Help! I Think I Drank the Cushion Kool-Aid.

[jones47]

So after a few weeks of looking at round brilliants, I have started to be swayed by the videos and testimonials for cushion cuts. I have very little direction from my girlfriend (which is partially intentional, since I want to keep this as much of a surprise as possible), but what I do know is that she doesn’t want the same thing as what she sees on everyone else’s finger – i.e., no princess cut solitaire. I also know she likes antique/vintage style jewelry. So I now think a cushion cut may fit the bill, and I’m especially interested in the “chunky” cushions, like the August Vintage Cushion, for their unique look.

I’ve read the tutorials on this and other sites, but I still feel terribly unqualified to judge the cushion diamonds I am finding. I know I can’t evaluate them based on numbers alone – too bad, I really like the HCA when I was looking for a round brilliant – but I don’t even have a good feeling for what the outer limits for table, depth, and angles should be.

Also, does any one have examples of strong and weak ASET images for cushion cuts? I don’t really know how much green is too much and how little red is not enough. I've attached one ASET image I recently received from a vendor. It looks to me like there is too much light leakage around the edges, would others agree?

As for the contrast at 3 and 9 pm (is this bow tie effect?), is that just a matter of personal preference?

What else should I be considering besides the numbers and ASET images?

Any help or advice that you cushion fans could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Gypsy]

More red. More symmetric pattern of red and green. Less black.

 

[TheGreatTwizz]

You can look around at threads in the first 4-5 pages, and you'll see a fair deal of ASETs, etc.

This is the photos from my (girlfriend's) stone: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-eval-sarin-and-aset-included.167984/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-eval-sarin-and-aset-included.167984/[/URL]

I was pleased with the ASET images, bought the stone, and was WOWed in person by it. I don't see much wrong with your ASET, other than lack of symmetry, but that could simply be from the photo. There's a good amount of red and green, and the black looks to provide the right amount of contrast. I'd want to see an standard photo of that stone to see the cut a little better.

 

[jones47]

Thanks for the advice Gypsy and TheGreatTwizz. I have spent some time looking at the other cushion threads here, and am getting more comfortable with analyzing ASETs. By the way, there are some INCREDIBLE cushions on this forum! Really impressive.

To the ASET experts: is it fair to compare ASETs from different vendors? Images from certain vendors seem to have deeper reds and less green than others, but I'm not sure if that's a product of the stone or how they produce the image. Unfortunately, for geographic reasons I don't have the opportunity to view these diamonds in person. Pricescope continues to be a great resource though, and I hope to have a couple of "finalists" soon. Thanks everyone!

 

[TheGreatTwizz]

Yes, it is ok to compare from different vendors. Don't worry about the 'depth' of the red and green. As long as the color is there, it is reflecting properly.

 

[StoopidMonkey]

I think you should take a look at this video if you're on the fence between modern faceted cushions (like the one whose ASET you posted) and an AVC. Make sure you bump the video's resolution to 720p for maximum effect. The other good thing about AVCs is that GOG has pretty tight controls over the final products (as it is with most branded stones) so you don't have to sweat over ASETs as much since it's practically a given that they will all be cut well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWvDbacLAQg&feature=channel_video_title

PS- I drank the Kool-Aid too! I walked in the store intent on buying a square H&A stone until I sampled those beauties!