Does anyone prefer the crushed ice look in cushions?

[diamond_halo]

About a year and a half ago, I selected for my engagement ring a 1.2 carat cushion modified brilliant (H color, VS2, no fluorescence, excellent polish, very good symmetry) from a diamond wholesaler that my family knows. I did not know about Pricescope, nor had I done extensive research on cushion cut diamonds. So, I listened to my jeweler who explained to me that there were two types of cushions - cushion brilliant and cushion modified brilliant - and that whichever one I picked was a matter of personal preference. She showed me several stones of both types, and I purposely selected a cushion modified brilliant with a crushed ice look over a cushion brilliant with larger facets. I did not like how the facets in the cushion brilliant looked similar to those in a round brilliant (I didn't want anything that resembled a round brilliant, which every woman in my family has), but I really loved the way that the cushion modified brilliant looked like glitter in a jar. I thought that my stone even had a silvery color to it, which I really liked.

Since then, I have been doing a lot of research on diamonds out of pure interest, and I came upon Pricescope. I have seen many threads about crushed ice cushions and have watched the Good Old Gold videos comparing crushed ice versus chunky facets. I started to worry - did I pick the wrong diamond? I also started to notice that the table of my diamond does look gray in indoor lighting. I really only think it's beautiful and sparkly (like it was when I fell in love with it) when I am outside or driving in the car.

I have been tempted to buy an ASET scope because I think I want to convince myself that I made the right purchase, but I am afraid to find out that my diamond has severe light leakage. I guess I'm maybe writing this post for some reassurance - are there people out there who feel like I did originally about crushed ice cushions? For reference, the dimensions of my stone are 6.26 x 5.77 x 3.87, the table is 65%, the pavilion is 67.1%, and the girdle is thin to thick.

Would you classify this as slushy, watery, crushed ice? Below is a photo. This was taken indoors near a sunlit window.

 

[hidingpearl]

It sounds like you chose the perfect stone for you. Personally, I am fascinated by the crushed ice look of cushion diamonds and I love that when you look into them, it looks like a never ending pit of sparkle and glitter. I think many PS members will give their personal opinions that they would prefer a cushion with larger facets, but that is what their preference it. The vibe I get from many PSers here is that they want the most light return from their diamond, which you aren't going to get from a modified brilliant cushion. BUT remember that diamonds have many wonderful attributes! You were personally drawn to the crushed ice look which, as far as I know, is not achievable or done in round stones. And since you wanted it to be clear you didn't have a round stone, this one was perfect for you!

 

[diamond_halo]

Thanks, hidingpearl, for your reassuring response. I thought I would post another photo of the diamond. This was taken in the jeweler's office on the day I selected it and fell in love with it.

 

[Gypsy]

Crushed ice facets do not ASET well. Generally. Good ones. Bad ones. Don't get an ASET for that reason.

You really have to judge them with your eyes.

If you love your stone, enjoy it. It looks lovely, your ring.

 

[arkieb1]

Some crushed ice radiants look like insane disco balls and I like that, a very very small number of cushions do that as well, otherwise I'm not a big fan of crushed ice cushions.

 

[lknvrb4]

If you love your diamond, that is all that matters. I prefer a cushion brilliant because I like the chunky facets.

 

[Mayk]

Your ring is beautiful! I love radians and I've been lusting for a fancy yellow radiant on the diamonds by Lauren website.

 

[Rena7]

Your ring looks beautiful. I think the crushed ice look is a personal preference. I always second guess my choices as well so I understand that. I don't think anyone would look at your ring and think it was a mistake, enjoy it.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

You have a Beautiful diamond and setting, and I'm with MayK, I love the look too !!!
I would love to own a glittery radiant some day

 

[junebug17]

I think your ring is beautiful and your diamond looks lively and sparkly - you chose this stone because you loved it, my advice is not to second-guess yourself and just enjoy your ring!

 

[liaerfbv]

It seems pointless to ask about a stone you already own that you intend to keep. Enjoy your ring.

 

[diamond_halo]

I'm curious - what is the light return like on radiants?

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Halo,
I notice that your diamond in the ring casting before completion looks very bright. The negative effect you are noticing now may have to do with a little film build up on the pavilion. Make sure you do regular cleaning.
Crushed ice styles tend to have leakage, some of which is actually beneficial to the small scintillation events. But that leakage can go from positive to negative in a hurry with a little buildup.

Try getting it professionally cleaned and then observe it in those lighting situations that are concerning you. If the problem goes away, then you will know it is just a maintenance issue.

 

[danielxlin]

Halo,
I notice that your diamond in the ring casting before completion looks very bright. The negative effect you are noticing now may have to do with a little film build up on the pavilion. Make sure you do regular cleaning.
Crushed ice styles tend to have leakage, some of which is actually beneficial to the small scintillation events. But that leakage can go from positive to negative in a hurry with a little buildup.

Try getting it professionally cleaned and then observe it in those lighting situations that are concerning you. If the problem goes away, then you will know it is just a maintenance issue.

Plus 1 to this. The film in the pavilion is likely the issue. Get it cleaned and the crushed ice will scintillate in all types of lighting, though I agree the crushed ice look is most spectacular in sunlight (though I like it in candlelight). DIY is possible, get a cheapo ultrasonic cleaner, add some hot water and jewelry cleaner soap. You will get results. Take before and after pictures.

 

[AprilBaby]

While not my style, I think it's lovely on you!

 

[akoya]

i kindA like the crushed ice effect but not too much crushed lol

 

[HappyNewLife]

your rings are pretty and you should be happy with the diamond you chose

I chose a diamond that I knew wouldn't have a lot of fire (a 60/60 stone) just so that I could afford a bigger stone with a larger spread. I have no regrets

 

[ericad]

As a lover of old cuts, which will never have the ASET results or light return of their modern counter parts, but which speak to me far more than any newly cut stone could, I'm hardcore in the camp of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Your diamond and ring are beautiful, and you hand picked your stone using your eyes and your instincts, choosing a look that you love. There is no tool out there that can trump the attraction you felt towards your diamond. I second (or third?) the suggestion to thoroughly clean your ring. My reco is to soak it in hot water with a few drops of good dish soap (I'm partial to Palmolive, but Dawn, etc. all work great, as does Simple Green actually), then scrub it gently with a soft toothbrush, paying specific attention to the underside/pavilion. Rinse with clean water, repeat once or twice more, then dry using paper towels (cloth towels will leave behind fabric softener film!) or blast it dry with your hair dryer. Clean your diamond like this no less than once a week to keep it looking its best (more often is always welcome but I'm trying to keep it realistic and doable for people - many PSers clean their rings daily, but no one I know in the real world does this lol).

Ultrasonics are great too, but can wreak havoc on pave settings, so beware of that.

I think your ring is beautiful!

 

[Calliecake]

Please, please don't second guess yourself. After finding PriceScope, i found I had done everything wrong when I selected diamonds. None of my diamonds would probably meet Pricescope standards. At the end of the day, I still love my diamonds and continue to get compliments on them. Very few people are as knowledgable as the people here. Most people who work in high end jewelry stores are not as knowledgable as the people here. The picture of your ring is beautiful!!!

My husband isn't perfect either and I'm certainly not second guessing my choice in picking him to be my husband!

 

[enbcfsobe]

Please, please don't second guess yourself. After finding PriceScope, i found I had done everything wrong when I selected diamonds. None of my diamonds would probably meet Pricescope standards. At the end of the day, I still love my diamonds and continue to get compliments on them. Very few people are as knowledgable as the people here. Most people who work in high end jewelry stores are not as knowledgable as the people here. The picture of your ring is beautiful!!!

My husband isn't perfect either and I'm certainly not second guessing my choice in picking him to be my husband!

But if I could invent an HCA for picking a spouse, I'd be able to buy a lot more diamonds!! (ETA: not by replacing my spouse!! but by charging people to use my magical formula!!)

To the OP, ditto on not second guessing and on the cleaning. PS can be wonderful, but also a little dangerous. Continue to enjoy your ring, but know that if you want to approach later diamond purchases differently there is a wealth of knowledge that you can consult in addition to (not to the exclusion of) your own instincts.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi Dh,
Welcome to Pricescope!

This is kind of an old debate here.
People do have strong opinions- and there's a tendency to take opinions as facts.
As vendor, I know that my descriptions and opinions are used by consumers making decisions.
Personally I try to keep my taste separate from representation.
One's taste can affect the way a diamond is described verbally, and also the way it's photographed or shot in video.
There are videos out there, commonly cited here on PS, that put "crushed ice" in a negative light.
These are akin to a video about....sushi.
Some people love it, some hate it.
If a hater was making the video, and you'd never tasted sushi, you probably never would....
So there's that.
Then there's questions about "light return"- and this is associated with ASET images.
Both are used in a way to suggest they provide a concrete result, but in fact, we're back to a discussion of sushi.
If you rated it on a scale of one to ten, 1 being raw fish, and 10 being cooked, sushi looses. But what dos that mean? Nothing to those who love a good spicy tuna roll.

SO, any ideas about the way a "crushed ice" diamond returns light, or looks in ASET is merely someone's opinion, nothing more.

I can tell you based on real life experience speaking to many thousands of people that "crushed ice" is loved by a lot of people. Like sushi


Your stone looks amazing- do keep it clean, and ENJOY!!!

 

[RADIANTMAN]

Your diamond looks beautiful!! In my opinion everyone shopping for a cushion should look at both cushion styles and choose the look that's right for them. And you're not way out on a limb here - an awful lot of folks prefer the style you chose. Maybe even most people - nobody really knows what "most people" prefer and it shouldn't matter anyway.

You definitely should keep it clean. A film on the pavilion will take away its lustre. A toothbrush with some ivory soap once a week or so can work wonders.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

As a lover of old cuts, which will never have the ASET results or light return of their modern counter parts, but which speak to me far more than any newly cut stone could, I'm hardcore in the camp of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Your diamond and ring are beautiful, and you hand picked your stone using your eyes and your instincts, choosing a look that you love. There is no tool out there that can trump the attraction you felt towards your diamond. I second (or third?) the suggestion to thoroughly clean your ring. My reco is to soak it in hot water with a few drops of good dish soap (I'm partial to Palmolive, but Dawn, etc. all work great, as does Simple Green actually), then scrub it gently with a soft toothbrush, paying specific attention to the underside/pavilion. Rinse with clean water, repeat once or twice more, then dry using paper towels (cloth towels will leave behind fabric softener film!) or blast it dry with your hair dryer. Clean your diamond like this no less than once a week to keep it looking its best (more often is always welcome but I'm trying to keep it realistic and doable for people - many PSers clean their rings daily, but no one I know in the real world does this lol).

Ultrasonics are great too, but can wreak havoc on pave settings, so beware of that.

I think your ring is beautiful!

I will just expand a little on what Erica said about cleaning. First, most toothbrushes have bristles that are too thick to get into tight places. So for the most complete brush cleaning go to the art store and get a small paintbrush with long, firm, thin bristles. Art stores have hundreds of variants and with a little hunting you can find one well suited for your ring.

Also, soaking in an ultrasonic REALLY helps prior to the brushing. It's true that a high power model can loosen melle. But many of the home units are low power or are not actually ultrasonic at all. The least expensive models are "vibrasonic' and as such are probably safer if you have that concern. Blitz has one with a dual compartment. You can pre-soak in one side with the cleaning solution, do the brushing, then soak again in fresh filtered water in the other compartment.

I would not be too concerned about using ultrasonic on larger mellee, like in the OP's ring. It's more the micropave where you need to use caution. If a large mellee comes out in the bath, it was probably not set tight enough and was probably at risk of coming out anyway. That's just my opinion.

And like Erica said, drying is advisable before putting back on. Those compressed air cans also work well to remove small amounts of moisture.

 

[diamond_halo]

Thank you, everyone, for your kind responses and for providing some insight into crushed ice stones and how they are perceived. It makes me feel a lot better to hear from the experts about such an important purchase. I was starting to think I was duped into buying a bad stone or that I didn't get the most bang for my buck. And, now I don't need to have the dreaded conversation with my husband about trading in my diamond because I didn't pick the right one the first time.

Regarding cleaning - I actually received an ultrasonic cleaner as a present recently and have been trying to use it at least twice a week. The first picture that I posed of my ring was before I had the ultrasonic. I've found that the ultrasonic does a great job, but it is challenging to dry the stone given the way the head of the diamond is built. I am going to buy a can of compressed air - that's a great suggestion!