New with Cushion Cut questions!

[CaliCushion]

Hi everyone! I''m new to this board and I have many questions. I know I want a cushion cut center stone. I think I want it in this setting from Beaudry: http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/3090/1016/ . first of all, do you like this setting?? This setting has an 8 carat (!!!) center stone so I''m not sure what it would look like with a smaller stone.

My boyfriend is looking to spend up to $20,000 on the stone and setting. While I''d love to have a 3 carat ring , it seems that I''m more likely to get about a 1.7 - 2 carat center stone. We went to a jeweler recommended in our Diamond District and he quoted us about 12,000 for a g-vs2 1.75 diamond, and about 17,000 for a g-vs2 2 carat diamond. I know that table and depth is also very important with cushion cut diamonds. We were also quoted about $3500 for the band with .75 carats on the half moon diamonds, 1.5 total carats in the band.

I also have unusually large fingers. Embarassingly, I wear a size 10 ring, so it''s hard to try on any of the rings in stores. However, I thought that this ring woud look good on my finger, since it has a pave halo of diamonds, half moons, and a wide band. What do you think? I need to stay within this budget, and don''t want to go smaller than 1.7 carats for the center stone since my fingers are so fat and I''m afraid anything smaller will look tiny! How wide of a band would you go with so my fingers don''t look huge? Also, how much in terms of color/cut/table/depth should I compromise in order to make this happen on our budget? Is there one factor that seems more important than the others? I think I''m OK with about a G color, vs2 diamond, but please let me know if I should be focusing on anything else with this type of diamond and setting.

Thank you all SO much, and I hope to be able to help others in the future with any questions!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/24/2007 1:55:30 AM
Author:CaliCushion
Hi everyone! I''m new to this board and I have many questions. I know I want a cushion cut center stone. I think I want it in this setting from Beaudry: http://store.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry/view/3090/1016/ . first of all, do you like this setting?? This setting has an 8 carat (!!!) center stone so I''m not sure what it would look like with a smaller stone.

My boyfriend is looking to spend up to $20,000 on the stone and setting. While I''d love to have a 3 carat ring , it seems that I''m more likely to get about a 1.7 - 2 carat center stone. We went to a jeweler recommended in our Diamond District and he quoted us about 12,000 for a g-vs2 1.75 diamond, and about 17,000 for a g-vs2 2 carat diamond. I know that table and depth is also very important with cushion cut diamonds. We were also quoted about $3500 for the band with .75 carats on the half moon diamonds, 1.5 total carats in the band.

I also have unusually large fingers. Embarassingly, I wear a size 10 ring, so it''s hard to try on any of the rings in stores. However, I thought that this ring woud look good on my finger, since it has a pave halo of diamonds, half moons, and a wide band. What do you think? I need to stay within this budget, and don''t want to go smaller than 1.7 carats for the center stone since my fingers are so fat and I''m afraid anything smaller will look tiny! How wide of a band would you go with so my fingers don''t look huge? Also, how much in terms of color/cut/table/depth should I compromise in order to make this happen on our budget? Is there one factor that seems more important than the others? I think I''m OK with about a G color, vs2 diamond, but please let me know if I should be focusing on anything else with this type of diamond and setting.

Thank you all SO much, and I hope to be able to help others in the future with any questions!

I''m with you - I think wider bands look better on bigger hands/fingers. Yes, balancing a diamond on a thin band can make the stone look bigger but it can also make your fingers look bigger! I am having my cushion put on a 6-7mm wide band... I figure since the diamond is bigger, the finger is bigger, and the ring is bigger - it will still all look in proportion LOL I wear anywhere from a 7.5-8.5 and my fingers vary greatly. I''m having my ring made in 8.25 My stone is a low J (wonderful very light ivory) and I LOVE the color... if anything I wish it was more intense. I have an antique style cut and it shows every bit of color. If you go for a modern cushion you can go a bit lower, but it may still show more than it would in a round. I''m lucky that I think ALL the colors diamonds come in are awesome. I''m a huge fire lover so everything else was secondary to having some big facets! If you like antique style cushions you can save some money and get a bigger stone by looking for an old mine brilliant instead of a cushion brilliant... but if you like the modern look or the modified look (which might look really good in a beaudry style) then I really don''t know the price ranges.

I think 3-4mm is good for a band. I''ve worn a 4mm plain band for *years* and plopping a diamond on it would be very appropriate band width on my hand. I''m going for wider but it will be a stand alone ring that gives an illusion of a 3mm band and 2 2mm bands. I''d show you pics but it will be another month or so before it is ready LOL VS2 is a good sweetspot.... mine is VS2 and I love that I can''t even see anything with a loupe.... but I admit a good SI1 is an excellent deal and I would consider that.... As for color... its very personal. I love the warmer colors.... when I saw mara''s friend''s K stone I loved it.... I got a J because I had it in my head I wanted a J VS2 and I got that.... but I really think I would have loved a LMN stone even more. If you think you have a cut off at H you might want to look at F for a cushion if you really want it to be without color/clear. Of course you can get a bigger diamond the lower you go and for me that was not only awesome, it was a bonus I actually preferred the warmth... to me stones with some color have more substance... they have more visual weight... and with my antique cut the color looks like an antique wedding gown....

 

[CaliCushion]

Sorry everyone, I forgot to add two more questions. First, do you think there''s going to be a big size difference between a 1.75 carat and approximately 2 carat diamond in this setting?

Second, how large of round diamonds would you suggest for the micropave? Or for that matter, would you surround the ring with a pave instead of a micropave? The larger the pave is, the larger the cushion is going to look, but I don''t want visible prongs or for the pave to look inappropriate for the ring. I really appreciate any help as I am clueless and all of you seem to know so much!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 7/24/2007 3:04:28 AM
Author: CaliCushion
Sorry everyone, I forgot to add two more questions. First, do you think there''s going to be a big size difference between a 1.75 carat and approximately 2 carat diamond in this setting?

Second, how large of round diamonds would you suggest for the micropave? Or for that matter, would you surround the ring with a pave instead of a micropave? The larger the pave is, the larger the cushion is going to look, but I don''t want visible prongs or for the pave to look inappropriate for the ring. I really appreciate any help as I am clueless and all of you seem to know so much!

for your first question I have to say - a 1.75 carat and another 1.75 carat can look vastly different. I twice have found cushions a full 1/2 carat larger than mine with the same dimensions. You could find a 2 carat that looks smaller than a 1.75. So, no easy answer to this question.

For the second question I don''t necessarily think larger pave makes for a larger looking stone.... the bigger the pave the more it competes with the center stone and by relative comparison makes the stone look smaller and part of a cluster ring. I think 1-2 point is the highest I''d go. Maybe 3. But you''re going to have to go out and see these sizes for yourself in person. I knew I wanted bigger than 1 but smaller than 2 so 1.5 is right for me.... but some places don''t use 1.5. 3 might be your choice though.... for a more blingy look.