Cushion cut wedding ring - replacement

[azints]

Hello all,
I previously had a 1.7 ct round brilliant pave set engagement ring that I have unfortunately lost and need to replace now . I am looking to go a new way entirely as that ring had much sentimental value as the side stones were my husband's grandmothers. So, now I am looking for something similar to this ring : http://rockdiamond.com/index.php/jewelry/halo-ring-201-square-cushion-diamond-in-platinum-split-shank-halo
However, I do not know much about cushion cuts and I honestly do not have the time to research, shop etc. that I did when we first got married. Life is wild now with babies, marriage, and work. Any thoughts on where to start? I would like a center stone that is as large as I can afford (who wouldn't) with a wonderful cut. Cut is most important to me, color is less so as I like the "warm colors" anyways. I do not mind some inclusion as long as it does not effect the performance with the naked eye while on my finger if that makes sense. I have approx. 13k total I would like to spend. Any thoughts on where to start? I've looked on a few of the sites, good old gold, james allen, blue nile, etc. and just feeling overwhelmed. I honestly thought Costco might be easiest as they are ready-made, but I'm nervous about that and they do not have exactly what I want anyways. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Queenie60]

I am not able to help you to find stones - hopefully some of the experts will chime in, Gypsy, Diamondseeker and others. They are great at helping to find good stones. If you want full service, I suggest you reach out to Yekutiel at ID Jewelry. He has recently helped my nephew find a beautiful ring at an affordable price. Wishing you luck and I hope you find the ring you're looking for.

 

[Gypsy]

I can look for you later today. Setting aside 4k for setting leaves you 9k for the stone.

 

[azints]

Thank you! Yes, that's about what I was thinking as well. I figured the setting would be around 4k for something with a split shank and halo. Thanks for your help

 

[dollyanjuli]

I am not an expert but I loveeeee cushions, and just saw the most stunning K color cushion on James Allen...I personally look for facet patterns that speak to me and then go for technical aspects...see if this strikes your fancy-

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.04-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-sku-938819

 

[Gypsy]

I am not an expert but I loveeeee cushions, and just saw the most stunning K color cushion on James Allen...I personally look for facet patterns that speak to me and then go for technical aspects...see if this strikes your fancy-

http://www.jamesallen.com/mobile/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.04-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-sku-938819

That one's ASET is up in the air. It could be okay, or it could be underwelming. It does have a large table coupled with a low crown though, so it's not going to be as firey as son. That said, it is a nice BIG stone.

 

[Gypsy]

Since you are new to cushions here is the most important thing about cushion shopping (other than cut). Cushions are not like rounds. A 1.4 carat cushion isn't always larger than a 1.6 with cushions. It is HEAVIER. But that's not the size you SEE. The size you see is all about dimensions. So pay attention to the L and W of the stones as you compare them, NOT the weight. Okay? DIMENSIONS not weight matters with cushions.

So I'm not sure how much your color tolerance is when you say "lower colors" Do you mean H-I range? or K-L? More specificity would be appreciated. That said, I found some pretty stones.

"H color stones:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.50-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-1082912
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-5-Carat-H-Color-VS2-Clarity-Diamond-AJ5D4L (make sure VS2 and SI stones are eyeclean by asking the vendor, VS1 and up will always be eyeclean).

"I" color stones:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.41-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-1016854
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.50-carat-i-color-vs1-clarity-sku-634078
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-51-Carat-I-Color-SI1-Clarity-Diamond-7L48Q7
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-5-Carat-I-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-12M8TB
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-59-Carat-I-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-6T198K

Pretty J's:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.58-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-1049704
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.81-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-1080903 Great size and faceting on this stone.
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-58-Carat-J-Color-VS1-Clarity-Diamond-DYV6ZM

K stones:
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/Cushion/GIA-Certified-1-75-Carat-K-Color-VVS1-Clarity-Diamond-UB6L4Z
I wanted to post this one for you as it is a hearts and arrows stone. It gives you the square shape with the faceting of a round:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.70-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-sku-1008540

If the stones you like best are the ones at JA, then put them on hold and ask for an ASET. You get 3 ASETs max and they can't give them on every stone (which is irritating). All the ED stones have ASETs posted already (you want to see a ton of red, basically).

You are going to want to use Brilliantly Engaged as your setting vendor. They provide the best quality for the price and do the best CAD pave halos, which is what you are going get for your budget (a handforged will likely be 5k minimum). You will absolutely want platinum as the metal. I am going to suggest a slightly different split shank style for your sized stone. For a stone of the size in the DBL picture that wide split shank style makes sense. For a 1.5-2.2 carat stone, it isn't going to be as flattering. So I recommend something like this where the shanks are more angled toward one another:

http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/carrie-bpid-1243-45.html (look at the different views of the setting)
Or this:
http://www.brilliantlyengaged.com/claire-cathedral-micro-pave-halo-engagement-ring-bpid-120-19.html

These are both cathedral shanks, so if you prefer the non-cathedral look of the DBL you can request that modification and they can do that for you.

 

[azints]

Thanks so much for al these. I am going to sit down tonight and review what you've suggestion. Thanks also for the pointers on exactly what to look for. One place sent me this as an example of a great cut. Do you have any thoughts? I want to get an idea of what places I should continue to look with. Thanks again ! http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-colorless-diamond-120ct-f-si1-cushion-cut-diamond-gia-r6817

 

[Gypsy]

That's a hard stone for me to comment on. Why? Rockdiamond (David, the owner of Diamonds by Lauren) and I do not see eye to eye on fancy cuts with that type of faceting. And we never have. And many of the other vendors and I have had knock down drag out fights over the subject on these boards. So you are welcome to look up those threads if you want to.

I will tell you that it is not to my personal taste or standards and that if it were, there is no way I'd buy it. And I'm sure David will be along in a minute to defend his diamond and attack my comments. So I am going to say RIGHT NOW, I will not respond to any post by David.

 

[dollyanjuli]

have you seen examples of different cushion facet patterns in person? Cushions have a HUGE variety of 'sparkle' if you will and people have passionate opinions about some vs others, which is how it should be- you need to have a passionate opinion too if you are going to be dropping $$$.

Pictures are great and in this internet age they make things much easier, but if you are completely new to this and have your heart set on a cushion, it would really behoove you to sit with someone who can bring in at least 3-4 different cushion patterns in the size you are looking for so you can see the difference in person. The one you posted from Diamonds by Lauren is a specific cut, the one I posted above is a different cut, and the ones Gypsy linked to are also different. There is so much choice when it comes to cushions! I know you don't have a ton of time to research now ( I have a newborn myself so I SO get this) but one visit could really help you.

If you can't see the stones in person, there are some great youtube videos that show you different patterns in motion (type in good old gold cushion). You can also go on James Allen and shrink some of the suggest stones down to the smallest size to see how it would look closer to real life size. None of this will be the same as examining in person, but it can help. Again, this is just my two cents but i found it extremely helpful for me when I was on the cushion hunt. What i ended up with may not be everyones cup of tea, but it felt right to me. Again understanding you don't have a ton of time to research, but if this is going to be your forever ring you should try to be as informed as possible.

All of that said, if you just want someone to post you a link to a stone that is a definite winner- will reflect lots of light, etc- the prosumers here are invaluable.

Last thing- I have emailed with David from Diamonds by Lauren a few times over the years ( Rockdiamond ) and always found him to be informative. We happen to be on a similar wavelength though- sometimes what your eyes see doesn't line up with what's on paper, but choosing a stone is a very personal (and expensive) decision, and only you can decide what you are most comfortable with.

Good luck!!

 

[Gypsy]

So since you said you didn't want to do a lot of research and agonizing I didn't post any knowledge for you. But I will post some for you now. You can read as much or as little as you want.

Here's some information to start you off:
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.
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 none of the numbers on a lab report or any information on a lab report can help you select a well performing and beautiful cushion. Because numbers are meaningless.

There really is no other way to determine if you have a good cushions other than to see images of the stones, and then IN ADDITION to that you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone. That's why I posted the ED stone for you. It has images and an ASET posted already. At the least, consider getting the stone from them, and having just the setting made locally.

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.

In addition to pictures and an ASET a really high quality video is also a hugely helpful tool (like the ones at JA). It will show you crown height (not listed on the lab report) and most importantly show you how the stones facets light up and how the light plays over the stone while it is movement (it's rarely still on your hands).

Also 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. Vendor cut scores on websites are generally not reliable although the top cushion lines (Signature lines) at BGD (hearts and arrows), BE and GOG are usually excellent performers. And ED has lots of cushions with ASETs already posted, so they are also a good vendor to look into.


Now, here is some additional reading:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-on-ja-cushion-cut.207957/#post-3783194#p3783194']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-on-ja-cushion-cut.207957/#post-3783194#p3783194[/URL]
And this:
[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]
Then this:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-need-opinions-about-this-cushion-cut-diamond-pics.206771/#post-3763444#p3763444']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-need-opinions-about-this-cushion-cut-diamond-pics.206771/#post-3763444#p3763444[/URL]

 

[azints]

So since you said you didn't want to do a lot of research and agonizing I didn't post any knowledge for you. But I will post some for you now. You can read as much or as little as you want.

Here's some information to start you off:
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.
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 none of the numbers on a lab report or any information on a lab report can help you select a well performing and beautiful cushion. Because numbers are meaningless.

There really is no other way to determine if you have a good cushions other than to see images of the stones, and then IN ADDITION to that you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone. That's why I posted the ED stone for you. It has images and an ASET posted already. At the least, consider getting the stone from them, and having just the setting made locally.

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.

In addition to pictures and an ASET a really high quality video is also a hugely helpful tool (like the ones at JA). It will show you crown height (not listed on the lab report) and most importantly show you how the stones facets light up and how the light plays over the stone while it is movement (it's rarely still on your hands).

Also 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. Vendor cut scores on websites are generally not reliable although the top cushion lines (Signature lines) at BGD (hearts and arrows), BE and GOG are usually excellent performers. And ED has lots of cushions with ASETs already posted, so they are also a good vendor to look into.


Now, here is some additional reading:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-on-ja-cushion-cut.207957/#post-3783194#p3783194']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/opinions-on-ja-cushion-cut.207957/#post-3783194#p3783194[/URL]
And this:
[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]
Then this:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-need-opinions-about-this-cushion-cut-diamond-pics.206771/#post-3763444#p3763444']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-need-opinions-about-this-cushion-cut-diamond-pics.206771/#post-3763444#p3763444[/URL]

Thanks so much for taking the time. It is clear to me I do need to spend some time at least researching the basics and reviewing the info you have shared. I am going to do so...there is no emergency to getting a new ring. I can take months if needed. Hopefully there will never be another loss so this is my forever ring. I want to make sure I am making good decisions. I will be back when I am more ready and am choosing between stones! Thanks again

 

[azints]

have you seen examples of different cushion facet patterns in person? Cushions have a HUGE variety of 'sparkle' if you will and people have passionate opinions about some vs others, which is how it should be- you need to have a passionate opinion too if you are going to be dropping $$$.

Pictures are great and in this internet age they make things much easier, but if you are completely new to this and have your heart set on a cushion, it would really behoove you to sit with someone who can bring in at least 3-4 different cushion patterns in the size you are looking for so you can see the difference in person. The one you posted from Diamonds by Lauren is a specific cut, the one I posted above is a different cut, and the ones Gypsy linked to are also different. There is so much choice when it comes to cushions! I know you don't have a ton of time to research now ( I have a newborn myself so I SO get this) but one visit could really help you.

If you can't see the stones in person, there are some great youtube videos that show you different patterns in motion (type in good old gold cushion). You can also go on James Allen and shrink some of the suggest stones down to the smallest size to see how it would look closer to real life size. None of this will be the same as examining in person, but it can help. Again, this is just my two cents but i found it extremely helpful for me when I was on the cushion hunt. What i ended up with may not be everyones cup of tea, but it felt right to me. Again understanding you don't have a ton of time to research, but if this is going to be your forever ring you should try to be as informed as possible.

All of that said, if you just want someone to post you a link to a stone that is a definite winner- will reflect lots of light, etc- the prosumers here are invaluable.

Last thing- I have emailed with David from Diamonds by Lauren a few times over the years ( Rockdiamond ) and always found him to be informative. We happen to be on a similar wavelength though- sometimes what your eyes see doesn't line up with what's on paper, but choosing a stone is a very personal (and expensive) decision, and only you can decide what you are most comfortable with.

Good luck!!

I have not seen much for cushion cuts in person and I think you are right. I don't really know how to go about doing that, but I think I'm going to need to think about seeing some. This is how last time I ended up just getting my diamond and setting made by a local jeweler. But I really think this time I'm interested in trying online route. Thanks again

 

[Gypsy]

Tiffany has the Novo and the Soliste. So they would be a good stop for you to see some nice cushions. Be aware most cushions out there are underwhelming performers. Even at one of the best jewelers here in Nor Cal, I could see a lot of leakage in their cushions as they go for size (dimensions) over performance. We bought in a couple of really excellent ones for another buyer I was helping and compared them side by side to their cushions and while the stones looked okay by themselves, head to head there was no comparison the ones with excellent ASETs were firecrackers.

This is the thread that has that experience in it. [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/e-ring-search-30k.218669/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/e-ring-search-30k.218669/[/URL]