the setting from ERD having them source for you is what I'd do.

 

[Gypsy]

Only two stones at JA worth a second look in your budget/spec range. But neither of them makes my heart skip a beat.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-22311 Which is the one you chose with potential.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-245572


So what would I do? Put them on hold and ask for an ASET. And then tomorrow call ERD and ask them to source you a cushion with modern faceting with incredible performance with your spec range. Okay?

 

[david16e]

Done. I'll post the images when they arrive, and we'll see what ERD can do when I call tomorrow. Thank you so much!

 

[hogster]

Please listen to Gypsy she knows her stuff helped me so much in educating me and what to look out for so pay attention.

Since all of her help last friday i just paid for my engagement ring.

I went with Brian Gavin Diamonds and couldnt be happier, one of best rate e-ring companies and nothing but praise online about them.

I am also going for a cushion cut and settled for an amazing 1.17 'I' colour hearts and arrow cut diamond and went for the 'Anita' halo ring that they are making in cushion halo same as Gypsy ring posted above.

BGD have been wonderful to deal with and especially Jamie Carson lady im dealing with. I have transferred the money and waitinf for ring to be made and shipped to Australia so i can plan to pop the question.

I really recommend the Hearts and Arrows signature line from BGD you will not be disappointed. Go onto youtube type Cushion Brellia and they are same except BGD ment to be better cut

Here is diamond i bought:
http://m.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/1.170-i-vs2-cushion-diamond-ags-104067040003

You can see all ASETs and AGS ideal report.

Im hoping ring will turn out similar to this:
http://m.briangavindiamonds.com/search?query=Quadex

Let me know if need help but depending where you are from 8-8pm go on chat to BGD staff.

 

[Lorelei]

Only two stones at JA worth a second look in your budget/spec range. But neither of them makes my heart skip a beat.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-22311 Which is the one you chose with potential.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-245572


So what would I do? Put them on hold and ask for an ASET. And then tomorrow call ERD and ask them to source you a cushion with modern faceting with incredible performance with your spec range. Okay?

This one might check out, be good to see the ASET! Definitely go with G's suggestion regarding ERD, Mark might be able to find you a stunner.

 

[david16e]

The ASET images from JA came! Interesting feedback from the jeweler.

This was the jeweler's favorite: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-f-color-vs2-clarity-sku-63725
"It has excellent fire, brilliance, and scintillation and is very eye catching. It's eye clean, has a white "F" color, and an attractive square shape and faceting pattern. The only reason it's the top recommendation is because the gemologist personally likes it's shape the most."


This was the forum's top pick with the most potential: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-22311
"Diamond 22311 has great fire, brilliance, and scintillation and is right on the heels of your first two diamonds in terms of light performance. It's eye clean, possesses an attractive rectangular shape, and has a white "G" color."


And this was the third: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-245572
"Diamond 245572 has excellent light performance and is comparably bright to diamond 63725. It has an icy white "D" color, faces eye clean, and has a very attractive rectangular shape and faceting pattern."

 

[Gypsy]

I'm not a fan of the F. Did you contact ERD.

I think the G has the strongest performance under the table. The F has the weakest. They are all about the same in terms of performance at the edges.
F spread: 6.18*6.04*4.16
G spread: 6.13*6.88*4.12
D spread: 5.91*6.58*4.25
F is square. Other two are rectangular. I think all of them are attractive outlines. So for me spread and under table performance wins.

So for me the G is the winner of these three.

But that' doesn't mean you should by the G 100%. ERD might find something lovely for you.

 

[david16e]

Gypsy thanks as always for your feedback. I'm inclined to pass on these as well as I'm not in a huge time constraint and would like to explore the options available. I'm waiting on ERD - I'll follow up and will post as soon as I have some recommendations from them!

 

[Gypsy]

Cool beans. Excited to see what they come up with. Keep checking GOG's Modern Cushion Selection too. Something might come up and you can move on it.

 

[emmebee]

OK so you are prepared! And I appreciate that very much.

So here are the two settings I recommend, these are going to be the best quality for your budget:
http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/grace-classic-micro-pave-halo-enagement-ring-bpid-60-14.html
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/the-anita-halo-platinum-5950p (they will make for a cushion center).


You absolutely should go for platinum setting. Platinum is the best metal for pave.You can read my posts here on that [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-online-retailer-for-a-custom-setting.203660/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/which-online-retailer-for-a-custom-setting.203660/[/URL]

I think we'll pin your stone budget at approximately 9,000.

Bad news, I didn't see anything spectacular at JA that would be eyeclean. Nothing with good performance that is eyeclean at B2C. Nothing And nothing IN STOCK at ERD or GOG that is modern faceted, has great performance and is over 1.25 and H SI1 eyeclean or better.

Good news: Both ERD and GOG can source cushions for you and do it well. And if you get the setting from ERD having them source for you is what I'd do.

I just wanted to say - of these two recommended settings - I like the ERD one better. Just judging by the pictures (I have not seen either of these in person), the ERD one seems to have less metal between each of the melee in the halo, which I think creates a nicer look. Just my opinion though

 

[david16e]

Thank you everyone for all your input so far. So a quick update in the search here. My GF has seen some of the "hearts and arrows" cushion cut diamonds and is in love with them. From my perspective, because they are cut to a certain standard and ASET out similarly, and (hopefully) perform similarly, it makes my job a bit easier.

With that in mind, I have a few questions:
1) Are there significant differences between the GOG, Brian Gavin, and Blue Nile hearts and arrow cushion cuts? Am I missing any vendors?

2) How easy is it purchase the diamond from one vendor, and send the diamond off to get set in a ring somewhere else? What is the typical procedure here? Or, is it generally recommended to purchase the ring from the same vendor you purchase the diamond. I do like the ERD setting. My GF has described her ideal pave halo as "small diamonds with not a lot of space in between."

 

[Gypsy]

Biggest difference is price. Blue Niles H&A are much less expensive and still have amazing performance and all of them are guaranteed eyeclean. And the Blue Nile stones are more 'cushion' shaped. The other two are much more square with straight sides. I'd buy one from them and then send it to ERD for setting. I would not get a Blue Nile Halo setting. You want something top quality that will stand up to wear. Get one of the original two settings I posted for you. The only difference is when you get the insurance. If you buy stone and setting from two vendors you get the insurance before setting. If you buy from the same vendor you get insurance after. So... not a big deal. And we can help you with that.

Only problem with Blue Nile is inventory. Call them and ask them when they'll get more stones in the 1.2-1.5 range because all they have now is 1.15 and then 1.5. This is the largest stone they have right now in your budget. On the plus side: H SI is a great range. The Stone's picture is on the G-Cal. It will have amazing performance (just as amazing as BGD or Briella, don't listen to anyone who claims other wise). And it's very budget friendly:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?track=NavDiaSigCU

So, I recommend that you ask if they are going to get more stones in soon. And if so? I'd wait. I think G-H VS-SI is the right range to be in for you. And hopefully over 1.2 carats.

 

[david16e]

I finally have an update - I took the plunge on this diamond: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD04332025

It's a bit over budget, but Blue Nile nor any of the other H&A cushion cut vendors seemed to be refilling their stock in the range I was looking for. So I went for it! Now my next dilemma is the setting. The diamond will be arriving in a few days and I'll post some pictures when it's here. I may have some questions on the halo pave setting...but I'll begin with the links above that had some recommended setting vendors. Thanks again!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Beautiful diamond! A top handforged setting is probably going to be in the $4500 range, and I'd recommend Victor Canera or Steven Kirsch. Next best option for that setting is probably Brilliantly Engaged, formerly known as ERD and probably will be in the $3k range.

 

[Gypsy]

I second the vendors DS recommends and add my congratulations on your stone purchase! Very nice!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

David, I hesitate to mention this because I don't know if you are still in your return period or not. But I feel like I need to say this just so you are aware. This stone faces up with a diameter of 6.6mm. That is the same size as the 1.15 round diamond my daughter has. A round hearts and arrows 1.5 ct stone will face up at 7.4mm. This stone is deep. You'd have a much larger appearing diamond if you went with a round or maybe there are larger facing H&A cushions than this one. I just want to make sure you and your gf realize that you'll be getting a stone that faces up more like 1 ct than 1.5. A lot of people go for the round H&A and have it set in a cushion halo and get the best of both worlds, size and the cushion shape. This stone is almost a round shape itself, that is why I am mentioning it at all.

 

[david16e]

I definitely appreciate the feedback! The good news is that I still have the full 30 days left. I was planning to see how I felt about it once it arrived anyway since Blue Nile has a good return policy.

Out of curiosity I pulled up an equivalent Blue Nile princess cut for comparison: http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD04192575.... This stone is listed as 7.22x7.19x4.45. My cushion is 6.64x6.60x4.66. Costs 15k vs my 14k.

By way of comparison:
Round princess 7.22x7.19 = 41.1 face up area
Cushion cut 6.64*6.6 = 43.8, now its not a perfect square though. A circle with 6.64 radius would be 34.4 face up area. Call the cushion half way between the two = 39.1.

So the round definitely faces up larger, but not by a huge amount. In person it may be much more apparent, but I guess my point is 7.22 diameter on a circle only faces up about 5.5% larger than a 6.64 diameter on a cushion using my math above.

And, according to the dimensions, the final number is pretty much identical on both (4.45 vs 4.46). Does that represent the same thing on a princess vs cushion cut, ie total depth? Or I guess, what specifically about this stone indicates it is very deep (again, I think im just ignorant here )

 

[david16e]

Here are some images I took (with my phone, so quality isn't the best) of the Blue Nile Sig Ideal cushion (1.5ct, G, VVS2). I'm going to try to get some better pictures.





I took my girlfriend to some jewelry shops in SF and she fell in love with this setting: http://www.davidclayjewelers.com/inventory/danhov/LE105-PR/

Does anyone have any experience with this brand (Danhov)? I was quoted 3800 for that setting. They also said they would replace for free any damages. Should I be considering anyone other than ERD at this point for the setting?

 

[Gypsy]

I wouldn't get that one. The halo is totally perpendicular to the halo. And it's very architectural.

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/engagement-rings/pave-and-side-stones/the-anita-halo-platinum-5950p Please get this one or one of the standard ERD ones (BGD can make it for a cushion center easily). They have a tilt to the halo which makes it more attractive to view from the profile, which is how the ring will mostly be viewed by the wearer

Plus it has the catheral shank supports. That Danhov one is not very secure.

 

[msop04]

David, I hesitate to mention this because I don't know if you are still in your return period or not. But I feel like I need to say this just so you are aware. This stone faces up with a diameter of 6.6mm. That is the same size as the 1.15 round diamond my daughter has. A round hearts and arrows 1.5 ct stone will face up at 7.4mm. This stone is deep. You'd have a much larger appearing diamond if you went with a round or maybe there are larger facing H&A cushions than this one. I just want to make sure you and your gf realize that you'll be getting a stone that faces up more like 1 ct than 1.5. A lot of people go for the round H&A and have it set in a cushion halo and get the best of both worlds, size and the cushion shape. This stone is almost a round shape itself, that is why I am mentioning it at all.

To echo DS, has your gf considered a round set in a square cushion halo? Visually, it will look almost identical to a H&A cushion, but it will face up a lot larger and cost a lot less. This is what I did, and almost everyone thinks I have a cushion instead of a round. Just a thought.

For reference:

 

[arkieb1]

I've got to say I agree with the others, if you both like or love the hearts and arrows if you choose an Ideal cut round brilliant and put it into a cushion shaped halo you will get a MUCH larger stone for the same budget and almost the same look.

 

[david16e]

So finally I have an update. After the last few posts I considered getting a H&A round from Blue Nile, but around that time Blue Nile opened up their H&A cushion inventory and had MUCH better choices. I was able to find a 1.5 H VVS2 for considerably less, and better cut than the original based on the images they provide. I ended up going with VC and getting the Emilya Halo thanks to all of the recommendations on this site. My fiance loves the final package!

 

[JulieN]

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