Why does my cushion cut have shadows?

[satine112]

Hey, I just traded in my round brilliant for a cushion cut (modified brilliant). My original ring a decade ago was from shaneco and they have a good trade in policy so that's where I went. There were only 2 choices in store for my budget. Both 1 1/4 ct. Under $8k. I ended up going for clarity over color ( a clean si1, I color, vs brown spot si2, e color. It was actually DH that ultimately decided as the I color was more square and would work in the halo better. BUT it doesn't look right to me. I can return it for something else. In some light the I color is so noticeable to me. Also in other lights I see like..,shadow or nothingness. I can't describe it. Why is it doing this? Because of the color, or is this what cushions do?

 

[Gypsy]

It's the cut. It's probably not well cut. I've never seen a well cut fancy stone in a Shane Co.

Cut is king. That's what determines a diamond's beauty. Not color. Not clarity.

And no, a well cut cushion wouldn't do that.

 

[arkieb1]

Ditto dark dead areas are light leakage which means a badly cut diamond and I swear it looks like a worse colour than an I which is possibly making it look dark as well.

 

[24caratsequin]

What's the Shane Co returns policy?

I would send it back and look elsewhere. You can't buy a fancy shape diamond based on numbers alone, but if you give us some parameters and a budget, we can work with those to find some promising stones for you.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

It's difficult to draw too many conclusions from one photo but it looks consistent with your observations. As others have said you would expect the center stone to be brighter if it was well cut. Cutting can also affect the apparent color- better cut making it look whiter from face up position. It's a pretty ring, hopefully you can exchange the center stone for a stone you love.

Is there a lab report on this diamond or is it in-house grading?

 

[satine112]

Thanks for the replies everyone. First, i am limited to shopping at that store, as i've slowly been upgrading though the years. But, i do have 60 days to exchange the stone for something else, and the ring as well, in case i go for a different shape. DH bought my original ring when we were quite young, and did it on a store credit with no interest, and so ever since then, we've kept it there, as their upgrade policy is you can trade in a stone, and as long as the new stone is more expensive, even by $1, you can upgrade. They also have a lifetime warranty which i like, as i have had a diamond from them chip before, and i was able to return it, easy. Yes, i know there are better places out there, but i'm stuck we aren't rich and i can't afford to lose $8k.

second: the stone is a GIA stone, here are the specs:

Cushion modified brilliant
5.83x5.79x4.06
1.21 carat
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Polish: very good
Symmetry: good
Flo: none

that's all it has, no mention of the cut, whether its good or excellent or ideal. I guess fancy shapes don't get that? So i have no idea if it's a good cut, except for the light loss (i was thinking that might have been it)

They had a few other stones online, which they can order in for me if i want. But i'll never know if it's a great cut or not, as the report doesn't say so and they can only order in 3 at a time.

*sigh* this is so frustrating. i kind of regret trading in my RB now. It was an excellent cut stone, also an I but it was so white compared to this one. Also, it's disheartening how smaller the cushion looks vs. a round. LOL

But DH says this is his most favorite ring i've had yet, he likes the square shape. So maybe i should stick with the cushion? it is pretty. just not this light loss. i'll post some more pics.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Thanks for the replies everyone. First, i am limited to shopping at that store, as i've slowly been upgrading though the years. But, i do have 60 days to exchange the stone for something else, and the ring as well, in case i go for a different shape. DH bought my original ring when we were quite young, and did it on a store credit with no interest, and so ever since then, we've kept it there, as their upgrade policy is you can trade in a stone, and as long as the new stone is more expensive, even by $1, you can upgrade. They also have a lifetime warranty which i like, as i have had a diamond from them chip before, and i was able to return it, easy. Yes, i know there are better places out there, but i'm stuck we aren't rich and i can't afford to lose $8k.

second: the stone is a GIA stone, here are the specs:

Cushion modified brilliant
5.83x5.79x4.06
1.21 carat
Color: I
Clarity: SI1
Polish: very good
Symmetry: good
Flo: none

that's all it has, no mention of the cut, whether its good or excellent or ideal. I guess fancy shapes don't get that? So i have no idea if it's a good cut, except for the light loss (i was thinking that might have been it)

They had a few other stones online, which they can order in for me if i want. But i'll never know if it's a great cut or not, as the report doesn't say so and they can only order in 3 at a time.

*sigh* this is so frustrating. i kind of regret trading in my RB now. It was an excellent cut stone, also an I but it was so white compared to this one. Also, it's disheartening how smaller the cushion looks vs. a round. LOL

But DH says this is his most favorite ring i've had yet, he likes the square shape. So maybe i should stick with the cushion? it is pretty. just not this light loss. i'll post some more pics.

Yes, unfortunately GIA does not have an overall cut grade system for fancy shapes. That would be very helpful to alot of folks!

But good that you have options. Don't give up until you get the ring you are happy with!

If you can post the prospective GIA cert numbers of stones you are considering you might get some helpful advice about certain aspects. But it is hard to tell too much about cut quality of fancies from the numbers on the report.

If you have options of bringing in stones from their other stores, is it possible to get an opinion from someone in that store as to the overall light performance of the stone before you decide to bring it in?

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Wow. In the second pic above the center stone looks incredible! That will show you that you can't draw too many conclusions from one photo.

It also shows the impacts of different lighting conditions. The problem for you I suppose is that in many normal lighting conditions the stone does not perform the way you want it to. And that is most likely a result of cut quality. Some stones, even those not cut particularly well, will look great in certain lighting - say jewelry store lighting for instance. But as you get them out in the world in many different lighting conditions you begin to get a more complete sense of how well they handle light. A well cut stone should perform well in a broad range of normal viewing situations. You cannot fully understand or appreciate a diamond until you have lived with it for a while. This makes good return policies and trade-up policies very important.

 

[satine112]

Wow. In the second pic above the center stone looks incredible! That will show you that you can't draw too many conclusions from one photo.

It also shows the impacts of different lighting conditions. The problem for you I suppose is that in many normal lighting conditions the stone does not perform the way you want it to. And that is most likely a result of cut quality. Some stones, even those not cut particularly well, will look great in certain lighting - say jewelry store lighting for instance. But as you get them out in the world in many different lighting conditions you begin to get a more complete sense of how well they handle light. A well cut stone should perform well in a broad range of normal viewing situations. You cannot fully understand or appreciate a diamond until you have lived with it for a while. This makes good return policies and trade-up policies very important.

Yeah in store it was so beautiful - color wasn't that noticeable and it was so sparkly. So imagine my disappointment when I saw it at home indoors and at the office

I'll look at other stones I guess - light loss defeats the purpose of a diamond imo

I've also uploaded a pic of it in the store before it was set in the ring

 

[tyty333]

You might ask them for a cushion with bigger facets. You *might* have a chance at better light return. Something like these...
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.20-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-sku-91510
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.27-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-sku-438546
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.30-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-328188

These arent exactly the best of the best but probably brighter than the stone you have. I would have them bring in 3 at a time.
Pick the best one and take it outside in the mall area and try to look at it in as many different lighting situations that you have
available.

 

[JoshuaNiamehr]

Hi Satine!

Im of the opinion its the facet arrangement that you are unhappy with - are you up to speed on the various facet arrangements available in cushion cuts? Do you know which type of facet arrangement your diamond has? There are quite a few types of facet arrangements when it comes to cushion modified brilliant and will produce different looks and vary in light performance generally.

 

[satine112]

Hi Satine!

Im of the opinion its the facet arrangement that you are unhappy with - are you up to speed on the various facet arrangements available in cushion cuts? Do you know which type of facet arrangement your diamond has? There are quite a few types of facet arrangements when it comes to cushion modified brilliant and will produce different looks and vary in light performance generally.

Hi, yes it's the bottom one on this chart, except on my certificate, the middle of the underside, there is a little tiny circle to show...a culet i guess? But the proportions says there is None, so maybe that's not what that means? The middle photo has the circle, so you can get an idea.

the proportions are: 68% table and 70.1% depth, with a thin-very thick faceted.

 

[satine112]

I just had a good look at the diamond's girdle, and wow, 2 sides are very chunky and wide, and then one side is "normal" and the fourth is super super thin. i bet that's why.

DH likes this stone and doesn't want me to return it though. he thinks i'm crazy and seeing things, and that the shadows are just a reflection of the gold head holding the diamond in. this will be interesting...

 

[Sphene]

Return it you have got to happy with something you are going to see daily