The Most Important Questions You Should Ask Before Buying Cushion Cut Diamond Jewellery
Whether you’re looking to invest in diamonds or cushion-cut diamond jewellery, there are several questions you need to ask yourself before making your purchase.
You’re shopping for cushion-cut diamond jewellery online. You’ve found some beautiful pieces that you’d love to own. But the fear that you might get ripped off when you eventually hand over your hard-earned cash is the one thing stopping you from making a purchase. In this article, we’ll answer the most important questions you should ask before buying cushion-cut diamond jewellery.
In this article, we will talk about diamond jewellery with cushion cut stones.
What is a Cushion Cut Diamond?
In diamond-cutting terminology, a cushion cut refers to a diamond with a rounded square shape. The shape is a softened square, much like the cushion on a sofa; this similarity is where the name for this diamond shape is derived.
This type of stone is easier to cut and makes for a cleaner, more brilliant diamond when set into jewellery. The profile of a cushion-cut diamond is flatter than the classic round brilliant shape. The visual effect of the cushion cut is that it tends to look larger than the same carat weight round brilliant cut diamond. In purely economic terms, this means that you get a larger-looking diamond for the same price as a round diamond.
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Cushion Cut Diamonds – Pros & Cons
All diamond shapes have advantages and disadvantages. Before buying cushion cut diamond jewellery, think carefully about both the pros and cons of cushion cut diamonds!
Cushion cut diamond advantages
• This diamond shape has a high degree of brilliance and fire, reflecting both coloured and white light very well.
• A cushion cut diamond is an ideal blend of vintage style and modern design sensibilities, meaning that it will be a popular and long-lasting choice in any piece of fine jewellery.
• The cushion cut is still a somewhat unusual choice for an engagement ring. Over 70% of engagement rings in the UK use a round cut diamond. A cushion cut will set your ring apart from the crowd!
• Although cushion diamonds have been available for many decades, they are becoming steadily more popular. For example, they have become the most popular choice for engagement rings in the United States.
• The rounded edges and corners of the diamond make for a durable diamond that will resist impact very well. This makes the cushion cut an ideal choice for a piece of jewellery that will be worn daily.
• Cushion cut diamonds are usually less expensive per carat than round cut diamonds. This makes it easier to buy a larger-looking diamond on a restricted budget.
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Cushion cut diamond disadvantages
• The cushion cut shape shows any yellow hue better than some other shapes. This means you cannot compromise too far regarding the colour grade.
• The relatively large table (the flat top surface of the diamond) makes internal imperfections more easily visible. An open table means imperfections can be easier to see. It is unwise to compromise too much regarding the diamond's clarity grade.
• Cushion cut diamonds are often associated with several terms that can easily cause confusion for buyers. For example, chunky cushion, classic cushion or modified cushion. In general, for most buyers, these terms can be ignored. A wise choice can be made based on personal preferences and the 4Cs of colour, clarity, carat weight and cut quality.
Standard And Modified Cushion Cut Diamonds
When you visit jewellers or look at jewellery retailers online, you may come across standard and modified terms used to describe cushion cut diamonds. There is not very much real difference between the two types; you will not notice much difference if any. Standard cushion cut diamonds are cut using cutting styles that have been used for longer than the modified styles. Some modified styles have been patented or trademarked and are sold at a premium price that is not reflected in the quality of the product - that is, it is not worth spending extra to buy a trademarked modified cut diamond!
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Cushion Cut Diamond Colour Grading
Most diamonds are not entirely colourless. Those graded as completely colourless are very rare and very costly. However, cushion cut diamonds, because of their relatively deep pavilion (the distance between the girdle, the widest part of the diamond and its bottom), tend to retain colour to a greater degree than shapes with a shallower pavilion. For this reason, purchasing a diamond with a colour grading lower than an H grade is unwise. Most of our cushion cut diamonds are of G colour grade or better.
Cushion Cut Diamond Clarity Grading
Because the cushion cut diamond has a relatively large table, the flat top surface of the diamond, one can more easily see inside the diamond and view imperfections. While this is one of the attractions of the cushion cut, buyers should try to buy diamonds that do not have easily visible internal flaws. We recommend buying a diamond with a clarity grade of SI or better. This is our sweet spot for most diamonds regarding value for money against quality. An SI cushion cut diamond can be expected to be 'eye clean'; it displays no visible imperfections when viewed under normal conditions. Under magnification, there may be visible flaws, but who carries a magnifying glass in their pocket to examine a lady's jewellery?
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Cushion Cut Diamond Cut Quality Grading
The cut quality of a cushion cut diamond is hard to describe in numbers and a grading certificate. That is because of the soft-sided shape. However, when you look at the diamond grading certificate, where one is provided, look out for the rating for symmetry and polish. Both these parameters should be at least 'very good'. The proportions of a cushion cut diamond can be fairly broad. Again, if you like the look of the diamond in its setting, that is the strongest indication that the diamond is satisfactory. However, you might look for diamonds with a depth-to-width ratio of around 70% and a table that is less than 70% of the girdle.
Cushion Cut Diamonds Compared To Round Cut Diamonds
Many buyers choose between round and cushion cut diamonds when buying diamond jewellery. These two shapes account for almost all diamonds used in jewellery. Which should you choose?
We cannot make that choice for you, but here are a few pointers that may help you make up your mind.
1) A round cut and cushion cut are often almost indistinguishable from a distance, especially if the central stone has a diamond halo, making the rounded square shape appear even softer.
2) When seen up close, a cushion cut diamond looks slightly unusual (in a good way) and will stand out. The larger the stone, the greater the distance at this will be noticeable.
3) Round diamonds are still much more popular than cushion cuts. Whether this is an advantage or not is your call!
4) Cushion cut diamonds are carat for carat and of equal quality, less costly than round diamonds. This has the benefit of enabling buyers to own larger diamonds for less money than round brilliant diamonds.
5) A round cut diamond is more brilliant than a cushion cut, largely due to a smaller table and deeper pavilion in a round cut diamond. The difference between the two shapes is not great, largely due to modern cutting techniques. Both shapes typically have 58 facets, although some cushion cut diamonds may have as many as 64.
The cushion shape does not, by any means, look dull and would usually only be noticeable in a direct, side-by-side comparison.
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Cushion Cut Diamond Jewellery At All Diamond
At All Diamond, we love cushion cut diamonds. Our team of British designers and craftsmen have created many wonderful pieces of jewellery using cushion cut diamonds. We are confident that when you take the time to look at our collection of cushion cut diamond rings, you will be delighted with what you see.
Every piece of jewellery we offer has a lifetime workmanship guarantee, a 30 return or exchange promise, British hallmarks on the precious metals, and is provided in a beautiful display box that will create the perfect first impression when the jewellery is first unboxed!
