Buying a Cushion Cut Diamond.

First developed in the early 1900’s, the Cushion Cut diamond shape has soared in popularity over the past decade. The modern day cushion is a descendant of the Old Mine Cut. When cut properly, a Cushion Cut diamond can be breathtaking.

Cushion cut diamonds have rounded corners and 58 brilliant-style facets working together to create a soft, pillow-like shape.

Selecting a truly beautiful Cushion Cut diamond should require the assistance of an expert in the diamond industry, as a lot of these shapes tend to be asymmetrical or carry too much weight underneath the stone. Whereas a Round Brilliant diamond has a lot of science behind the ‘proper’ depth and table ratios, a Cushion Cut diamond is more of a 50/50 mixture of science and art. Each Cushion Cut diamond has it’s own personality with some being more ‘pillowy’ on top, softer or more-pronounced in the corners, varying table size, etc. Overall, the talent of the cutter is the #1 factor behind the brilliance and beauty of the diamond.

There are many factors that should be considered when purchasing a Cushion Cut diamond and they ALL boil down to one thing –  there is ALWAYS a reason for every price.

Find Cushion Cut Diamonds

Here is a recent example that we worked on… a client was looking at another diamond wholesaler’s 2.09 carat Cushion Cut diamond that measured 7.60 x 7.35 mm with a depth of 68.8%. At first, he was excited about being able to buy a weight of over 2.00 carats as the center diamond in his girlfriend’s diamond engagement ring.  What he quickly learned through our education was that these measurements and depth percentage make for a small Cushion Cut diamond.   In fact, that 2.09 stone was noticeable smaller that our 1.90 carat, which measured 8.05 x 7.18 mm and had a depth of 65.9%.  Not only did our client end up getting a larger diamond in terms of the ‘spread’ or ‘look’ of the stone, but he saved money too.

Another factor to consider are ‘cut grades’ on Cushion Cut diamond certificates. It is our opinion that cut grades on certificates for Cushion Cut diamonds should NOT be factored into exactly how beautiful the stone will appear to the naked eye. Often times a polish-symmetry of Good-Good can be more brilliant that an Excellent-Excellent.  This is just another reason why it is so important to be guided by a true industry expert while selecting your diamond.

Together with our partners, the Ascot group has been in the diamond business for over 40 years. Our specialty is servicing the discerning buyer who wants a selection of the best diamonds in Atlanta, Dallas TX, New York and D.C. at prices competitive with any source. In fact, less than 5% of the world’s cut diamonds qualify for our inventory so you can rest assured that you will be only be selecting from the finest examples of each grade.