Searching for the perfect Elongated Cushion

[AGon1202]

Hi everyone! I have been reading Pricescope for years now and have learned so much from your forums - thank you so much for all you've taught me about diamonds. The time has finally come for me to find my own diamond - yay! My boyfriend and I are searching for the perfect elongated cushion. We are looking to stay under $15,000 for the entire ring, including the setting. I am looking for a cushion that faces up as large as possible - as close to 8-9 mm in length as I can get. I am not opposed to a bit of warmth in color, anything higher than a J is okay with me. And as long as it faces up relatively clear, the clarity doesn't need to be perfect. I am planning on setting it in a fine halo! Can you help me find the perfect stone?

I found this one on James Allen - what are your thoughts?
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.81-carat-h-color-vs2-clarity-sku-1078934

This is my dream setting:


Thanks in advance!

 

[tyty333]

That stone looks to have a clarity issue in the video (pin points?) but the cert says nothing...I dont get it. I would ask JA about
what is in the video...stone really looks dirty (but I'm assuming its not).

I'll take a look after I get the kids off to school...

 

[tyty333]

Not really finding much at JA, GOG and ED...you could take a look at these two. Might be worth more investigation.
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/C184-284354380???
https://enchanteddiamonds.com/diamonds/view/C200-616865343???


Same 2 carat cushion that is at ED...click the Actual Image button...may help you to see the stone better.
http://idjewelry.com/cushion-bd150059.html

I'm coming up pretty blank for elongated...

What's your top budget for the stone? Victor Canera has some nice looking onces but they are and probably smaller then you want.
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/7ln6el-1.550-i-vs1-ideal-antique-cushion
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/t9lcty-1.548-i-vs1-ideal-antique-cushion
https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/kv9arw-1.576-f-si1-ideal-antique-cushion

 

[AGon1202]

Thank you SO much for your response! The stones you found were absolutely beautiful. I am looking for something a bit more elongated but these are great options in the meantime!

As far as the JA stone I found, I asked them about it and they apologized because the stone hadn't been properly cleaned. There are no visible inclusions, according to them. Keeping this in mind, do you think this stone is a good option for what I am looking for?

 

[ariel144]

I know this is a K but the faceting is really nice. They have the wrong cert. so I can't see the facet pattern but looks like it might be an 8 main cushion brilliant which are rare.

The size is awesome 7.5 x 8.8 mm which faces up like a 3 ct stone.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.23-carat-k-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-212648

So difficult to find an elongated cushion much less one with great faceting.

The most elongated with nice faceting is 7 x 8mm
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.04-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-2221236

over budget 7 x8 mm

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.01-carat-f-color-si2-clarity-sku-2073298

 

[Rockdiamond]

Congrats AGon1202- diamond shopping is fun!
I agree with ariel144 - well cut rectangular cushions are tough to find.
It's easier for the cutter to get an even sparkle and life from a square shape.
But of course you should go for the shape you love.
It looks like your inspiration ring is a Cushion Brilliant- as opposed to a Cushion Modified Brilliant.
The main feature you'd notice are larger facets in the middle of the diamond.
CB's are far harder to find as opposed to CMB's

There are a few CMB's that also produce the same look....either a real CB, or a nice CMB are just a more difficult find than many diamonds people search for.

You've come to a great place for assistance- our PS prosumers are as good as anyone in finding that needle in a haystack

 

[Rockdiamond]

You've come to a great place for assistance- our PS prosumers are as good as anyone in finding that needle in a haystack

Who is a Prosumer here and how do we know who they are? What does that term even mean?

Hi Alex,
If you spend enough time here you'll notice that certain non trade members are extremely well informed about diamonds and jewelry. IN fact, many are far more informed about certain fine points than most jewelry store salespeople.
We call them "prosumers"
There's no special tag that identifies a prosumer- but look at the post count of the person- and you can look at their history.

For example tyty333- this member has helped literally thousands of consumers.
I've had my disagreements with most of the prosumers- because part of diamond evaluation is subjective.
But over time I think ( hope) we've made our peace.
If you disagree with one of our prosumers, by all means voice your opinion- but be ready for a well informed answer

 

[ariel144]

You've come to a great place for assistance- our PS prosumers are as good as anyone in finding that needle in a haystack

Who is a Prosumer here and how do we know who they are? What does that term even mean?

"PS" stands for PriceScope...a "prosumer" on PS are regular people who study what a well cut diamond is and come into the forum and help newbies look for the best stone in their budget. ....the proverbial needle in a haystack...in this case an elongated well cut cushion.

 

[ariel144]

I really like the 1.8c H cushion you found on JA.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Alex- are you a trade member?

 

[ariel144]

Here is what a "cushion" cut is supposed to look like with that high crown and why they call them cushions because they are SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE A PILLOW. This is why most end up with the antique cushion because they love the high crowns.

NOTE: this is a cushion BRILLIANT...they are usually cut with a depth of mid 60% and table in the mid 50% or smaller....usually the smaller the table the higher the crown and the more cushiony the look of the stone:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.50-carat-k-color-si2-clarity-sku-990511

Pretty eye clean looking SI2...also rare.

Look at the cert. and see the 8 main star faceting under the table and the cert states "Cushion Brilliant" and not Modified Cushion.

When you scan through all the pics of the mushy tabled cushions you can usually spot the faceting of these RARE cushion brilliants.
Fun to look for them.

Cushion brilliants...definitely the proverbial "needle in the haystack".

 

[ariel144]

Elongated GIA "Old Mine Brilliant"...HA! (and no bow tie)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.59-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-1016295

Your perfect cushion is on Leon Mege....the 2.08 J VS it even has med. blue fl. another bonus...price not posted yet.

7.64 x 9mm CUSHION BRILLIANT with chunky faceting...check the cert...might be worth busting the budget over.

and YES they are extremely rare....LM, BE, GOG snarf up the best ones before they can get to JA.

https://www.leonmege.com/true-antique-cushion-diamond

 

[ariel144]

Elongated GIA "Old Mine Brilliant"...HA! (and no bow tie)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.59-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-1016295

Your perfect cushion is on Leon Mege....the 2.08 J VS it even has med. blue fl. another bonus...price not posted yet.

7.64 x 9mm CUSHION BRILLIANT with chunky faceting...check the cert...might be worth busting the budget over.

and YES they are extremely rare....LM, BE, GOG snarf up the best ones before they can get to JA.

https://www.leonmege.com/true-antique-cushion-diamond

Leon Mege also has this 1.59 G, SI1 Listed on his website.

That 2.08c J is really shallow (depth 57%) thus it faces up really large.

anyway he has the largest selection of elongated cushions on the web and does really nice work.

 

[ariel144]

FYI: J color antique cushion in platinum and the story of searching for the perfect 5c honker...interesting she chose a J color!

Remember...Cut is KING and a lower color well cut diamond can face up brighter than a not so well cut higher color.


I think this thread would be very helpful to make your decision:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-antique-cushion.140739/

and here:
https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewel-week-5-carat-cushion-cut-diamond-ring

Leon Mege antique cushion J color 5c in platinum halo.

Note the comparison of the J to her E color:

Read pg 3 where she compares it to her E color engagement ring and how long and hard they searched for her perfect stone:

Post by Thouarella » 14 Apr 2010 12:54
Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone!

It''s our 5th wedding anniversary, hence the 5 carat stone Image

Laila - thanks for adding it to the cushion thread.

jgny:
The dimensions are 9.95 x 9.61 x 6.71mm And I believe the OMC style stones face up smaller as well given their high crowns (someone correct me if I''m wrong on this). But I looked at a bunch and I vastly preferred the OMCs to the modern brilliants, plus I think this way the 5 carat isn''t too enormous (vs say a 5 carat RB).

We bought this stone from Leon just before he launched his diamond concierge service, so I don''t know if they will provide additional details now, but basically he sent me photos of the stone from all angles, set and unset and on a black and white background. No ASETs. It was rather a leap of faith to buy it without looking at it in person and without ASETs etc but at the end of the day we decided to trust his eye and we had just fallen in love with the faceting of the stone.

Before we decided on this one, we''d taken a look at stones at our local B&Ms, one who specialises in OMCs and another who flew in 5 stones from their sightholders in Israel. I''d also contacted all of the cushion specialists mentioned on this forum and gotten a stone flown out to me, though ultimately we decided not to go with that one. It is REALLY difficult to find a stone with the requirements we had (>5 carats, OMC or 8 pavillion mains, large culet, near 1:1 aspect ratio, eyeclean) and there were very few responses to our request both online and at the B&Ms. It was basically between this stone and the one that was flown out to us. Jon at GoodOldGood had offered to get an AVC cut but the prices of rough had gone up so much at the end of last year/beginning of this one, plus we didn''t want to have to wait!

So at the end of the day and after months of searching we decided to go ahead with Leon''s stone and I just love it. The J doesn''t bother me at all and mostly it looks icy white and I only notice a tiny bit of warmth very occasionally from certain angles (my e-ring is an E and there is a very slight difference but really not very much).

Leon did mention that now he''s set up this diamond concierge service that he''d rather find a good stone for his clients. He''ll still set stones from other dealers but I get the feeling that he preferred for us to buy a stone from him. Good thing we liked his stone best anyway.

gemgirl - I''m getting him a phenomenal watch. It isn''t our anniversary for a little while yet so he still has time to decide on his "dream" watch! I have a shortlist!

 

[ariel144]

Here's the price on www.buydiamonddirect.com

2.08 J VS1 GIA 57.0 61 Very Thin Slightly Thick Medium Very Good Good Medium Blue 8.96x7.64x4.36 1.17:1.00 $12,080.64

Good luck with your search. would be interesting to see the picture of this shallow old cut.

 

[ariel144]

Your best bet is to get in touch with GOG and have them call in some stones for you...they will do a video comparison of stones so you can see them side by side and get their opinion on which one is the best performer. They can even call in some of these antique cushions listed on LM as you can find them on other sites as well. You have a nice budget for your stone and unless you have an ASET and see them in person you cannot judge performance simply by the numbers.

Hope this helps.

Here's a great thread on cushions that will help you to determine the facet pattern you like best.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-cuts-under-aset-scope-is-it-me-or-the-diamonds.170098/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-cuts-under-aset-scope-is-it-me-or-the-diamonds.170098/[/URL]

 

[ariel144]

More cushion education here:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-cushion-opinions-please.136606/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-cushion-opinions-please.136606/[/URL]

 

[ariel144]

More cushion education here:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-cushion-opinions-please.136606/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/new-cushion-opinions-please.136606/[/URL]

Interesting that Adam in the past has seemed to prefer the shallower cuts...he sources so many old cuts for PSrs:
and here:
shallow elongated cushion...Old World Diamonds

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/need-help-looking-for-elongated-antique-cushion-for-under-6k.176795/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/need-help-looking-for-elongated-antique-cushion-for-under-6k.176795/[/URL]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn_aT-uKtNY&list=UU6HIj62yZjThDHS5NSkilgA&index=44&feature=plcp

You should call him as well.

www.oldworlddiamonds.com

It seems like the elongated cushions tend to be cut more shallow....interesting statement from Yoram (who cuts AVC's for GOG) about a shallow elongated cushion in this thread:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/newbie-here-need-your-thoughts-on-this-cushion-cut.192011/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/newbie-here-need-your-thoughts-on-this-cushion-cut.192011/[/URL]

 

[dollyanjuli]

i have seen MANY antique cushion in person that were shallow (less than 60% in depth) and OH MY GAH they were stunning. It's just about what you are after.

After years and years of looking at cushions (seriously...my brain must have a corner that is a cushion shaped diamond!) i 100% believe that this is one fancy cut (even more than all other fancy cuts!) where a paper means nothing. Some of the most stunning stones i have seen are terrible on paper but take your breath away in person- conversely some stones which from a report seemed promising just look dead when you see them IRL.

OP, did you call Leon about those cushions? Those really will get you close to the look you want, and his settings are super beautiful.

Good luck!

 

[AGon1202]

I know this is a K but the faceting is really nice. They have the wrong cert. so I can't see the facet pattern but looks like it might be an 8 main cushion brilliant which are rare.

The size is awesome 7.5 x 8.8 mm which faces up like a 3 ct stone.

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.23-carat-k-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-212648

So difficult to find an elongated cushion much less one with great faceting.

The most elongated with nice faceting is 7 x 8mm
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.04-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-2221236

over budget 7 x8 mm

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/2.01-carat-f-color-si2-clarity-sku-2073298

Thank you so much for these amazing picks!!

I actually ended up purchasing that K color stone - I will post pictures down below. It doesn't seem like a K to me at all!

Thanks again!

 

[AGon1202]

I am not really a good person to do searches so I'll leave that to the others just a few comments on that beautiful inspiration piece.
But my friend's fiance wanted a very similar ring in an oval to your inspiration.

A delicate hand forged pave ring would likely cost 5k and up to get such fine pave (half pointers) such as that inspiration ring. In addition it wouldn't look exactly like the inspiration proportion wise because that is likely a much bigger diamond. If I had to guess that could could be a 10mm+ centre with 1mm - 1.3mm halo stones. I don't even know if Cad/Cast ring makers will readily do half point halos(1mm stones) well but it would be worth asking as that could knock the setting price down to 3 - 4k I suggest Brilliantly Engaged or David Klass. Most people end up with around 1 point halos(1.3mm stones) that are much less delicate than that inspiration when surrounding a 1.5 - 2ct centre.

That leaves you with about 10k for the diamond. The inspiration diamond is an Antique Cushion Brilliant, or Old Mine Brilliant with big chunky facets, while most of the suggested diamonds in this thread are 4 Main modern cushions, which are are also beautiful but are a different look and have smaller flashes. Unfortunately modern cut Old Mine Brilliants sell at a premium so if you really want that kind of faceting you will be looking at a smaller diamond in the 6.5 - 7.5mm range at best even in lower colors.

I think if you want that setting you have to realistically be looking around 7 - 8mm in a modern cushion at best, not 8 - 9mm for the diamond size.

This was so helpful! I have always thought so much about the center stone and I've neglected the size of the halo. Excellent information and insight! Thank you

 

[AGon1202]

Elongated GIA "Old Mine Brilliant"...HA! (and no bow tie)
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.59-carat-g-color-si1-clarity-sku-1016295

Your perfect cushion is on Leon Mege....the 2.08 J VS it even has med. blue fl. another bonus...price not posted yet.

7.64 x 9mm CUSHION BRILLIANT with chunky faceting...check the cert...might be worth busting the budget over.

and YES they are extremely rare....LM, BE, GOG snarf up the best ones before they can get to JA.

https://www.leonmege.com/true-antique-cushion-diamond

That is a stunning OMB you found!! I am obsessed with those chunky facets - thank you so much!

 

[AGon1202]

FYI: J color antique cushion in platinum and the story of searching for the perfect 5c honker...interesting she chose a J color!

Remember...Cut is KING and a lower color well cut diamond can face up brighter than a not so well cut higher color.


I think this thread would be very helpful to make your decision:
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/leon-mege-antique-cushion.140739/

and here:
https://www.pricescope.com/blog/jewel-week-5-carat-cushion-cut-diamond-ring

Leon Mege antique cushion J color 5c in platinum halo.

Note the comparison of the J to her E color:

Read pg 3 where she compares it to her E color engagement ring and how long and hard they searched for her perfect stone:

Post by Thouarella » 14 Apr 2010 12:54
Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone!

It''s our 5th wedding anniversary, hence the 5 carat stone Image

Laila - thanks for adding it to the cushion thread.

jgny:
The dimensions are 9.95 x 9.61 x 6.71mm And I believe the OMC style stones face up smaller as well given their high crowns (someone correct me if I''m wrong on this). But I looked at a bunch and I vastly preferred the OMCs to the modern brilliants, plus I think this way the 5 carat isn''t too enormous (vs say a 5 carat RB).

We bought this stone from Leon just before he launched his diamond concierge service, so I don''t know if they will provide additional details now, but basically he sent me photos of the stone from all angles, set and unset and on a black and white background. No ASETs. It was rather a leap of faith to buy it without looking at it in person and without ASETs etc but at the end of the day we decided to trust his eye and we had just fallen in love with the faceting of the stone.

Before we decided on this one, we''d taken a look at stones at our local B&Ms, one who specialises in OMCs and another who flew in 5 stones from their sightholders in Israel. I''d also contacted all of the cushion specialists mentioned on this forum and gotten a stone flown out to me, though ultimately we decided not to go with that one. It is REALLY difficult to find a stone with the requirements we had (>5 carats, OMC or 8 pavillion mains, large culet, near 1:1 aspect ratio, eyeclean) and there were very few responses to our request both online and at the B&Ms. It was basically between this stone and the one that was flown out to us. Jon at GoodOldGood had offered to get an AVC cut but the prices of rough had gone up so much at the end of last year/beginning of this one, plus we didn''t want to have to wait!

So at the end of the day and after months of searching we decided to go ahead with Leon''s stone and I just love it. The J doesn''t bother me at all and mostly it looks icy white and I only notice a tiny bit of warmth very occasionally from certain angles (my e-ring is an E and there is a very slight difference but really not very much).

Leon did mention that now he''s set up this diamond concierge service that he''d rather find a good stone for his clients. He''ll still set stones from other dealers but I get the feeling that he preferred for us to buy a stone from him. Good thing we liked his stone best anyway.

gemgirl - I''m getting him a phenomenal watch. It isn''t our anniversary for a little while yet so he still has time to decide on his "dream" watch! I have a shortlist!

Thank you so much for showing me this thread! Her choice on color is so interesting and it looks AMAZING. That is my new favorite ring of all time.

 

[AGon1202]

i have seen MANY antique cushion in person that were shallow (less than 60% in depth) and OH MY GAH they were stunning. It's just about what you are after.

After years and years of looking at cushions (seriously...my brain must have a corner that is a cushion shaped diamond!) i 100% believe that this is one fancy cut (even more than all other fancy cuts!) where a paper means nothing. Some of the most stunning stones i have seen are terrible on paper but take your breath away in person- conversely some stones which from a report seemed promising just look dead when you see them IRL.

OP, did you call Leon about those cushions? Those really will get you close to the look you want, and his settings are super beautiful.

Good luck!

I agree! I have seen many cushions that are stunning despite their grades. It's a case by case situation, in my opinion.

I just called Leon a few moments ago so hopefully he comes back with something good for me! Thank you so much for your help!

 

[AGon1202]

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for your help! You have all given me such amazing options and information. I ended up purchasing the K color stone from James Allen
2.23 carats
K Color
VVS2
8.79 mm x 7.47 mm x 4.83 mm
Table 66.3%
Depth 64.7%
Price : $12,320

I received it in the mail today and it's dreamy! I really don't see much color in it at all in real life, maybe because of a great cut? Anyways, tell me what you think! Complete honesty, please! I contacted Leon Mege today to see if he could possibly find me something better, just in case. I want to make sure I exhaust all options.

 

[ariel144]

I really can't tell from the pictures. The one side looks darker than the other in all 3 pics. But if those facets are always turning off and on as the stone moves, it might just be the angle of the photos. The other side is very bright. What you see in real life is the most important thing. What is the facet pattern on your 2.3c K cert?
What were the gemologist's comments on your K's performance? The performance is what makes a diamond beautiful, and based on YOUR comments of how white it faces up it is amazing.

What price did Leon quote you on the 2.08 J VS1? It is an 8 main cushion brilliant with a medium culet.

Here's the price I found on the J $12,080. (www.buydiamonddirect.com)

2.08 J VS1 GIA 57.0 61 Very Thin Slightly Thick Medium Very Good Good Medium Blue 8.96x7.64x4.36 1.17:1.00 $12,080.64

Will be interesting to see the comments LM gives you on the 2.08 J....to see if it has that chunky faceting. Then you might have a dilemma on your hands.

Of course seeing them side by side would be the perfect scenario to which one you like better...they both face up the same size LARGE! HA!.

So happy you found an elongated cushion that you love! It will make a honker of a ring!

 

[ariel144]

i have seen MANY antique cushion in person that were shallow (less than 60% in depth) and OH MY GAH they were stunning. It's just about what you are after.

After years and years of looking at cushions (seriously...my brain must have a corner that is a cushion shaped diamond!) i 100% believe that this is one fancy cut (even more than all other fancy cuts!) where a paper means nothing. Some of the most stunning stones i have seen are terrible on paper but take your breath away in person- conversely some stones which from a report seemed promising just look dead when you see them IRL.

OP, did you call Leon about those cushions? Those really will get you close to the look you want, and his settings are super beautiful.

Good luck!

Thanks Dolly for the testimony on shallow cut cushions. Interesting to hear it from someone who has seen a lot of them in person and thinks they are amazing. I've also noticed that many ovals and pears have shallow cuts as well...especially the antique pear cuts...some I've seen are in the 40% depth range...yikes!

 

[AGon1202]

Thank you all so much for your help! I have decided to return the K color stone to James Allen. After studying the stone a bit more, I wasn't 100% sold on it so I decided to continue my search, which I am so glad I did. I am in the process of creating a custom halo with Leon Mege and I am very happy with my decision thus far!

Leon has sourced a gorgeous antique cushion for me:
2.19 ct
J/SI1
9.29 mm x 7.23 mm x 4.3 mm
Strong fluorescence

A video of the stone is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH7xcCUi_Zw

I am going for a look similar to the r7380 (https://www.leonmege.com/portfolio/shop-now/cushion-purple-spinel-ring-detail)

Can't wait to show you all the final product - hand shots and all - in return for all of your help and guidance