Need help with friend's cushion

[agapitor]

hi everyone,

Since PS was so instrumental in finding my BGD round diamond I am hoping to get your assistance once again. This time, I am inquiring for a friend's SO who is looking for a cushion. I tried to search for previous posts using cushion which generated 560 pages so I'm hoping I can get the info through this thread.

Most of my research was for a round diamond - is there a significant difference of info when looking for a cushion vs a round? Are the certs the same (GIA, AGS etc)

His budget is $7-$8K and I know for a fact that my friend would like something around 1ct. For this budget and this size, does the same rule apply? Priority is cut then clarity or color depending on her preference.

The jeweler he saw showed him a .58 F VVS2 which I thought was much and he can get better for his budget but needed confirmation from those who have done the research on cushions.

thanks again.

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

hi everyone,

Since PS was so instrumental in finding my BGD round diamond I am hoping to get your assistance once again. This time, I am inquiring for a friend's SO who is looking for a cushion. I tried to search for previous posts using cushion which generated 560 pages so I'm hoping I can get the info through this thread.

Most of my research was for a round diamond - is there a significant difference of info when looking for a cushion vs a round? Are the certs the same (GIA, AGS etc)

Biggest difference no cut grade for fancy shapes by GIA. AGS cut grading is limited to some branded cuts of cushions.

You can't judge a fancy shape by the numbers on a grading report (you need many more numbers), you will require optical tests, sarin data or video to judge cut and it gets a lot more complicated.\

His budget is $7-$8K and I know for a fact that my friend would like something around 1ct. For this budget and this size, does the same rule apply? Priority is cut then clarity or color depending on her preference.

If your priority was cut for a round it is even more important for a fancy as they are usually cut for weight and the variance between excellent and good is much larger.

The jeweler he saw showed him a .58 F VVS2 which I thought was much and he can get better for his budget but needed confirmation from those who have done the research on cushions.

Way too small and overpriced for the budget as to be expected from higher margin B&M jeweler's.

See the cushion guide thread in my signature. Videos are the best way to understand the difference between the many cushion cuts.

thanks again.

 

[antelope1]

His budget is $7-$8K and I know for a fact that my friend would like something around 1ct. For this budget and this size, does the same rule apply? Priority is cut then clarity or color depending on her preference.

Here is an august vintage cushion (AVC in the parlance here) from GOG in your friend's budget:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7312/
which is an 1.14 F VS2 for $7.9k. This is kind of telling me that for a really good cut, you could go up in carat weight and down in color, up in carat weight and down in clarity, or up up in carat weight and down in both. Note that you're paying for the GOG "August Vintage" name here (it's a branded cut), so you could pay less for a generic chunky cushion (and again go up in carat weight).

In other words, his budget is totally reasonable for a slightly larger than 1 ct diamond, conditional on his color and clarity preferences. He might be able to go up to 1.5 ct (again, condition on his color and clarity preferences) and stay in budget.

You should ask your friend what kind of cushion he's looking for. There are more variables because there are a couple different cutting styles that CCL can point you toward, and they look really different IMO. A modified cushion and an old mine brilliant will look totally different, even if the color and carat weight are similar. So the first step is to pick the cutting style that he likes.

 

[agapitor]

thanks CCL and antelope1.. CCL your thread was so helpful.. I printed quite a few of them to show my friend's SO. I'm pretty sure my friend likes the vintage more than the modern or crushed ice look. I showed her some of the cushions on PS and while she liked most of them, her preference seemed to rest towards the vintage side. Antelope, I sent the GOG link to him as well. He'll be pleased that he can get a decent size for his budget.

I can't believe how much more complicated it is to research cushion vs round! I have much much more to learn!

 

[diagem]

There are more variables because there are a couple different cutting styles that CCL can point you toward, and they look really different IMO. A modified cushion and an old mine brilliant will look totally different...

Just to clarify..., there is a cushion cut jungle out there (quite a bit more than just a couple cutting styles).

The Tiffany Yellow if submitted to GIA for grading today would be classified as a 'modified' cushion.

http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/tiffanyyellowdiamond.html

 

[tonkatsu]

i went through the same process you did, only starting 4-5 weeks ago. the info here is incredibly helpful. on the budget, if you want an old-style 8 pavilion main cushion, then $8K is about right for ~1.1-1.3 carats. It's very hard to find these stones. antelope said you could get a non-branded chunky cushion for less than the good old gold one shown -- in my experience it was very, very hard to find a non-branded chunky cushion. i called several people, asked in stores, etc, and things were either just as expensive as good old gold, or were of markedly worse quality. (look at the recent posts on the thread i started for some of the options i found.) i ended up "biting the bullet" and buying a GOG AVC, which is very similar to the one posted above. i paid about $12K for a 1.6 carat stone (H/VS2). the other two stones on my previous thread were $8K (1.51 E/SI1, on the "thick" band, called "diamond 1") and $10K for the other (1.58 H/VS2).

to give you an idea of how hard it is to do this, the GIA cert on the $8K one suggested it was a new-style "thin" 8 pavilion main cushion. CCL and others thought it wasn't this kind of stone based on the pictures. after seeing pictures and CCL's video of the different types, I'd agree. And as I posted on that earlier thread, the GOG cushion I bought blows the others away.

if you have time and a trusted vendor you should be able to find a cheaper, nice cushion that meets your needs, as antelope says. if you're stretched on time or want something top-of-the-line, i would go with GOG or something similar -- it just seems to be a thin market with hundreds of "crushed ice" stones for every "chunky" one, and even then many of the chunky ones are not cut well. with GOG AVCs you know what you're getting. (you can search and see dozens of pricescope people's AVCs to see if you like the look.)

i should say i was totally skeptical about GOG as late as last week -- as shown in the thread. i'm definitely converted, but only because their stone was by far the best. once i gave in and tried one of their stones, i knew it was the one for me. i'm proposing next weekend.....

good luck! people here are great, so post if you have questions. as CCL said, simple stats from the certs won't be that helpful -- you need to push for more, and even then, you can't beat seeing things in person.....

 

[E B]

Here's a nice one if s/he wants a more 'modern' cushion:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7528/

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

There are more variables because there are a couple different cutting styles that CCL can point you toward, and they look really different IMO. A modified cushion and an old mine brilliant will look totally different...

Just to clarify..., there is a cushion cut jungle out there (quite a bit more than just a couple cutting styles).

The Tiffany Yellow if submitted to GIA for grading today would be classified as a 'modified' cushion.

http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/tiffanyyellowdiamond.html

True, but how does one get access to those other cutting styles online is the question?

 

[diagem]

There are more variables because there are a couple different cutting styles that CCL can point you toward, and they look really different IMO. A modified cushion and an old mine brilliant will look totally different...

Just to clarify..., there is a cushion cut jungle out there (quite a bit more than just a couple cutting styles).

The Tiffany Yellow if submitted to GIA for grading today would be classified as a 'modified' cushion.

http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/tiffanyyellowdiamond.html

True, but how does one get access to those other cutting styles online is the question?

You mean other cutting styles as in the cushion jungle..., you shouldnt have problem getting access there.