Cushion Cut Diamond – A Complete Detail
Cushion Cut Diamond: Vintage with a Modern Touch
The cushion cut diamonds were once called the old Mine cut diamonds, and now, with the combination of modern and brilliant-cut, it is one of the famous cuts of diamond. The cushion-cut diamond has round corners with larger facets. It’s much like a Pillow shape. The cushion-cut diamonds give more of a traditional or vintage vibe when they are paired with the right details.
The most interesting fact about the cushion cut diamond is that they have more fire than any other cut. They come in both square and rectangular shapes. This cut of a diamond is less classic but more of a romantic and antique feel with a modern touch.
Cushion Cut Diamonds: Pros & Cons
There are both Pros and cons to the cushion cut diamond shapes. Understand and know if the cushion cut is correct for your selection:
Pros:
- The cushion cut diamonds provide a high level of brilliance and Fire.
- Vintage look with Modern Touch.
- The cushion-cut diamonds are very good at hiding imperfections.
- Unique shape, which is getting popular these days for engagement Rings.
- Less costly than the Round Shape for the same carat weight.
- Provides more fire than any other shape.
Cons:
- Due to the bigger table, the colour can be seen easily with the lower-grade diamonds. Like if we go for J colored graded diamond, the colour in the diamond will be visible.
- Confusion can be created due to the different varieties of cushion cuts available, i.e., standard cut, modified cuts, etc.
- Can face some difficulty while finding a better rectangular shape high-grade diamond.
Understand the 4C’s: Cushion Cut Diamond
1. Cut:
The cut is an important part of every diamond. This refers to the way that the diamonds are cut as they’re transformed from a rough stone into a brilliant gem. The Modern cushions are now classified into two standard and modified cuts.
a.) The standard cushion cut diamond is considered to be like the old mine cut, which brings the antique feel with a classic shape. The old mine cut usually has the smaller table with the bigger facets and with more rounded sides.
b.) The modified cushion cut diamond is made while taking into account the close detailing of the round brilliant cut. With the help of a bigger table and more facets, it portrays a more brilliant fire appearance.
There is a chart below that helps you when you want to buy a cushion cut diamond, and you want to understand the cut of the particular diamond.
| EXCELLENT | VERY GOOD | GOOD | FAIR | POOR | |
| Table % | 61 – 67 | 58 – 60 or 68 – 70 |
56 – 57 or 71 |
54 – 55 or 72 – 73 |
< 54 or > 73 |
| Depth % | 61 – 67 | 58 – 60.9 or 67.1 – 70 |
56 – 57.9 or 70.1 – 71 |
54 – 55.9 or 71.1 – 73 |
< 54 or > 73 |
| Girdle | Very Thin – Slightly Thick | Very Thin to Thick |
Very Thin to Very Thick |
Ex. Thin to Ex. Thick |
|
| Culet | None | Very Small | Small | Medium | > Medium |
Cushion Cut Diamond – Length to Width Guide
| EXCELLENT | VERY GOOD | GOOD | FAIR | POOR | |
| Square | 1.00 – 1.03 | 1.04 – 1.05 | 1.06 – 1.08 | > 1.08 | |
| Rectangle | 1.15 – 1.20 | 1.10 – 1.14 or 1.21 – 1.30 | 1.08 – 1.09 or 1.31 – 1.50 |
< 1.08 or > 1.50 |
2. Colour:
As in cushion-cut diamond, there are varieties of colour shades available. Like from D-Z, where D is the highest graded colour and Z is the last graded colour. Selecting the colour for the cushion-cut diamond is very important, as it will show more color than any other diamond cut. As we discussed earlier, J colour will show a more dark colour in cushion cut than the round cut.
We recommend that if you want a white shade diamond or a near-colourless diamond, you can go with the H colour or, even better, maybe the G colour.
3. Clarity:
Deciding the clarity can be subjective, as some may have a budget constraint or a colour or cut preference over clarity. There are many different clarity grades that are differently graded by different laboratories in the world.
Our recommendation is like, if we want a diamond in some budget, then we can go either go for the H colour with Very good cut and Si1 clarity reason behind this is the H color will be a colourless diamond and with Si1 clarity, the imperfections can be on the sides which can be hidden, and it can come in my budget as well.
4. Carat:
There are many options for cushion-cut diamonds when it comes to carat. It’s because the fancy shapes of diamonds i.e., cushion, princess, marquise, etc., can differ in shape and size with the same carat weight. The rectangular cushion-cut diamonds will appear larger than the square cushion-cut cut. This is because of the larger surface area of the cut.
