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Thoughts on Cushion Cut

S

ssimon86

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 27, 2014
Messages
27
Hi Everyone,
Been on the diamond hunt for a little while now. My girlfriend originally wanted a radiant stone, but now after seeing this cushion, is interested in cushions as well (potentially this one). I originally want a 2+ ct stone (was hoping for mid twos), but like how this stone faces up large. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the below stone. Thanks in advance!

Cut: Cushion Brilliant
Color: F
Clarity SI1 (eye clean)
Size: 1.9
Dimensions:7.96 - 7.25 x 4.52
Depth 62%
Table 61 %
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Very Good

http://oi61.tinypic.com/jubmsp.jpg
http://oi60.tinypic.com/fw64jq.jpg
http://oi59.tinypic.com/2hyearn.jpg
http://oi59.tinypic.com/30mo77l.jpg
 
ssimon86|1401070011|3680037 said:
Hi Everyone,
Been on the diamond hunt for a little while now. My girlfriend originally wanted a radiant stone, but now after seeing this cushion, is interested in cushions as well (potentially this one). I originally want a 2+ ct stone (was hoping for mid twos), but like how this stone faces up large. I just wanted to get your thoughts on the below stone. Thanks in advance!

Cut: Cushion Brilliant
Color: F
Clarity SI1 (eye clean)
Size: 1.9
Dimensions:7.96 - 7.25 x 4.52
Depth 62%
Table 61 %
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Very Good

http://oi61.tinypic.com/jubmsp.jpg
http://oi60.tinypic.com/fw64jq.jpg
http://oi59.tinypic.com/2hyearn.jpg
http://oi59.tinypic.com/30mo77l.jpg
Click to expand...


Hi ssimon,

It looks like it might have possibilities but we can't really judge without a lot more info unfortunately and without knowing the price and who has it for sale, is it for sale online or from a jewellery store? Although it's hard to tell from a photo, this cushion appears to have what is called a ' crushed ice' effect from looking at the internal faceting but I can't really judge properly from the photos, that type of appearance isn't to my personal taste but you might be ok with that.

I take it the stone has a GIA report? Would you be able to upload a copy of the report so we can see the type of faceting pattern and all the other info on it please? Also, cushions vary tremendously in type and appearance, this cushion looks to be the modern variety, is that what you like best out of the various cushion types available? You might be aware of the importance of cut quality and the difference it makes to the beauty of the stone. Thankfully, with images such as ASET, and other analysis, it is much easier to judge the beauty and performance of fancy shapes, do you have or can you obtain a reflector image such as ASET for this diamond?

With your colour and clarity specs, unless you wanted as white as possible, you could consider G - I or even J colour if the cut was of good quality and maximize size that way, SI clarity is certainly a good place to look providing any diamond is verified eye clean to your standards by a trusted vendor.

If you could give us the price and the other info above we need, then we can offer opinions, also if you give us an idea of budget, we would gladly have a look to see what else might be available for your budget.

I hope this helps to begin with!
 
Buying a fancy cut without information other than clarity and color =especially on line from a mystery seller is like buying a car and not looking under the hood.
 
lambskin|1401106784|3680251 said:
Buying a fancy cut without information other than clarity and color =especially on line from a mystery seller is like buying a car and not looking under the hood.
Click to expand...


In a nutshell Lamb, or under the bonnet if you are a Brit. :tongue:
 
Hi All,
Thanks so much for the replies! This is from a somewhat local diamond dealer whom I know personally, and has a great reputation (I've seen them mentioned a few times of pricescope as well). I actually got to see the diamond in person and it was me who took the picture of the diamond on my girlfriends hand :-). I've seen stones with the crushed ice, and watery crushed ice effect and this looked a lot more brilliant and chunky than those. As I mentioned, my girlfriend likes radiants, so having the smaller facets might be more up her alley as well. When seeing this in person, I felt that the facets were definitely on the chunkier side for a slightly rectangular stone (of course, not compared to an AVC).

I totally understand what you mean by sacrificing color for size. No, I don't have my heart set on colorless, but don't really feel comfortable dropping below the H range. In this case, I am ok with the carat size just because it seems to have a great spread. When looking online, it appeared that I would have to hit the 2.4 range before seeing a comparable spread.

I believe this is classified as a "cushion brilliant", which is somewhat rare from what I've read. I still want to compare the stone side by side with some other, larger stones, but wanted to get your thoughts as to whether this appears to be a good option, and if not, what I should be looking for. I'm still working out final pricing, but it is listed at 17,500. My budget is in the 20K range.

Here is a copy of the GIA report.

http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?pagename=GST%2FDispatcher&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&c=Page&cid=1355954554547&reportno=7161785952

Here is also a super short video I took.. probably not the best, but hopefully adds some context :-). http://vimeo.com/96502505

Thanks so much again!
 
ssimon86|1401117591|3680335 said:
Hi All,
Thanks so much for the replies! This is from a somewhat local diamond dealer whom I know personally, and has a great reputation (I've seen them mentioned a few times of pricescope as well). I actually got to see the diamond in person and it was me who took the picture of the diamond on my girlfriends hand :-). I've seen stones with the crushed ice, and watery crushed ice effect and this looked a lot more brilliant and chunky than those. As I mentioned, my girlfriend likes radiants, so having the smaller facets might be more up her alley as well. When seeing this in person, I felt that the facets were definitely on the chunkier side for a slightly rectangular stone (of course, not compared to an AVC).

I totally understand what you mean by sacrificing color for size. No, I don't have my heart set on colorless, but don't really feel comfortable dropping below the H range. In this case, I am ok with the carat size just because it seems to have a great spread. When looking online, it appeared that I would have to hit the 2.4 range before seeing a comparable spread.

I believe this is classified as a "cushion brilliant", which is somewhat rare from what I've read. I still want to compare the stone side by side with some other, larger stones, but wanted to get your thoughts as to whether this appears to be a good option, and if not, what I should be looking for. I'm still working out final pricing, but it is listed at 17,500. My budget is in the 20K range.

Here is a copy of the GIA report.

http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?pagename=GST%2FDispatcher&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FReportCheck&c=Page&cid=1355954554547&reportno=7161785952

Here is also a super short video I took.. probably not the best, but hopefully adds some context :-). http://vimeo.com/96502505

Thanks so much again!
Click to expand...

You are welcome, we are glad to help!

From reading your post above, I can definitely tell you have spent considerable time researching this purchase and you have a good idea of what to look for, that this stone appears to fit your criteria is a definite positive. Spread can be tricky to evaluate in fancy shapes, that this has a large spread and has everything else you want, then again, another positive. Also that the vendor has a great rep to you personally and here is yet another plus. I think your plan is wise, compare with some others before you decide, it is a very nice cushion from what I can see, plus it is a cushion brilliant which some definitely favour, it's worth shortlisting I believe for potential purchase if you both love this diamond.

I would also just mention, rereading your posts and referring back to your old threads, are you sure your GF would rather have a cushion than a radiant or is she happy with either now?
 
Thanks again for your feedback! I am going to see if they can pull any ASET images and what not, but from what you can tell, does it have adequate light performance? I feel like my pictures didn't do the stone justice as my girlfriend didn't love the stone when I showed her the pictures, but really thought it sparkled when seeing it in person.

I definitely want to compare it to some additional stones, but what are your thoughts in regards to if I can do better within my budget? The good news (for me at least) is that the stone is already under budget, however, I'm curious what I can get as I get closer to (or slightly above) my cap. Can I get a stone with superior light performance, can I go larger and if so, will size really matter since this one spreads so well? I have a hard time paying additional money for a larger stone if it will look similar on her finger :-). If increasing the size may improve light performance, that's another story! I was able to compare this stone with a cushion similar to the Tiffany novo (8 main I believe?), and while the other stone definitely sparkled more, my girlfriend preferred this one because it is rectangular.

To answer your question, it sounds like my girlfriend is open to cushions now as long as they are rectangular. She really liked the Tiffany Lucida, but as I did more research and showed her videos online, she started to prefer the stones with chunkier facets. I'd like to compare this stone to a vintage cushion cut, however, I feel like this one might be a good compromise between a radiant and an AVC which might be too chunky for her. On the other hand, I've read that cushion brilliants are a bit rare and unique, but should the fact that this is classified as a cushion brilliant affect my decision?

I'm also open to any other advice you all have for me. Thanks so much again... I'd be lost without pricescope :shock: .
 
This is a 4 main cushion brilliant, the Novo is 8 main. Novo is moderately fast scintillation, this may be too slow for her.
 
Thanks as always for the reply, Julie. Would the 8 main have smaller facets? My girlfriend has come to like a little more of the chunkier look. Do they cut 8 main with a rectangular ratio? The one I compared this stone to was a perfect square, which my girlfriend doesn't want. If so, it may be worth seeing if I can compare it against something like that.

What do you think of the pictures/specs I posted? Does it seem like a good stone to put on my short list?

Also, what are all of your thoughts on cushion brilliants as I'm having a hard time finding a lot of information regarding them aside from the cut properties. Are they really hard to find... did I come across a "needle in a haystack"? If they are rare, it is because cutters must sacrifice additional stone to achieve this cut? Also, for GIA to classify a stone as a "cushion brilliant", must it be cut really well, or is it entirely dependent on the cut properties (e.g. are there really crappy brilliants).

Thanks again everyone.
 
They do cut rectangular 8 main cushion brilliant... but they are usually antique style or not very well cut.

Brilliant, without the modified, means that the mains stretch from the the bottom of the stone all the way to the girdle. Modified means that the mains do not reach the girdle. Look at the GIA pavilion plots, you will see the difference.

A 4 main brilliant looks more or less the same as a 4 main modified brilliant.
 
Thanks Julie. Do you have any opinions of the stone based off of the pictures? Any likes/dislikes?
 
Thanks for looking, Julie! My girlfriend seemed to like this stone compared to the 8-main we looked at, however, it may have been because it is square :-). I think my girlfriend is leaning toward a stone that is a bit more chunky than the Lucida she originally wanted :-).

Do you think that this diamond is worth while in terms of light performance? Do you think the GOG diamonds blow this one out of the water, or is it tough to tell due to lighting conditions and what not? I have the opportunity to have them pull in a few different stones to compare, so I'm curious if there are any "improvements" I should see if they can find. I may see if they can find a good antique cut, but I'm not sure if my girlfriend will like how chunky it is, and from what I can tell, they are significantly more expensive. Thanks again!
 
It is probably very nice, I just don't think it is anything particularly special, and you could find a larger stone that looks similar to that, if you want.

If she loves it, great. It doesn't sound like she loves it.
 
Thanks for the opinion Julie! My question is, is it worth the extra money if it is going to have a similar size facing up? If I am going to spend more money, it would be to improve the light performance while maintaining a similar size. Alternatively, what are the chances of finding a 2.3ish ct that looks good spreads closer to a 2.7 ;-)?
 
Ah, I forgot about that. It does seem that cushion brilliants sometimes have better spread than cushion modifieds, and from the dimensions it seems to be comparable to many cushions in the low 2 cts.

I think it is a very nice size on her finger in the photos.
 
Thanks, Julie. When you say low 2s, do you mean the 2.3 range or so (because that's what i've been seeing)? I agree that the size looks good on her finger.

It sounds like the jewler is headed to the trade show in vegas this weekend, so I'm wondering if it is worth asking them to find a well cut stone in the mid 2 range that spreads well (I'm assuming I will have to sacrifice color in this case). If I do this, I risk them selling this current stone, but maybe thats the best option since I am still relatively early in the process? Am I getting too picky :-)?
 
Something between 2 and 2.3? It depends on the cut, you cannot say "around 2.3" because there are many different ways of cutting cushions, it isn't quite as standardized as rounds.
 
Got it. What are your thoughts on asking them to keep an eye out at an upcoming show? I feel like it may be a good opportunity to find something better/unique since they will be able to hand select some stones. Is it worth risking losing out on this stone if I ask them to do this?
 
JCK is this week(end?) so unless you think you will lose it in one week? Maybe you can ask your jeweler to buy an ASET scope while he is there, or to buy one for you?
 
Not a bad idea. I believe he has one, so I'll ask if he can send images. Do you assume they will have a wide selection of stones to look at there? Anything in particular you would advise them to look out for if you were me?
 
Sorry, I have no idea. Probably something you can ask your jeweler.
 
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