Cushion Help

[LearningCushionNoob]

Hi all,

I've been lurking and reading on the forums for a couple of months now. I'm finally getting serious on getting my engagement ring selected.

Here's some basic info:

• Date = 11/1/14 (leaving town on 10/30/14)
  Total budget = $30k-$40k
  Cushion Diamond
  I prefer them squarish (rather than rectangular)
  G or better, SI1 or better (maybe VS2 or better?),
  I'm thinking it will be about 2.5-3.0 carets based on the budget

For the setting, I've been going back and forth between a simple setting like the Boston Jeff ring ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-26-cushion-old-mine-brilliant-leon-mege-solitaire.62389/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2-26-cushion-old-mine-brilliant-leon-mege-solitaire.62389/[/URL]) or a thin halo (https://www.pricescope.com/files/images/hw_cushion.png).

She is 5'10" tall and has long fingers, so I'm worried that the solitaire wouldn't be large enough. We looked randomly at rings a few months ago and that's when I found out she likes cushions. She also prefers the larger look of a halo, so I'm leaning in that direction since I couldn't get a 5-caret rock!

Anyway, I guess I need help picking the actual diamond and the setting. Here are some that I've found online, but I don't really know how to evaluate the cut.

These are some that I found on BN:
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD04372481&compare=true
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD03973124&compare=true
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD04856945&compare=true
http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-search?stockno=LD02570465&compare=true

Thanks everyone!

 

[JulieN]

You'll hit too many dead ends trying to buy a cushion from a vendor who doesn't have pictures.

I like this one, and I like it a lot: http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6257408-3.01-carat-Cushion-diamond-F-color-VS1-clarity.aspx

 

[Gypsy]

Please read my posts in this thread (pay special attention to the longer posts, and anything in red): [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]

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is. You must stick to AGS and GIA stones for the best value and quality.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king. With fancies though (anything other than a round brilliant), that is a little complicated. But no other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. And with fancies like cushions, numbers on a lab report are meaningless. You should never exclude or search by numbers. That's a great way to cut out a lot of lovely stones.

There really is no other way to determine if you have a good cushions is to see images of the stones for faceting (check that against the faceting plot on the lab report, if it has one), and then you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.

That's what an ASET image does. http://www.highperformancediamonds.com/index.php?page=education-performance Please read.
And ASET shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return That is why you won't see us recommending vendors like Blue Nile, as they do not provide images or ASET images for their diamonds. James Allen and Good Old Gold do this. So do Brian Gavin and Whiteflash and High Performance Diamonds.

Or you can get an AGS0 cushions, but those are rare, and usually branded. . GIA does not grade their cushions for performance. Only AGS does. And any lab other than GIA or AGS is not worth considering at all.

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/2.47-carat-f-si1-royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-8836.html Ask for an ASET

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/2.53-carat-f-vs2-royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-8888.html

 

[dawnxcui]

have you looked at good old gold?
their august vintage cuts are to die for!
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondResults.php?shape=2&ctMin=0.4&ctMax=10.00&optSym=66&inHouse=1&resultsColumns=402669647

they also have a youtube channel if you want to see videos of some diamonds!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEV7slr-i-VduBBnfv9MxhA

 

[tyty333]

This has a nice faceting pattern but the table looks a little large. Ask for an aset image if interested.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.96-carat-g-color-vs1-clarity-sku-126357

This looks like an old cut...not sure how you feel about this type of faceting pattern.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.53-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-278416

 

[LearningCushionNoob]

I like this one, and I like it a lot: http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-6257408-3.01-carat-Cushion-diamond-F-color-VS1-clarity.aspx

I like that one too, JulieN! I'm still learning how to read the images. Does that one have a good return of light, like Gypsy recommends?

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/2.47-carat-f-si1-royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-8836.html Ask for an ASET

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/2.53-carat-f-vs2-royal-chandelier-cushion-brilliant-cushion-cut-diamond-gid-8888.html

Gypsy, should I be concerned about the SI1 on the first one?

The second one looks very different to the naked eye and I think I like that look better. Are those two different examples of cuts?

This looks like an old cut...not sure how you feel about this type of faceting pattern.
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.53-carat-g-color-vs2-clarity-sku-278416

tyty333, I think that looks like the second diamond Gypsy recommended, but at a lower price! Do they sometimes list diamonds on multiple sites?

Of these, I think I like the 3.01 from JulieN and the 2.53 from Gypsy and tyty333 the best. I'm assuming the total size of the first one being 0.5mm bigger in both dimension is the only thing to care about with respect to the size (instead of the caret count). Is 0.5mm in both dimensions noticable?

 

[JulieN]

Yes, the B2C one I posted looks like it should have excellent light return. If a gemologist checks it out and says it has no issues, its still my favorite.

Gypsy's first pick is a modern cushion, the second is an antique-style cushion.

The price of the 2.53 G VS2 that tyty posted is definitely good, but it is smaller than the others. Its a nice pick if the bowtie checks out, though it has a more squared off outline than the other choices. It is harder to compare dimensions when you are trying to compare cushions with a more rounded shape vs a cushion with more squared shape.

So the 3.01 F VS1 will look larger than the 2.53 F VS2. About 7% difference in spread, which is noticeable.

Between the 2.53 G VS2, the math says 8% but due to the difference in shapes, you have to adjust it down a little bit, maybe 6%, which again is a noticeable difference.

 

[LearningCushionNoob]

Thanks JulieN, that's very useful info. With the 3.01 caret one from B2C, does the white band on the ASET image mean it's losing light there? Is that normal?

The size differences sound significant. That would still be the case if I chose a halo setting, right?

 

[Gypsy]

If an Si1 is eyeclean, you are fine. The way you would find out is to call the vendor and ask them to tell you, while looking at the actual stone in person.

 

[JulieN]

If you choose a halo, the size differences will be less obvious. It's like if you have an ocean and a kiddie pool. Add a gallon of water to the kiddie pool, and add a gallon to the ocean. Which one had a larger percentage change of water? The kiddie pool.

Yes, white in an ASET (or sometimes black) is light leakage. I'm not concerned about that amount and the location of that amount of leakage, it is not a worrisome amount. Also white looks more obvious than black, something to keep in mind when comparing stones from different vendors with different ASET setups.

 

[LearningCushionNoob]

This is a stone that Mark T from Brilliantly Engaged recommends. He still has the 2.53 that Gypsy found, but says this one looks better.

It is is 2.50 carets, 8.12x7.87, Old Mine Brilliant, G/VS1, VG/VG, 47% table, 68.7% depth, slightly large cutlet, and very thin-slightly thick.

Specific questions:
1) Does this ASET look concerning? There are some areas that don't seem colored.
2) Is the small table a concern? How about the large cutlet?
3) Would this look good in a halo setting?

 

[JulieN]

I like this better than the other 2.53, too.

 

[Gypsy]

I like this one better too. It's lovely.

 

[LearningCushionNoob]

Thanks JulieN and Gypsy! I'm leaning toward this setting for it in platinum: http://youtu.be/MZ41jrV6pp4

Any feedback?

 

[Gypsy]

Is that what the wearer wants?