Engagement Ring - Cushion Cut Diamond Help and Advice

[junejune]

Hi There,

I am a first time poster but have been following this website for a while.

We are looking to buy a diamond for my engagement ring and are finding it all a bit overwhelming. My questions are below, if you can answer one, some or all that would be amazing.

We live in Australia but are going to buy online because from what I can tell this is a cheaper option.

I have read good things about James Allen on the website so so far that is where I have been looking, is Blue Nile the same worse or better, should I be looking there instead or as well?

We are after an elongated cushion cut diamond and have a budget of $4400 USD / $6500 AUD. We want the best diamond we can afford with a balance of all the C's if that is the right way to go but we are also open to suggestions. We do not want to go under 1 carat and ultimately the bigger the dimensions the better.

Do you have any suggestions of stones or what we should be looking for?

I like the look of these, are they good? Which is better?

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

www.jamesallen.com

1.08 Carat cushion modified diamond

This cushion modified cut 1.08 carat E color si1 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

Would you recommend getting the setting at James Allen as well or should we look at getting something custom in Australia?

We have been quoted a CAD made version of thing ring for $4000 AUD / $2700 USD https://www.singlestone.com/products/amanda-4

Thank you for any help or guidance you can offer!

 

[OoohShiny]

There are 55 GIA XXX diamonds in the PS search bar (at the top of the forum) with specs that are around PS-recommended parameters and score Excellent on the HCA tool, indicating the crown and pavilion angles work well together:

Diamond Search Results | Real-time Information on 1,000,000+ Diamonds | PriceScope

PriceScope's Diamond Search is the best place to find the best diamond prices. Search and compare over a million natural, lab and fancy color diamonds.

www.pricescope.com

Many are SI1 so would need inspection to check they are eye-clean, or if they are not, to check if you are happy with the inclusions.

There are almost 400 options if you extend to J colour, but you will be likely to see some tint past I colour in flat lighting or from the side. It's not necessarily a bad thing - colour is personal taste, and sensitivity to it is not the same as a preference for it or against it.


If you relax the GIA XXX requirements you can double the 55 options, but you would need to inspect potential options more carefully.



EDIT: Wait... I am an idiot... You are looking for cushions, not Rounds, so ignore all the above... LOL

There are only 9 cushions in the PS search tool, so trawling other sites will be needed:

Diamond Search Results | Real-time Information on 1,000,000+ Diamonds | PriceScope

PriceScope's Diamond Search is the best place to find the best diamond prices. Search and compare over a million natural, lab and fancy color diamonds.

www.pricescope.com

 

[OoohShiny]

A few that caught my eye on JA, but there's not many elongated cushions.

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

This cushion modified cut 1.01 carat I color vs1 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI

www.jamesallen.com

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.00-carat-i-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-8113294

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

www.jamesallen.com

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.00-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-8163320

1.02 Carat cushion diamond

1.02 Carat cushion diamond

www.jamesallen.com

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

www.jamesallen.com

Could be worth dropping DBL a line:

Loose Mined Diamonds

Natural fancy colored diamonds including yellow diamonds, blue diamonds, pink diamonds, orange diamonds, brown diamonds.

www.diamondsbylauren.com

 

[OoohShiny]

A few that caught my eye on JA, but there's not many elongated cushions.

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

This cushion modified cut 1.01 carat I color vs1 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI

www.jamesallen.com

1.00 Carat cushion modified diamond

This cushion modified cut 1 carat I color vvs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

www.jamesallen.com

1.00 Carat cushion modified diamond

This cushion modified cut 1 carat I color vvs1 clarity has a diamond grading report from GIA

www.jamesallen.com

1.02 Carat cushion diamond

1.02 Carat cushion diamond

www.jamesallen.com

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

1.01 Carat cushion modified diamond

www.jamesallen.com

Could be worth dropping DBL a line:

Loose Mined Diamonds

Natural fancy colored diamonds including yellow diamonds, blue diamonds, pink diamonds, orange diamonds, brown diamonds.

www.diamondsbylauren.com

 

[junejune]

There are 55 GIA XXX diamonds in the PS search bar (at the top of the forum) with specs that are around PS-recommended parameters and score Excellent on the HCA tool, indicating the crown and pavilion angles work well together:

Diamond Search Results | Real-time Information on 1,000,000+ Diamonds | PriceScope

PriceScope's Diamond Search is the best place to find the best diamond prices. Search and compare over a million natural, lab and fancy color diamonds.

www.pricescope.com

Many are SI1 so would need inspection to check they are eye-clean, or if they are not, to check if you are happy with the inclusions.

There are almost 400 options if you extend to J colour, but you will be likely to see some tint past I colour in flat lighting or from the side. It's not necessarily a bad thing - colour is personal taste, and sensitivity to it is not the same as a preference for it or against it.


If you relax the GIA XXX requirements you can double the 55 options, but you would need to inspect potential options more carefully.



EDIT: Wait... I am an idiot... You are looking for cushions, not Rounds, so ignore all the above... LOL

There are only 9 cushions in the PS search tool, so trawling other sites will be needed:

Diamond Search Results | Real-time Information on 1,000,000+ Diamonds | PriceScope

PriceScope's Diamond Search is the best place to find the best diamond prices. Search and compare over a million natural, lab and fancy color diamonds.

www.pricescope.com

Thanks for this. Based on this search this diamond looks good, I had previously come across it as well and have the report. It has some twinnings wisps which I haven’t seen in any other reports. Is that bad? What exactly does it mean...