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Lookin'' for a Cushion... Assistance/Suggestions on Purchasing a Cushion)

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Blinginator

Rough_Rock
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Jul 18, 2007
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I came onto this site last year and would read it from time to time but now is the time for me to gear down and get an e-ring. I have an appt set up with Mark next month but would like everyone''s thoughts and even diamond suggestions that might meet my needs. Also an explanation on preferred Table and Depth measures for cushions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, is now the best time to buy or should I wait until after the holidays especially considering the current market conditions? Have prices dropped? Will they drop? I would plan on proposing on vday at the earliest all the way to early June so I have some time to work with.

Parameters
Shape: Cushion
Carat: 1.6 - 2.0 (girlfriend tried on a 1.7 at Tiffany''s and it looked to be the right size in terms of finger space, not too big and not too small; she also tried on a 2.2 and it was way too big--her thoughts not mine
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)
Color: D - G (would consider going higher in color if everything else on the diamond meets my needs)
Clarity: IF - VS1 (would consider a VS2 if everything else on the diamond meets my needs)
Certificate: Any
Table: ? (not too familiar with this measure, what''s ideal?)
Depth: ? (not too familiar with this measure, what''s ideal?)
Polish: VG or higher
Symmetry: VG or higher
Culet: None to very small (prefer none vs very small)
Flourescence: ? (not too familiar with this measure, what''s ideal?)
Ratio: Maybe around 1.10 - 1.15 (still not too familiar with this measure but I know I don''t want square. I haven''t seen a 1.2 yet so I would consider higher than 1.15 until I rule out 1.2 might be too rectangular)
Price: 10,000 - 22,000
Other/Notes: Possibly a Hearts and arrows but leaning towards chunky facets and no crushed ice.

Note 1 from pricescope: Regarding lower carat weight stones facing up larger than ones that have a higher carat weight, it''s good to note that an extremely thick girdle or depths in the high 60''s will result in carat weight that you won''t actually see in the spread of the diamond, thus, you''re paying for the additional weight, but you don''t get the benefits of any additional finger coverage

Note 2 from pricescope: Many of the cushions that Mark Turnowski finds for people have tables in the 50s and depths in the mid 60''s, but there are fantastic cushions that fall outside those ranges as well.

Hopefully I can get a diamond in the next two months so I can begin working on a custom setting.

Thanks you all for your knowledge (past, present and future)!
 
Really with depth and table there are no hard and fast rules. Just leave it in Mark''s hands...he will find you a winner.
 
Like neatfreak mentioned, no hard and fast rules for table/depth. HI tend to like my cushion with a table in the mid to high 50s and a depth in the mid 60s. However, I saw many beautiful cushions with other specs.

I also wanted VG or higher for symmetry and polish. I had to give up on that because it was very difficult to find.
 
$10-22K is too broad. Narrow it down and have Mark pick a few for you to consider. If you are after the chunky look, it'll be very difficult to find a 1.6 ct. for $10K. I know a 1.5-ish chunky should land somewhere in the $14-16K range.

Not sure you can find a H&A Cushion that's not square.

Regarding time to buy and pricing, I'm not sure when is the right time. Mark doesn't really negotiate on his pricing, so whatever he quotes you is the best you'll get from him when you buy.
 
Date: 11/19/2008 5:39:33 PM
Author: neatfreak
Really with depth and table there are no hard and fast rules. Just leave it in Mark''s hands...he will find you a winner.
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Ditto. There are no numbers or proportions which will guarantee you a pretty cushion unfortunately, that is why someone with a good eye like Mark is so useful when shopping for these shapes.
 
From my recent experience shopping for a cushion around the 1.5 ct range, the advice given above is about as good as you can get. I was using my local jewelers trade up policy so I didn''t have the luxury of working with GOG or Mark T, but I think they would save you a great deal of work.

You can search all day long for table and depth and crown parameters, but you''re never going to find the perfect recipe out there. To complicate it even more, without photos, you really won''t be able to tell anything about the stone! So, even if you have that perfect recipe solved, it won''t guarantee the look you are searching for. Believe me, I tried! Honestly, from my experience, it wasn''t until I narrowed down the facet structure that I preferred that I finally found my stone. BTW, mine is a high 50''s depth and a low 60''s table. The downside to just searching for facet structures of course, always a fly in the ointment, you drastically eliminate other stones that still MIGHT give you the look you want. Key word being ''might''. Still, from my personal search for a chunky cushion, that''s what located my stone. I was lucky to find a 8 pav main stone that just so happened to be better in color and clarity than I originally wanted. However, their are other facet structures out there that will still give you that chunky look, although I think it is generally less so than the 8''s if you compared side by side.

I also agree on the VG for symmetry and polish. It seems to me, GIA is really stingy about giving out anything better than that on a fancy shape. At least it seems that way, but I''m not expert. I settled for Good on both, but I honestly don''t think you would know the difference if a VG was sitting next to it.

Good luck on your search. Bottom line: Cushions are tricky little bast***s, but well worth it!
 
Just for reference on the ratio, here's my 1.19/1.2. It's quite rectagular and has pretty distinct corners, whereas others can look more rounded. That's the name of the game with cushions though! They're all totally different!

Also, what do you mean by hearts and arrows cushion? As far as I know, no such thing exists...
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Thank you all for your advice, tips and wisdom. I first saw a H&A cushion on GOG a few weeks ago. Mark informed me that H&A cushions only come in square after I posted this (thank you above for also noting this).

Here's an H&A cushion from GOG:
There is one other diamond that recently hit the market that is being sold as a cushion but we are marketing that separately from traditional cushion cuts which you can read about here: http://goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Shape/square/

Thoughts on this cushion (good and bad):
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4989/
 
Date: 11/21/2008 12:58:55 AM
Author: Blinginator
Thank you all for your advice, tips and wisdom. I first saw a H&A cushion on GOG a few weeks ago. Mark informed me that H&A cushions only come in square after I posted this (thank you above for also noting this).

Here''s an H&A cushion from GOG:
There is one other diamond that recently hit the market that is being sold as a cushion but we are marketing that separately from traditional cushion cuts which you can read about here: http://goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Shape/square/

Thoughts on this cushion (good and bad):
http://goodoldgold.com/diamond/4989/
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I personally think thats a lovely cushion!
 
Yes, that''s his first prototype for the antique look that so many people have been asking for. It''s gorgeous. I love the kozibe effect. I hope I spelled that right. It''s mesmerizing. I think most any girl would love to have that in her collection. Great choice!!!!
 
Wow, I hadn''t seen that antique style GOG prototype cushion. It really looks like an antique to my eye, more so than a lot of the chunky ones. The teensy table is great. I bet it is an eye popper in person. If you''re looking for a new cushion with an old style look I doubt you could do better.
 
I'm not going to make any moves on this one until I see it in person and after I see Mark's inventory, but I agree it looks great in the video. Do you think I should reserve it until my appt with Mark?

Has anyone ever reserved a diamond? Just wondering the process and how long I can reserve and whether I will get my money back. Also, is there someone at GOG that I should work with specifically?
 
I''m sure every jewelers has their own policies on reserving diamonds, but GOG policies are on their website under "About Good Old Gold". I''ve never worked with them personally, but they are very highly recommended here on PS. Specifically Rhino, the name he uses here on PS. I agree, with the post above. I doubt you''ll find better, but it also depends on the look you are going for. Or if you are very color sensitive. I see that as being the only drawback, however, I believe the cut would cancel out any negative color effects. I can see the hestitation b/c it isn''t certified, but perhaps you could work that in the deal. I believe it''s about $250 to get a stone certified, but takes several weeks.
 
Personally, I'd wait to see what Mark has since he is the "cushion guy" but I'm biased. I've purchased 3 square cushions from Mark. Mark is a class act and I can't recommend him enough.

GOG is great too and although I haven't yet, I would buy from them in the future. If you live close by you could also pop in to see the stone in person.

ETA: As everyone has said, you have to see cushions in person. One will speak to you. It did for me! Good luck!
 
I visited GOG''s 2.11 cushion yesterday. I''m still in love with it.
 
I guess I will wait until after my appt with Mark.
 
Seems like you have a pretty good sense of what you are looking for. As everyone has mentioned, there are no ideal table and depth specs but Mark will fore sure point you in the right direction. I know he likes to keep depths in the mid 60s and tables in the mid 50s but those are only guidelines. And from my experience, most of the stones in that neighborhood looked great although some were lousy so thats why numbers alone are tough.

Do you like cushion brilliant or modified? Modifieds will likely be more of the crushed ice variety. So it depends on your or your girlfriend''s taste.

Also, IF might be a bit overkill. VS1-VS2 should be fine and will broaden your options which will be necessary since the perfect cushion can be a needle in a haystack.

Ratios of 1.08-1.18 should be in that sweet spot of not square and not too elongated.

Fluorescence is also personal pref - I dont care for it, especially since you are going for the colorless range for your stone.

Its good you are giving yourself ample time since that will help you find the right one. Plus I hear prices may be softening and so Jan could be a great time to buy.

Good luck!
 
If I''m not mistaken, this is the same 2.11ct cushion that another PSer here called in. If so, then this is the same diamond that I have had the opportunity to see in person and play with a little bit.

My verdict? Its a beautiful stone and did a fine job of mimicking antique cushion cuts. I also did not see any hint of color on this diamond so unless you are extremely color sensitive, I would say that the color should be OK.

Much luck to you!
 
Thanks stone seeker for the extra tidbits of info. I will add them to my notes for my meeting with Mark.

Grace, it's good to know that there's a lot of interest in the GOG cushion, to me that means it must be a pretty nice rock and worth taking a look at.
 
Blinginator...I too have become interested in cushions. Have you had a chance to meet with Jon from GOG or Mark at ERD? If so, just curious about what you learned from each vendor and if you''ve narrowed down your diamond search.
 
You''re in great hands with Jonathon at GOG and Mark at ERG. Let us know how it turns out for you.
 
Date: 12/1/2008 1:15:00 AM
Author: Kaleigh
You''re in great hands with Jonathon at GOG and Mark at ERG. Let us know how it turns out for you.
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I wanted to check out the cushion from GOG but I don''t think I''ll have time to travel to LI during my upcoming trip to NYC. Also from looking at GOG''s site, they didn''t seem to offer very many cushions. Would anyone know if their online inventory is much different than what is offered in store?
 
Date: 12/2/2008 5:19:37 PM
Author: Blinginator

Date: 12/1/2008 1:15:00 AM
Author: Kaleigh
You''re in great hands with Jonathon at GOG and Mark at ERG. Let us know how it turns out for you.
Click to expand...

I wanted to check out the cushion from GOG but I don''t think I''ll have time to travel to LI during my upcoming trip to NYC. Also from looking at GOG''s site, they didn''t seem to offer very many cushions. Would anyone know if their online inventory is much different than what is offered in store?
Click to expand...
Hi bling,

At this time we only list diamonds on our website that are physically in our possession and that I can intelligently comment on and show to people. I do however have access to every single virtual diamond listed on PriceScope as well as hundreds (perhaps thousands) of others that are not listed on PriceScope. If you see it online and the company listing it does not own the diamond (which 99.9% of the time they don''t) I have access to it and can most likely get it.

All the best,
 
Date: 11/25/2008 12:19:58 AM
Author: HeartingDiamonds
If I''m not mistaken, this is the same 2.11ct cushion that another PSer here called in. If so, then this is the same diamond that I have had the opportunity to see in person and play with a little bit.

My verdict? Its a beautiful stone and did a fine job of mimicking antique cushion cuts. I also did not see any hint of color on this diamond so unless you are extremely color sensitive, I would say that the color should be OK.

Much luck to you!
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Greeting Hearting,

It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
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Thank you kindly for the nice words and your kudo''s. Please don''t take this the wrong way as I am greatly appreciative of your kind words but as participating vendors on this forum we are not allowed to comment on competitor''s diamonds, negatively or positively.
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Kindest regards,
 
I had my meeting with Mark who was very helpful and kind during our meeting. We met for probably longer than he wanted and there were a bunch of other customers he was trying to deal with but he remained very calm, cool and collected with me. I looked at about 8 diamonds but didn't find anything I wanted. He said he would continue to search for the stone I'm looking for.

I've refined my parameters a bit more so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!

Parameters
Shape: Cushion
Carat: 1.6 - 1.7 (Mark said a 1.6-1.7 is tough because most stones fall into either 1.5 or 2.0+, is this true?)
Color: D - G (would consider going higher in color if everything else on the diamond meets my needs)
Clarity: IF - VS1 (would consider a VS2 if everything else on the diamond meets my needs)
Certificate: Any
Table: Open
Depth: Open
Polish: VG or higher
Symmetry: VG or higher
Culet: None to very small (prefer none vs very small)
Flourescence: ?
Ratio: Around 1.10 - 1.17
Price: $15-18K
Other/Notes: Chunky facets, which I think is 8 facets or otherwise known as antique cut (can anyone confirm if I am stating this correctly?)
 
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