Cushion Help!

[JSlove]

Hello PS'ers~

I'm looking to buy a cushion for my soon to be fiance. I have looked through a lot of posts here on, and I'm leaning towards a ring similar to Charmypoo's Harry Winston. So I found some 8 main cushions, but the site I'm working with doesn't provide useful images like ASET's. All they offer are those grayscale photos... I'm not really looking for suggestions on other sites to try because I have already looked, and 8 mains are pretty hard to come by. I'm also not really asking to compare the two diamonds. If anyone can offer any suggestions on deriving light performance information from the photos I have attached, it would be really helpful. Thank you.

 

[Niel]

i prefer #1

 

[JSlove]

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of performance info i can get out of these photos? I will be sorting through about 9 different diamonds in this format very soon.

 

[Sphene]

Loving 1 too

 

[sharonyanddave]

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of performance info i can get out of these photos? I will be sorting through about 9 different diamonds in this format very soon.

Very little accurate information the lighting is neither uniform nor the light sources known. But a safe assumption is that neither of them is a top performer they are both probably middle of the road and you couldn't tell from the photos which is better.

The two diamonds you have listed one is more rectangular the other is closer to a perfect square that should be more of a factor than the light performance in your decision.

 

[JSlove]

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of performance info i can get out of these photos? I will be sorting through about 9 different diamonds in this format very soon.

Very little accurate information the lighting is neither uniform nor the light sources known. But a safe assumption is that neither of them is a top performer they are both probably middle of the road and you couldn't tell from the photos which is better.

The two diamonds you have listed one is more rectangular the other is closer to a perfect square that should be more of a factor than the light performance in your decision.

Thanks for your response! Could you give me an idea about how you knew they were not top performers? I think this is exactly the info I need.

 

[gr8leo87]

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of performance info i can get out of these photos? I will be sorting through about 9 different diamonds in this format very soon.

You can't tell performance without looking at the ASET images for fancy cuts. And then again just an ASET is not enough for many fancy cuts but for cushions it might just be.

However these are not your run of the mill Cushions available every where.

The first one is a pretty well cut Cushion brilliant and has legible virtual facets. Unlike the common Cushions cut these days.

It may not be a Cushion hearts and Arrows but the cut (of the first one) is not bad or middle road by any standards.

The other squarer Cushion has Pavillion angles mixed up - it has obscuration where we don't like to see obscuration. Again the picture is taken in a face up view. And with fancy cut face up view is not enough to judge the performance because the variety in cut is huge. Both of these cushions seems to be cut to very different proportions (perhaps to save weight).

However first one is not a bad, middle, run of the mill cut. It's not Cushion hearts & arrows, it's not perfect. And you can consider it if you think the price is worth it.

 

[JSlove]

Thanks gr8leo87. I really appreciate your input. And thanks for clearing up that i can't derive performance info from these pics.

 

[tuffyluvr]

#2 is a bit dark in the center on first glance. Would you consider going to a jeweler who could provide ASETs, or are you committed to the jeweler for some reason?

 

[JSlove]

I'm not really committed to this dealer. But, the 8 main cut has proven somewhat rare. Other dealers I have reached out to, have either not been able to produce any cushions in this cut, or the stones have been out of my color range. If anyone has any leads, im certainly open to suggestions.

Lf 1.5 carat, 8 main, preferably square, in acceptable color and clarity.

 

[Buldor]

Mark from Brilliantly Engaged has a few.. You can try reaching out to them. They are mostly in 1.5ct range which fit your requirements.

 

[JSlove]

Buldor, I didn't see any at Brilliantly Engaged. Could you link what you are seeing? The X factors look close, but they don't look like 8 mains to me (I could be wrong).

 

[Buldor]

It's not listed on his website. You've to email him. The last time I checked (which is very recent), he does have what you're looking for.

 

[sharonyanddave]

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of performance info i can get out of these photos? I will be sorting through about 9 different diamonds in this format very soon.

Very little accurate information the lighting is neither uniform nor the light sources known. But a safe assumption is that neither of them is a top performer they are both probably middle of the road and you couldn't tell from the photos which is better.

The two diamonds you have listed one is more rectangular the other is closer to a perfect square that should be more of a factor than the light performance in your decision.

Thanks for your response! Could you give me an idea about how you knew they were not top performers? I think this is exactly the info I need.

The original example you are trying to emulate is not a top performer. These are 8 main thin stones that don't have Tolk angles like an H&A cushion. They are more spready, and cheaper/ct than an H&A Cushion. It doesn't mean they aren't beautiful and have many happy wearers but in terms of LP they are middle of the road.

If you want to learn more go to vimeo.com and type in "8 main cushion versus 4 main" the first diamond in the video the left is the same cutting style as the two you posted particularly the second one.

I would caution anyone trying to interpret LP from grey background photographs. Dark areas from the camera lense being too close to the diamond may not be dark in real life viewing.

 

[gr8leo87]

Can anyone give me an idea of what kind of performance info i can get out of these photos? I will be sorting through about 9 different diamonds in this format very soon.

Very little accurate information the lighting is neither uniform nor the light sources known. But a safe assumption is that neither of them is a top performer they are both probably middle of the road and you couldn't tell from the photos which is better.

The two diamonds you have listed one is more rectangular the other is closer to a perfect square that should be more of a factor than the light performance in your decision.

Thanks for your response! Could you give me an idea about how you knew they were not top performers? I think this is exactly the info I need.

The original example you are trying to emulate is not a top performer. These are 8 main thin stones that don't have Tolk angles like an H&A cushion. They are more spready, and cheaper/ct than an H&A Cushion. It doesn't mean they aren't beautiful and have many happy wearers but in terms of LP they are middle of the road.

If you want to learn more go to vimeo.com and type in "8 main cushion versus 4 main" the first diamond in the video the left is the same cutting style as the two you posted particularly the second one.

I would caution anyone trying to interpret LP from grey background photographs. Dark areas from the camera lense being too close to the diamond may not be dark in real life viewing.

I can tell you with great certainty that these stones are not spready.

They have a depth of around 66-70 percent bulgy Pavillions and heavy crowns.

Spready stones don't trade at a much discount regardless of their LP.

 

[JSlove]

I've narrowed my selections to 4 stones.

A


B


C


D

 

[tyty333]

The third stone would be my favorite as far as faceting pattern.

1 and 4 have too much darkness in the center (IMO)
In 2, I'm not liking the round shadow on the edge of the table and the darkness in the center.

The 3rd stone looks to have some shadowing (leakage) under the table but it's not as symmetrical so
it doesn't stand out as much to me.

Without asets, that's about all I can say. If you chose one of these stones you can buy your own aset
and check out the light return. If you're not liking the way the aset looks, return the stone.

http://datlas.com/ideal-scope-store/

 

[noscrusir]

These (2-4) look like Enchanted Diamond selections. You won't be able to get ASETs on these stones and I'm willing to be that they are sourced from India. Nothing wrong with that, but beware on the return policy if you end up not liking it. Despite what they say about how concrete or iron clad their return policy is, actually getting the company to act on it is another thing. It's too bad that you can't get real life pictures or video as well.

I would take it in for an independent appraisal immediately after receiving it. As others have said, these have a nice facet pattern but probably won't return a bright red ASET or have top-end light performance either. You probably knew that already considering the research you did.

 

[JSlove]

Top end being reserved for signature cuts correct? I expect these to have above average return for non signature cuts though. Correct me if I'm off base.

 

[noscrusir]

The cushion I went with was not a signature cut but had a bright-red ASET throughout, which I could verify in person by comparing it directly to a signature cushion (which cost a lot more). That way, I was satisfied with what I was buying and knew that the diamond would perform well - seeing it face to face vs a branded diamond. I also gave my fiance the choice between this and an 8-main similar to what you are looking for. Without hesitation she went for the better-performing diamond because she liked how 'more sparkly' it was - but that call is subjective and everyone will have their own unique tastes.

I wouldn't shy away from what you are choosing, just know the pros & cons and be happy with what you are choosing. The plus is that it's a pretty facet pattern that speaks to you. The main drawback is that you don't have any other way of judging the diamond beyond these gray-lit photos and I would be very wary of any return-policy here if the diamonds are from India (despite whatever assurances they say).