Cushion specs what do you folks think?

[tajee]

I have been looking and researching cushions for 3-4 weeks now. I have seen 10-12 stones over the last 2 weeks all in the 2ct range. Below is a stone my girlfriend really loves. What do you all think of the specs and price? The appearance is very crisp and does not have that crushed ice look I have been reading about. My main question is the size of the table is it overly large and how does this affect the diamond?

F/ IF 2.11

7.27 x 7.12 x 5.07 mm

Depth 71.2%
Table 68%
Polish- Very Good
Symmetry- Very Good
Cut- Very Good
Fluor.- None

Culet-None

Price $31K

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/19/2008 11:33:49 AM
Author:tajee

I have been looking and researching cushions for 3-4 weeks now. I have seen 10-12 stones over the last 2 weeks all in the 2ct range. Below is a stone my girlfriend really loves. What do you all think of the specs and price? The appearance is very crisp and does not have that crushed ice look I have been reading about. My main question is the size of the table is it overly large and how does this affect the diamond?

F/ IF 2.11

7.27 x 7.12 x 5.07 mm

Depth 71.2%
Table 68%
Polish- Very Good
Symmetry- Very Good
Cut- Very Good
Fluor.- None

Culet-None

Price $31K

Tajee, you can't tell how a cushion will look by numbers unfortunately, they need to be seen to be evaluated. There are really no hard and fast rules with cushion proportions, it comes down to personal taste, some prefer a smaller table, others find cushions with larger ones and love how the diamond looks. All you can go on is if you have seen this diamond and love it, then it is worth consideration, especially as it sounds like you have viewed many diamonds. As to the cut Very Good, this doesn't guarantee you a well cut diamond, the best thing is to use your eyes and compare as you have done.

Which grading report does this diamond have, is it GIA? Also unless you prefer the highest clarity for purity reasons, then you could drop comfortably to VS and still have a very clean diamond, colour could also go a bit lower, but this is a personal preference and if you do want the highest you can get, feel free to ignore that!

With this purchase, you could make the sale final on the diamond checking out favourably with an independant appraiser to give you some reassurance, here is a tool you can use to find an appraiser in your area.

https://www.pricescope.com/appr_list.aspx

 

[tajee]

Lorelei,

It''s a GIA. Does having a larger table take away from how the diamond performs?

Tjee

 

[stone_seeker]

Date: 8/19/2008 11:33:49 AM
Author:tajee

I have been looking and researching cushions for 3-4 weeks now. I have seen 10-12 stones over the last 2 weeks all in the 2ct range. Below is a stone my girlfriend really loves. What do you all think of the specs and price? The appearance is very crisp and does not have that crushed ice look I have been reading about. My main question is the size of the table is it overly large and how does this affect the diamond?

F/ IF 2.11

7.27 x 7.12 x 5.07 mm

Depth 71.2%
Table 68%
Polish- Very Good
Symmetry- Very Good
Cut- Very Good
Fluor.- None

Culet-None

Price $31K

I''m sure you have learned here that specs are not very good at determining the quality of a cushion and much is personal preference. Its good you have figured out that you dont like crushed ice and have found one that is not. The table is a bit big for my liking as I prefer the higher crown look. I have seen very good looking tables in the mid 60s as well. Larger tables dont affect cushions in any particular way per se since its in relation to the depth which you have plenty of.

In the end, you have seen all these stones and your girlfriend loves the look so its probably a winner.

Can you post some pictures?

 

[stone_seeker]

I also was going to suggest lower clarity as IF may be overkill unless you particularly want that. You can probably see a lot more options in the 2-3 carat range for $30K by dropping to the VVS ad VS range that your girlfriend may also love.

 

[tajee]

stone_seeker,
I agree maybe we can bump it up to 2.5+ in size with a dip in clarity.
I agree thats its all how the stone looks in the end and how she likes it. I'm a spec guy that always wants to make sure things add up correctly especially for $30k. Just want to make sure I have a balance in the stone and its proportionate and performs well..
I didn’t think I would get back such great input so fast. I'm learning by the minute
Tajee

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/19/2008 11:47:52 AM
Author: tajee
Lorelei,

It's a GIA. Does having a larger table take away from how the diamond performs?

Tjee

Very generally some say a larger table can help a diamond display more white light than coloured light or fire, but it isn't possible to be specific with a particular stone without an expert evaluating it, cut analysis tools etc. The diamond needs evaluating on it's own proportions, depth and weight distribution, crown height, table size, faceting, symmetry etc, so not really prudent to say anything concrete about a particular diamond as too many variables. If you like the look of the diamond, then that is the main thing! Cushions can be unpredictable by the numbers/ proportions, trust your own eyes and if you want another expert opinion, then an independant appraiser is the best person to give it.

 

[tajee]

Never would have thought that there is so much research people need to do before purchasing a diamond.

Tajee

 

[stone_seeker]

Date: 8/20/2008 8:52:16 AM
Author: tajee
Never would have thought that there is so much research people need to do before purchasing a diamond.

Tajee

Only necessary if you want to get a good value / best diamond for your money. You could always just buy something sight unseen and save some time but it will be a bit like rolling the dice. The fact that you are interested in cushions make it about 5x more work since specs are not indicators of performance. It took me about 3 months to find just the right stone but it was well worth the wait. I must have seen about 30 diamonds. At one point I had like $500K worth of stones laid out in front of me

After seeing my stone set, its absolutely to die for and I''m glad I stuck to muy guns and waited for just what I was looking for. The good news is the people here are so friendly and helpful they make things very easy. You need an unbiased opinion (i.e. someone other than your girlfriend or jeweler).