Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Engagement Ring - Cushion Cut (I'm new to all this)

M

michiganmike1

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 31, 2021
Messages
14
Hi Pricescope crew. I am planning out an engagement ring and had always assumed I'd be looking at mined diamonds. Today we were talking about lab-grown and she shocked me by saying since they are essentially the same thing, and since diamonds depreciate, it would be crazy not to get a lab made. Plus her stone could be a little bigger :)

So I'm scrapping what I had planned and starting over again. Not going to lie, the thought of $6K is more palatable than $15K!

That said, I'm still a complete newbie. Here's what I am looking for:

Cushion Cut
Square, not rectangle
2.5(ish) carats
not the "crushed ice" -- liked the hearts and arrows she saw
Budget - $6500

For the setting she wants a simple yellow gold thin band with white gold prongs. No other diamonds. I likely can get it set locally if that's easier.

I would more than appreciate any suggestions or help. I'll admit I know nothing about this stuff!!

Thanks in advance!
 
Have you been on rare carat? It lets you search many vendors at once and has a lab filter- you can also filter for stones that have a report and that have actual pics/video. I think video is good if possible to get the full idea of what the stone will perform like, although it’s never as good as seeing in person, so make sure your vendor has a good return policy. I used the site when I purchased a lab diamond and was very happy.

For cushions, not an expert, but you can look at these cut patterns and see which are most visually pleasing. I think cushions with a more organized facet pattern (like the H&A) are beautiful and I dislike the crushed ice style. https://yourdiamondteacher.com/diamond-shapes-cuts/cushion-cut-diamond-guide/

An alternative is the more old fashioned cuts, like OMC and OEC and some of the PSers have found or had these custom cut. They’re very cool as well!
 
Are you dead set on a cushion cut? Why if i may ask?
 
Check out James Allen for lab made diamonds!
 
I’ve purchased quite a few pieces from new world diamonds and have been very happy with them. They have a great selection of cushions
 
Checkout ADA Diamonds as well for ideal cut, premium lab diamonds!
 
anangel said:
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Distinctive Gem yet! He has an amazing hearts and arrows cushion. Here is a link:
www.distinctivegem.com

Your Custom Cut Distinctive Square Cushion Lab Grown Diamond

www.distinctivegem.com www.distinctivegem.com
Click to expand...

Oh, but I did. :)

Buying Engagement Ring - Never bought diamond before

I am as new as it gets when buying a diamond, but the time has come. Need to buy an engagement ring. Who knew it would be so dang stressful. I've read all I can, which has only confused me more. Here is what I am after (gathered from hints and outright suggestions from my GF): - roughly 2...
www.pricescope.com
 
I have to admit, I am shocked by some of the prices I’m seeing from the vendors mentioned above. Call it 2.25 - 2.5 carat in the G range/VS1-VS2 for roughly $10K.

Do prices fluctuate more in lab grown diamonds from vendor to vendor than in mined? RareCarat pricing seems to be considerably less for similarly spec’d and finished diamonds.

Sorry for what’s probably a stupid comment. Just trying to make heads or tails of all this and am utterly confused.

thanks everyone!!
 
Last edited:
I third recommend Jon at Distinctive Gem! He has gorgeous hearts and arrows cushions!
 
michiganmike1 said:
I have to admit, I am shocked by some of the prices I’m seeing from the vendors mentioned above. Call it 2.25 - 2.5 carat in the G range/VS1-VS2 for roughly $10K.

Do prices fluctuate more in lab grown diamonds from vendor to vendor than in mined? RareCarat pricing seems to be considerably less for similarly spec’d and finished diamonds.

Sorry for what’s probably a stupid comment. Just trying to make heads or tails of all this and am utterly confused.

thanks everyone!!
Click to expand...

My guess is that there could be some proprietary process involved with the cuts offered by the various vendors. As people will tell you, cushions vary widely and one 2 carat will appear different than another 2 carat.
 
Last edited:
michiganmike1 said:
I have to admit, I am shocked by some of the prices I’m seeing from the vendors mentioned above. Call it 2.25 - 2.5 carat in the G range/VS1-VS2 for roughly $10K.

Do prices fluctuate more in lab grown diamonds from vendor to vendor than in mined? RareCarat pricing seems to be considerably less for similarly spec’d and finished diamonds.

Sorry for what’s probably a stupid comment. Just trying to make heads or tails of all this and am utterly confused.

thanks everyone!!
Click to expand...

If you are comparing a custom cut to one already cut there will be a premium associated with it. Jon is really picky when it comes to making sure that the custom cuts are the best of the best, so that extra legwork he does with custom cutting will make it more $$. Imho it's worth it
 
There is some variability, and precut will be less than custom cuts as mentioned above.

The higher carat stones also see a pretty significant jump in price, often just as you get above the 2ct mark. From things I have read/previous threads it seems that with the different methods used to create lab diamonds there are some challenges involved with producing the larger size rough which is cut into larger diamonds so they are more expensive to produce.

I think it’s a balance- set your budget then decide which of the “4 c’s” you want to prioritize. The difference between 2 and 2.25 may not be a big difference in face up, depending on the cut, and could have significant cost difference. I tend to be one to go a smidge smaller but prioritize cut.
 
 
I don't like the G as much, a large part of the middle seems to go dark. But I do like how it's more colorless than the other two choices.
I prefer the 2.52 H in terms of sparkle.
I defer to the expertise of others.
 
 
michiganmike1 said:
I have to admit, I am shocked by some of the prices I’m seeing from the vendors mentioned above. Call it 2.25 - 2.5 carat in the G range/VS1-VS2 for roughly $10K.

Do prices fluctuate more in lab grown diamonds from vendor to vendor than in mined? RareCarat pricing seems to be considerably less for similarly spec’d and finished diamonds.

Sorry for what’s probably a stupid comment. Just trying to make heads or tails of all this and am utterly confused.

thanks everyone!!
Click to expand...

PS. the custom cut one from Jon runs about 5k for a 2.45 stone (as per his website). EDIT. that must be a mistake, because he has this one for 8K (ish) and it's not 2.45: https://www.distinctivegem.com/coll...ows-cushion-private-reserve-lab-grown-diamond
 
lovedogs said:
My concern is that you mentioend she liked the cushion H&A she saw. None of these are that cut. They aren't "crushed ice", but they aren't H&A either.
Click to expand...
She saw the price on the hearts and arrows and changed her mind.

We are in the middle of building a house so she is asking me to be frugal.
 
michiganmike1 said:
She saw the price on the hearts and arrows and changed her mind.

We are in the middle of building a house so she is asking me to be frugal.
Click to expand...

ahhhh gotcha. That makes total sense. Would she be ok with a smaller stone in the H&A cut, or is she set on a bigger size?
 
Here: Put this on hold ASAP!!!!



Some other options (last one from RC is a bit out of square):




www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 2.11 Carat cushion diamond

This cushion cut 2.11 carat Lab-Created E color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 2.10 Carat cushion diamond

This cushion cut 2.1 carat Lab-Created E color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com
 
Last edited:
DejaWiz said:
Here: Put this on hold ASAP!!!!



Some other options (last one is a bit out of square):




www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 2.11 Carat cushion diamond

This cushion cut 2.11 carat Lab-Created E color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 2.10 Carat cushion diamond

This cushion cut 2.1 carat Lab-Created E color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com
Click to expand...

OMG that first one!!!!!!
 
DejaWiz said:
Here: Put this on hold ASAP!!!!



Some other options (last one from RC is a bit out of square):




www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 2.11 Carat cushion diamond

This cushion cut 2.11 carat Lab-Created E color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com

www.jamesallen.com

Lab-Created 2.10 Carat cushion diamond

This cushion cut 2.1 carat Lab-Created E color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI
www.jamesallen.com www.jamesallen.com
Click to expand...

That first one looks really nice!
 
lovedogs said:
OMG that first one!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Yes it is fantastic!!!

I have purchased from With Clarity, the listed vendor, and they were excellent to work with. They have a variety of settings as well, unless you want something custom/set locally. I had a simple platinum solitaire that they were able to do some modifications for- I wanted claw prongs instead of tab so they modified one of their settings and the workmanship was good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP

Featured Topics

Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top