Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round?

[Cosmo8254]

Hi all!
I am looking for an engagement ring on a budget-- $4000 for the diamond and the setting. From reading around (a lot!) on this forum, I've gathered that a)round brilliants tend to face up larger than cushions BUT b)cushions tend to cost less per carat than rounds. My first question is, how much do these two balance out? If you're going to spend, say, $3200 on the stone, will you do better with a round or cushion? I love the look of a square cushion, but I'm wondering if I might be able to get a similar look with better value if I got a round and put it in a setting that might make it look more square. Especially since the stone will be <1 carat... I'd like to maximize the size of the stone while still maintaining sparkliness

Thoughts???

 

[maxs.memo]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

In my opinion, cushions look like someone took a clean round brilliant diamond and punched it really hard

To each his or her own! I'm sure she'll say yes either way! Best of luck from one stressed proposer to another.

 

[pixgirl]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Thanks Maximus, from all cushion lovers.

 

[UrsTx]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

I love both shapes - I had a cushion and then upgraded into a round. Poking around online, acknowledging I have no idea on the color, clarity, etc you'd want, you can buy a larger cushion cut (maybe a .7 ct) in your budget range than a round (maybe a .5 ct). Or to view it another way, if you looked at .5 ct in both shapes, the cushion would most likely cost less. Hate that I have to be so general about it but tweaking things like color, etc changes the prices. Check out some online vendors' diamond search databases to compare size vs price to get a better idea.

I think cushions are a good cross between a princess and a round. A very romantic shape.

 

[msop04]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Thanks Maximus, from all cushion lovers.

For real!

If the question is "which stone faces up larger," then the answer is round, so you would get more "look" for the money. Rounds may cost more per carat than cushions, but they also look larger per carat. I love both, but I'm a sucker for a round because I'm a size whore.

Also, rounds have better optics (give off more light) than cushions.

 

[msop04]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

I love both shapes - I had a cushion and then upgraded into a round. Poking around online, acknowledging I have no idea on the color, clarity, etc you'd want, you can buy a larger cushion cut (maybe a .7 ct) in your budget range than a round (maybe a .5 ct). Or to view it another way, if you looked at .5 ct in both shapes, the cushion would most likely cost less. Hate that I have to be so general about it but tweaking things like color, etc changes the prices. Check out some online vendors' diamond search databases to compare size vs price to get a better idea.

I think cushions are a good cross between a princess and a round. A very romantic shape.

It's true that you can buy a higher carat weight in cushion than a round for the same price (if all things equal), but the round in the same carat weight will look larger. 0.5 round > 0.5 cushion (size)... sometimes 0.5 round > 0.7 cushion. It depends on the dimensions. Therefore, the consensus is that rounds are a better value... if you don't favor one look over the other.

 

[lovebug1031]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Thanks Maximus, from all cushion lovers.

For real!

If the question is "which stone faces up larger," then the answer is round, so you would get more "look" for the money. Rounds may cost more per carat than cushions, but they also look larger per carat. I love both, but I'm a sucker for a round because I'm a size whore.

Also, rounds have better optics (give off more light) than cushions.

depends what type of cushion they get, no? AVC's give off quite a bit!

 

[lovebug1031]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Thanks Maximus, from all cushion lovers.

For real!

If the question is "which stone faces up larger," then the answer is round, so you would get more "look" for the money. Rounds may cost more per carat than cushions, but they also look larger per carat. I love both, but I'm a sucker for a round because I'm a size whore.

Also, rounds have better optics (give off more light) than cushions.

depends what type of cushion they get, no? AVC's give off quite a bit!

 

[msop04]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Thanks Maximus, from all cushion lovers.

For real!

If the question is "which stone faces up larger," then the answer is round, so you would get more "look" for the money. Rounds may cost more per carat than cushions, but they also look larger per carat. I love both, but I'm a sucker for a round because I'm a size whore.

Also, rounds have better optics (give off more light) than cushions.

depends what type of cushion they get, no? AVC's give off quite a bit!

This is true, lovebug. AVC's are gorgeous and give off more light than "crushed ice" varieties for sure, but MRB's give off the most IMO, simply due to the faceting. I guess it really depends on what type faceting you like though. Also, you would have to get an AVC of a good bit larger carat weight to have the surface area of a smaller weight round. (for example, a 3 carat AVC may face up about the same size as a 2 carat round) -- of course this is dependent on the dimensions of the cushion.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

With that budget, you need to go with an ideal cut round. Then maybe later you can put it in a halo setting to increase the size appearance. I love cushion shape halos on a round. But you should spend the full amount on the diamond and leave $300 for a basic solitaire setting.

You can get something like this:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10646/

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2983073.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2938288.htm

 

[msop04]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

With that budget, you need to go with an ideal cut round. Then maybe later you can put it in a halo setting to increase the size appearance. I love cushion shape halos on a round. But you should spend the full amount on the diamond and leave $300 for a basic solitaire setting.

You can get something like this:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/10646/

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2983073.htm

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut-loose-diamond-2938288.htm

I think this is a really good idea! (...and I love a cushion shaped halo on a round, too -- I'm a little biased. ) I will always lean towards putting as much of the budget into the stone as possible with a classic solitaire setting. I really love the middle stone.

 

[sakari_8]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

I agree with msop04. It is always wise to put in more dollars for the diamond and get a basic solitaire ring which is inexpensive, more famous, and gives a distinct look.

 

[RockyRacoon]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Here are a couple of options that would offer a very respectable e-ring -

If you go with this, you will have over $500 left to get a nice setting:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.711-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104064190002

If you go with this, you may have to up your budget a small amount to get a proper setting:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.751-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104066186028

 

[msop04]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Here are a couple of options that would offer a very respectable e-ring -

If you go with this, you will have over $500 left to get a nice setting:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/d...0.711-h-vs1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104064190002

If you go with this, you may have to up your budget a small amount to get a proper setting:
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamonds/diamond-details/0.751-f-si1-round-diamond-ags-bl-104066186028

The H/VS1 is a really great value.

 

[Cosmo8254]

Re: Which is more budget friendly overall-- cushion or round

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful. It sounds like I will be able to get "more" (visually) for the money with a round.