What to look for in a cushion?

[kateh]

So, the search has seriously begun. I had no idea how much of a process this would be! I am going to some jewelers this weekend, and wondering if there are any questions I should ask? Are there certain things to look for/avoid?

I''ve run some searches on the internet... The prices for a 2-2.5 carat cushion seem pretty consistent. Is it cheaper to buy over the internet as opposed to buying in person?

I would like to know what to look for before I sit down with anyone that way I don''t sound like I have no idea what I''m talking about...

 

[Maxine]

Until some of the cushion lovers and pros come on board today, you could do a search by putting in "cushion" in the search box, and you will come up with lots of threads that address your question, also................Happy Reading.....

 

[moremoremore]

I thought finding a princess was hard...LOL

My advice is this- PICK A GOOD VENDOR!!! Who can see the stones within your given parameters and call in a few for you.

You want to avoid picking by the numbers blindly b/c honestly, that is probably a waste of time (although I got lucky with mine...I picked it off of blue nile and had Mark get it for me and it was a keeper)

 

[Orange]

I recently concluded my own cushion search. I'm far from an expert, but here's my advice.

First, look for your personal preferences. Do you like smaller, more "brilliant" pavillion facets, or do you prefer a chunkier look? Do you mind an open culet? Do you like more elongated or more square shapes?

The metric I paid closest attention to was spread. Even among cushions with the same weight, spread varies tremendously. Mostly, spread is lost in high depth, or in particularly thick girdles. Try to look at stones with a depth between 58%-68% and with girdles in the thin-thick range (medium is ideal-- not very thin or very thick). I wanted a 2 ct stone, and I knew 2ct rounds had a little over 8mm length and width, so I sought the same dimensions in a cushion. Since I was looking for a rectangular shape, I mainly looked at stones with a length of over 8mm and a width of over 7mm. After looking at several stones, I narrowed down my desired length to width ratio to 1.08-1.16mm.

Also, the cushions I saw with smaller tables really stood out. Just something else to keep in mind.