Square H&A vs. Antique Cushion

[brandonman22]

I''m confused, what do you mean the Square H&A faces up smaller than the Novo? Does that mean that a 1ct H&A appears smaller than a cushion that''s 1ct?

 

[pixley]

Square H&A''s usually range in the 70s for depth whereas many (but not all) cushion depth percantages are in the 60s, therefore, you''d be giving up a little bit of spread for similar carat weight due to the depth required to get the square H&A cut. Square H&As are also more $$$ due to the time and precision it takes to cut them.

 

[brandonman22]

Date: 2/28/2008 2:56:53 PM
Author: pixley
Square H&A''s usually range in the 70s for depth whereas many (but not all) cushion depth percantages are in the 60s, therefore, you''d be giving up a little bit of spread for similar carat weight due to the depth required to get the square H&A cut. Square H&As are also more $$$ due to the time and precision it takes to cut them.

Great, thanks! I''ve been told before but what is the average depth percentage for cushion cut diamonds?

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/28/2008 4:07:20 PM
Author: brandonman22

Date: 2/28/2008 2:56:53 PM

Author: pixley

Square H&A''s usually range in the 70s for depth whereas many (but not all) cushion depth percantages are in the 60s, therefore, you''d be giving up a little bit of spread for similar carat weight due to the depth required to get the square H&A cut. Square H&As are also more $$$ due to the time and precision it takes to cut them.

Great, thanks! I''ve been told before but what is the average depth percentage for cushion cut diamonds?

their isn''t really any average depth. But many folks prefer to try and find them in the mid 60''s if they can. cushions are judged and loved based on beauty and cut, if you want size there are other shapes that do a much better job of looking big.

 

[pixley]

I''ve noticed that most, but not all, of the cushions around here have depths in the 60''s. When Mark was helping me search for mine, he recommended not going below 59% depth, but there are a handful of PSers who have stones that are shallower than that and still look lovely. If you get into the 70''s you''ll be sacrificing spread, which might be alright if you''re considering a huge antique cushion with a nice high crown, but in the smaller sizes, I wouldn''t want something that deep.

 

[chrono]

I agree with what Pixley and MrsS mentioned above but if you want your diamond to look like the Novo, then the square H&A is a dead match for the Novo. The Square H&A has the hearts and arrow, much like the Novo, and Jon''s stones are all top performers. Every single Square H&A that he carries are great stones so you don''t have to worry about buying a dud. You can also get away with lower colour and clarity on these stones. However, there is a slight mark up since these are branded diamonds.

As for cushions, to find a sparkly one is much harder. There is no set criteria, so you have to eliminate by the numbers, then pay for shipping the stone in to run tests (and hope that it is THE stone), unless you stick with in-house diamonds which only GOG has or ERD finds one for you. You also might need higher colour and clarity too, compared to the square H&A. The plus side with an antique cushion is that they are probably cheaper than the Square H&A, but once you take the higher colour and clarity needed into consideration, it might end up a wash. Also, sometimes cushions are cut in the mid 60s depth but not always. If you want an antique cushion, then chances are the depth will be in the high 60s.

 

[kcoursolle]

If you can swing it, I''d get a H&A stone. This cut is about as close as you are going to be able to get to the novo without going to tiffanys. It also has top notch light performance!!