Lady In Waiting with Question about Cushion Cut

[missy26]

Hi everyone,

I''m a new member but have been "lurking" for about a month. My boyfriend and I have been talking about "the future" and (both sides of the family are desperate for us to get engaged!) I''m thinking that some ring buying will be happening pretty soon. He''s in his last year of medical school so the proposal is likely to occur between November (my birthday) and May (his graduation).

I have fallen "IN LOVE" (not just with my BF) but with an engagement ring and I''m hoping this forum can provide some answers to my questions.

My girlfriend who got engaged about nine months ago received a gorgeous 4.00CT Harry Winston Cushion Cut Diamond Engagement Ring with a Micro Pave Platinum Setting....I really love this look except I''m not crazy about the pave setting all the way around the center stone (but love the look of the band having a pave setting).

I really like the SHAPE of the Tiffany Novo Cushion Cut (that it is more square than rectangular).

I wear a size 6 ring and I have tried on a few rings to get a feel for how certain carat weights would look on my finger...*sigh* I am a size queen and while I definitely don''t need a 4.00ct ring I''d REALLY like to have a MINIMUM of 2.25carats (center stone) and would prefer a 2.75carat stone.

That being said, I''m not quite sure what his budget is (I checked out a Tiffany Novo 2.65ct, F, VS1 and it was $73,000) but I am sure that he can''t afford anything astronomical. My (future) sister-in-law received a 1.50 carat Princess Cut Diamond (which I have never seen) that my (future) mother-in-law described as a "perfect diamond." -- since my boyfriends parents gave his brother $$$ to buy an engagement ring I''m pretty sure that''s how my honey will be financing this purchase.

I want to know with a cushion cut, since size is a priority to me, what are the lowest parameters for the other C''s that I can "get away" with and still have a beautiful ring.

I know that with a cushion CUT is very important but I don''t understand all that table, culet, ratio stuff.
I am willing to go do to a VS1 or VS2 (as long as it doesn''t affect the beauty of the stone) as well as down in color (G or H??) although I saw one H colored cushion at a VERY VERY high end store and it looked a little yellow to me.

Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to consult the experts. Thanks in advance for all your help!!

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

-Missy

 

[dunndeal]

Hi Missy,

Congratulations in advance! It sound like you going to have one nice rock on your finger! As far as what to look for in a cushion regarding ratios, depth, table etc. you'll find there are no hard and fast rules. This is the case with most fancy shapes.

The ratio is going to be a personal preference issue (You said you like more square).

Generally you'll want to keep the depth in the 60's and the table in high 50's to low to mid 60's. Don't worry if it's a couple of percent outside these ranges and you like the way the diamond looks!

A far as the culet, if your looking at a more antique faceting arrangement its ok to have a slightly open culet because that's the way the used to be cut in the old days. If your going with a "newer" cushion then I think you would want very small to none.

The VS2 clarity wont affect the look of the diamond whatsoever. You could even go to a good SI1 to keep the size up and color above H if you are working within a budget.

Anyways let me know if this helps and Happy Hunting!

 

[mrssalvo]

You might want to start by checking out BostonJeff''s thread. it details his search for a cushion and is very helpful IMO to someone trying to narrow down what exactly they are looking for..

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-question-for-cehrabehra-and-others.58597/

if you are wanting a cushion like the tiffany Novo, the square hearts and arrows stones come the closet. Goodoldgold.com sells them. Ritani makes a solitaire setting very similar to the Novo and from gals here who have seen them both, many prefer the Ritani. I would also suggest contacting Mark T at engagementringsdirect.com for the stone and even the setting. he also does amazing custom work so you might be able to get exactly what you want going that route. good luck and welcome to pricescope

 

[Hest88]

BostonJeff''s thread is a really good place to start.

Also, if you don''t have your heart set on a branded stone/setting like the Tiffany Novo then you can definitely maximize the dollars.

1.5 carat princess? I''m going to assume that his parents gave your BF''s brother at least $10K? Another option for you, if size is important to you and you and your BF don''t mind, is to offer to chip in for the ring as well. Granted, I know there''s often a sensitivity about funding for an e-ring, but if his parents are paying for most/all of it anyway maybe he won''t mind as much. Good luck!

 

[neatfreak]

If you like the shape of the Tiffany Novo, it actually is MUCH more like a Square H&A stone than a traditional cushion cut. Good Old Gold carries them and they are fantastic to deal with.

As for the band, my Ritani endless love band looks a lot like the Novo and has even been mistaken for it by a Tiff's sales associate. Lucky for you there are TONS of options out there with just a little micro pave band. Just start looking and you'll see them everywhere.

I also second calling Mark at ERD if you want a traditional cushion. He's fantastic. That is where mine is from.

As for cushion specs, I look for:

Table: Mid 50's

Depth: Mid 60's

Ex. symmetry AND polish

Eyeclean SI1 or better (mine is a VS2 and I see nothing in it, so I wouldn't worry about dropping the clarity)

AGS or GIA rated H or better color. Mine is a G and it is very white, but also remember that as you increase the size color becomes a bit more visible. Also, a stone CORRECTLY graded as an H will be pretty white, but an uncerted or EGL rated "H" stone might be considerably yellower.

That's just a starting block, but really, with cushions you need to see them yourself in person. We can all tell you our own preferences until the cows come home but you never know whether a cushion will perform without seeing it first. EVEN if it falls within my personal "ideal" specs...those are just jumping off points to help you weed out stones.

 

[jayreneepea]

I love cushions! My dh bought me a new diamond for my 40th birthday and I had every intention of getting a cushion. But, from one size girl to another, I couldn''t pull the trigger because the cushions faced up so much smaller than the RB''s. I tried on a 3 ct. cushion in a halo and I kept asking the guy if he was sure it was 3cts! I ended up with a round in a squarish halo design.

If you want a cushion then of course don''t compromise. But, since you''re so early in your quest, don''t limit yourself either. Be sure to try on some rounds too.

Good luck, I hope you get your dream ring!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/22/2007 5:54:44 PM
Author:missy26
Hi everyone,

I''m a new member but have been ''lurking'' for about a month. My boyfriend and I have been talking about ''the future'' and (both sides of the family are desperate for us to get engaged!) I''m thinking that some ring buying will be happening pretty soon. He''s in his last year of medical school so the proposal is likely to occur between November (my birthday) and May (his graduation).

I have fallen ''IN LOVE'' (not just with my BF) but with an engagement ring and I''m hoping this forum can provide some answers to my questions.

My girlfriend who got engaged about nine months ago received a gorgeous 4.00CT Harry Winston Cushion Cut Diamond Engagement Ring with a Micro Pave Platinum Setting....I really love this look except I''m not crazy about the pave setting all the way around the center stone (but love the look of the band having a pave setting).

I really like the SHAPE of the Tiffany Novo Cushion Cut (that it is more square than rectangular).

I wear a size 6 ring and I have tried on a few rings to get a feel for how certain carat weights would look on my finger...*sigh* I am a size queen and while I definitely don''t need a 4.00ct ring I''d REALLY like to have a MINIMUM of 2.25carats (center stone) and would prefer a 2.75carat stone.

That being said, I''m not quite sure what his budget is (I checked out a Tiffany Novo 2.65ct, F, VS1 and it was $73,000) but I am sure that he can''t afford anything astronomical. My (future) sister-in-law received a 1.50 carat Princess Cut Diamond (which I have never seen) that my (future) mother-in-law described as a ''perfect diamond.'' -- since my boyfriends parents gave his brother $$$ to buy an engagement ring I''m pretty sure that''s how my honey will be financing this purchase.

I want to know with a cushion cut, since size is a priority to me, what are the lowest parameters for the other C''s that I can ''get away'' with and still have a beautiful ring.

I know that with a cushion CUT is very important but I don''t understand all that table, culet, ratio stuff.
I am willing to go do to a VS1 or VS2 (as long as it doesn''t affect the beauty of the stone) as well as down in color (G or H??) although I saw one H colored cushion at a VERY VERY high end store and it looked a little yellow to me.

Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to consult the experts. Thanks in advance for all your help!!

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

-Missy

...beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I personally think a cushion can travel the entire alphabet and look *beautiful*. I have a 2.71 J that I think is beautiful, though I wish it was lower in color because I prefer that. I''m going to assume by "get away with" you mean without seeing color.... though I wouldn''t go so far as to define beauty solely on a stone''s being colorless.

For a cushion I really think F is as low as you should go if you don''t want to see any color. Depending on the type of cushion you could start seeing color pretty well even in the G/H range. My J hides nothing. It is a glorious antique ivory....

First thing you need to do is figure out what type of cushion you want.... do a search on cushion here and you''ll be reading for days. After that call Mark T and he''ll lead you to the right stone Good luck!