thoughts on this cushion...

[Ann]

I was browsing at BlueNile and was looking at cushions. I am trying to educate myself for an upcoming purchase. What do ya''ll think about this one? I know it is all about what your eye sees, but I need to know some basic dos and don''ts.

Cushion
4.01 F
VS1
10.44 x 8.20 x 5.54
1.26 ratio (love the shape and porportions)
Depth 66.8
Table 60.
Sym Good
Polish Good
Girdle Med to Extra Thick (not good,huh?)
Culet None
Flour. None

 

[Ann]

Have our cushion friendly experts disappeared? Or just a slow weekend?

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/16/2005 1299 PM
Author: Ann
Have our cushion friendly experts disappeared? Or just a slow weekend?

Well, perhaps 4 carat F/VS sounds scary from the start ?

This sounds like a pretty BIG decission.

Do cut details matter to you? Does brilliance count at all ? Does cost ? There lots of things these nubers do not tell.

The thick girdle eats allot of material at this weight, so you are right to call it not good. Perhaps not staright "no good" but not great anyway. A quarter carat up or down is easily hidden by cut around four carats.

Besides, this diamond is just a split hair above 4 carats. If you ever need it repolished it may end up nicely just under - not very good news just around a critical carat point...

All in all: there are reasons to look further, I think. And no reason at all not to have some real choice to consider. To me "real choice" means seeing the stones lined up - be it in person or at least via professional photography.

Just my 0.2, of course

 

[Ann]

Thanks Ana,

All of your points are reallly good. This is a huge investment, but one we have been talking about for years. Now I am ready, but scared I''ll make the wrong decision. Rectagular shaped cushions are hard to find on the net, I know. And I have contacted one vendor, but he asked me to wait til after the holidays to begin my search, which I am now thinking about starting up again. But, are there some basics for depth and table %''s for a rectagular cushions? From what I have tried to learn, it seems a table and depth should be around mid to high 60''s ? What if the stone has a table of 70% ? Would that be a clue not to even bother looking at it? I know the color and clarity ranges that I feel comfortable with, but the other numbers I feel uneducated about. I am hoping I can develop a trust with the jeweler I eventually decide to use. I had thought about using a jeweler in NYC, but that is a 3hr. plane trip for us. There is one jeweler in my city that I might contact. But I am leary because from all their posts on various forums, I have never seen them post about a cushion. I also want perfection in the setting. I originally wanted Leon Mege to make it, but I am hesitant because of the distance.

 

[valeria101]

What can I say... I am not 3 hours away but about 20 !

It may be hard to line up 4 carat cushion cut diamonds and learn those details in flesh, but less expensive diamonds can make a pretty good sample. You could get an idea of what those color and clarity grades look like on smaller stones lined up at a local store. I guess every detail is a bit more obvious on larger stones, but if a local 2 carat G looks fine to you in person and the idea of seeing some whif of inclusion in a crystal is not unbearable, than it would make sense to expand the range of the hunt a bit just because it is quite hard to locate a great piece starting with a narrow search.

Allot of cut models are called "cushion" - old mine cuts, modified radiants and modern cushion cuts (you may want to look up the story of "moremoremore" for one example of those)... It's all there. On a stone large enough to cover your finger, those details will show in a spectacular way. So will brilliance, and table & depth do not even start to tell the story of shape and brilliance. At least, not to me.

Anyway, infront of the screen there's little more than those numbers. So, yeah... couldn't resist to run a search and see what is listed out there anyway

Here's what I typed in for better or worse: depth 58-65, table: 50-65, girdle thin to slightly thick, length/width 1:1 to 1.4:1, color D-G, clarity IF-SI1, weight 3.5-4.5.

I wouldn't claim that makes more sense or that everything else is worse or anything, but those browsers call for numbers and that meant a reasonable start for me. If anyone would show me a charmer 80% deep I'd just look at the price tag any day. By numebrs... well, there's nothing to look at

Anyway, there were just THREE stones fitting in and one with strong fluorescence went off te list... which left one old mine cut (guessing the type 'cause it had "large culet" noted on the GIA report) and a squareish G/VVS. That's not allot to look at. If anything, I would have called the "large culet" in because I know I like the kind by default. But that is me. It may make sense for you to look around at whatever cushions there are and decide on some king too.

Honestly, Art of Platinum sounds like one choice hard to replace, and they seem open to working long distance (there were some happy experiences around).

Hope some of the rant makes sense; never tried to tell the story of a web search before

 

[valeria101]

I can't really picture the ring you have in mind - rectangular cushions are unsual... Is there some refference online ?
You must have seen this, I guess, but there are a few options on Pricescope record as well (Reena's ring by Leon Meje and other that I sort of remember)

 

[Ann]

Ana,

Yes, I have read MMM''s posts and Renna''s. I saw rect. cushions on some of Michael Beaudry''s work. Also DBOF had a thread over at DiamondTalk about them. I know that Daniel K uses them in some of their newer baubles. So, they do exist. But there is so little info on them on the web. I have googled modern brillant cushion so so many times. Most of the cushions I am finding on database inventory are squareish. On a rectagular cushion does ideal table and depth%''s differ from the squareish shapes? Seems as though David from Diamonds by Lauren said something about that in some thread-somewhere!?!

I know this is going to be tough. I wish I could have all PS''s holding my hand through this ordeal. I have been reading PS for 3 years (I think), though I don''t post much I do read everyday. Thanks Ana, I appreciate your input. Oh, and I love the Cartier ring you posted. That''s a whopper.
I do want the newer modern brillant cut. No culet like in an old mine cut.

 

[moremoremore]

4 carat F Vs1 cushion????????????? Does it get better than that???? Holy carp. Probably not!
Have you seen the stone? Do you love it? Who cares about the X thick girdle...that's much better than Xthin!!!! Just check to see where it's Xthick...is it faceted? You don't want it to look like a white chalk line....The depth and table look really good too...
I see that you say you want a modern brilliant stone. Is this one of them? 99.9% no (only b/c they have different depth and tables and b/c the modern brilliant stones will usually have at least VG/EX polish and symmetry)...BUT does that make it a bad stone? HELL NO!
Check out the GIA plot to get some idea of how the facets are cut...

I'll take this 4 ct F Vs1 for ya...we can swap!

P.S. I'm under the impression that there are a lot of rectangular cushions out there...Maybe I'm wrong. Also, just wanted to note that BlueNile has some agreement with the modern cutters, so except for a few on DBOF and niceice, they are all listed in B lueNile (but any vendor can get them b/c BN doesn't own the stones)

 

[Ann]

MMM

Ok, clue me in! So the depth and table are ok and the girdle, well it could be better I know. So if it was a new modern brillant cut then most likely it would be EX/EX ? I don''t think I have EVER seen a cushion listed like that. So now i suspect the one listed at BN is probably not a modern brillant. I have not seen it.

I guess I''ll book a flight to NYC. Hotel ideas near Mark? Thanks to all.

 

[SquareCut]

A cushion can still be modern brilliant without ex/ex. Just like not all round brilliants are ex/ex or ideal. Moremoremore has acheived perfection with her ex/ex cushion!

 

[moremoremore]

You're totally right square cut...there are 'modern' stones out there with less. (and when I say modern, I don't mean stones cut recently, but the new cushions cut with awesome precision...for lack of a matter descritption...DBOF and GOG uses the term too under the cushion stone it pictures on its site)
But my point is, that for the most part, the 'modern' stones are cut with certain depths and tables and a lot of them have EX or VG....they also have different facet patterns than traditional cuts. That's what makes them different from the traditional cushions...they are cut with greater precision. You'll also see that DBOF's 'modern' selection have ex/ex and so do those offered by niceice....

GOG has some info on the cushion. He gives you the common facet patterns for traditional cushions here. (it's interesting that GOG pictures a modern stone but ignores it's facet pattern...maybe b/c it looks very much like the H&A cushion facet pattern in the plot anyway)
http://www.goodoldgold.com/cushion.htm

Here is the 'modern' stone!

BUT, I'll gladly trade Ann my stone for this 4 cushion!!!!

I'm sure it's drop dead.