Ready to buy & feel paralyzed. Please help me!

[Twinmama02]

So I am finally ready to buy my cushion cut diamond & after all of this research I feel paralyzed. I just don't want to make the wrong decision. Originally I only wanted an Antique cushion but I have decided to focus on finding a modern cushion cut, as it appears that I can get a bigger diamond in my price range of $9k with a modern. I have found some cushions that are within the specs of what I am looking for & in my price range on Blue Nile, Adimore, B2C Jewels & James Allen. I am not familiar with these names & I believe that I heard that other peoples experiences with Blue Nile have not been favorable? Ultimately I am having the stone sent to VC to be set in the Emilya halo & while he, too, is looking for a stone for me I want to keep looking too. So I am wondering... what is everyone's feeling about diamonds from these places? Do any of them provide ASET images? If not, how can I make SURE that it is a good modern cushion & not just all watered down like broken ice inside?

Looking for: Modern Cushion
1.50 ct
Color: D-G
Clarity: IF-SI1
Depth: 63%-67%
Table: 46%-59%
My diamond budget: $9,000

 

[RockyRacoon]

Here's the best option I was able to find.

Just over budget and just outside of listed color spec, this one still looks awesome:

1.55ct, I, VS2
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/12297/

 

[MarionC]

Here's the best option I was able to find.

Just over budget and just outside of listed color spec, this one still looks awesome:

1.55ct, I, VS2
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/12297/

You couldn't ask for more in terms of performance.
Nice find!

 

[AprilBaby]

Gorgeous find!

 

[Lorelei]

So I am finally ready to buy my cushion cut diamond & after all of this research I feel paralyzed. I just don't want to make the wrong decision. Originally I only wanted an Antique cushion but I have decided to focus on finding a modern cushion cut, as it appears that I can get a bigger diamond in my price range of $9k with a modern. I have found some cushions that are within the specs of what I am looking for & in my price range on Blue Nile, Adimore, B2C Jewels & James Allen. I am not familiar with these names & I believe that I heard that other peoples experiences with Blue Nile have not been favorable? Ultimately I am having the stone sent to VC to be set in the Emilya halo & while he, too, is looking for a stone for me I want to keep looking too. So I am wondering... what is everyone's feeling about diamonds from these places? Do any of them provide ASET images? If not, how can I make SURE that it is a good modern cushion & not just all watered down like broken ice inside?

Looking for: Modern Cushion
1.50 ct
Color: D-G
Clarity: IF-SI1
Depth: 63%-67%
Table: 46%-59%
My diamond budget: $9,000

Rocky's choice is excellent ( as usual!) and here is another you might like, it's slightly lighter in weight at 1.41 cts but it is an F colour, if eye clean it might be an option.

http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-5082226-1.41-carat-Cushion-diamond-F-color-SI1-Clarity.aspx?sku=5082226&utm_source=pricescope.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pricescope.com

 

[Twinmama02]

Lorelei: That is gorgeous! I put a call in to them to see if it's eye clean. Thanks!

 

[tyty333]

Another one for you to take a look at (its an H).
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.50-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-310723


Edit
This is a tad smaller but really pretty (D/VS2)
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.40-carat-d-color-vs2-clarity-sku-290931
Here is an E/SI1 that has quite the mirror affect
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.40-carat-e-color-si1-clarity-sku-133271

Edit - again...you would need to request an aset image for any you are interested in.

 

[Twinmama02]

Thank you for the suggestions TyTy333! Unfortunately all of them have tables that are just too big for what I am looking for. I am really trying to follow CharmyPoo's suggestions for 'Ideal Cushion Specifications' from her post 'Cushion 101 : My Experience in Making a "Harry Winston" Halo." Even though there are no 'ideal cushion specification's' apparently certain parameters do work better than others. I am trying to stay with these parameters:

'Depth: 63% to 67% - Anything lower is what I call a "pancake" cushion and anything higher will face up smaller than required'
'Table: 46% to 59% - Anything higher is what I call a "helipad" cushion'

 

[RockyRacoon]

Thank you for the suggestions TyTy333! Unfortunately all of them have tables that are just too big for what I am looking for. I am really trying to follow CharmyPoo's suggestions for 'Ideal Cushion Specifications' from her post 'Cushion 101 : My Experience in Making a "Harry Winston" Halo." Even though there are no 'ideal cushion specification's' apparently certain parameters do work better than others. I am trying to stay with these parameters:

'Depth: 63% to 67% - Anything lower is what I call a "pancake" cushion and anything higher will face up smaller than required'
'Table: 46% to 59% - Anything higher is what I call a "helipad" cushion'

Although these are 'generally' good parameters, don't rule out a stone because it doesn't fall within these ranges.

There are many, MANY great stones (even some of the best) that would not fall in those ranges. You would be eliminating these unnecessarily, based on those tight parameters.

Easy example to illustrate this point:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/12128/

That stone lies outside both the restrictive depth and table guidelines stated above. However, it shows a near perfect Megascope reading, which is an actual empirical measure of light return. You'd find many stones in the 63-67% depth and 46-59% table range that perform FAR worse than this stone.

Judge each stone on its own merits. Cushions come in so many different flavors, no one will be able to give you a set of infallible parameters. Your eyes need to make the final decision.

Best of luck!

 

[tyty333]

Thank you for the suggestions TyTy333! Unfortunately all of them have tables that are just too big for what I am looking for. I am really trying to follow CharmyPoo's suggestions for 'Ideal Cushion Specifications' from her post 'Cushion 101 : My Experience in Making a "Harry Winston" Halo." Even though there are no 'ideal cushion specification's' apparently certain parameters do work better than others. I am trying to stay with these parameters:

'Depth: 63% to 67% - Anything lower is what I call a "pancake" cushion and anything higher will face up smaller than required'
'Table: 46% to 59% - Anything higher is what I call a "helipad" cushion'

I second RockyRaccoons comments. Fancy cuts (like cushions) can not be bought by the numbers (works great for rounds though).
You have to look at each individual stone, get an aset image to check on light return and look for a pleasing faceting pattern.
Nice cushions are hard to find and you are probably throwing some nice ones out just because of the numbers you are trying to
stick to.

Plus, you can find stones that fit in all you numbers that are just plain ugly stones with terrible light return.

 

[Twinmama02]

Man, this is much harder than I thought! Ok, so tomorrow I am going to get ASET images for these stones from James Allen and see what's what. I think I am getting close! Thanks everyone. It means so much.