For today’s diamond tutorial we are taking a closer look at one of the most popular fancy shapes – the cushion! Follow along with our in-depth video comparison and read carefully, as the cushion is one of the most varied and perplexing diamond cuts available on the market!
Cushions come in a variety of cutting styles and at Lauren B. we focus on what we like to call the "cushion brilliant style", which is a hybrid cut that falls between a Cushion Modified Brilliant and a true Cushion Brilliant. Shown on the above right (1.51 carat E color/VS2 clarity), this type of diamond will always outshine and out-size a standard cushion modified, which is shown on the left. A "cushion brilliant style" diamond will have larger, crisper facets to give off a more defined sparkle and will also look noticeably larger than its inferior counterpart. We ONLY sell the variety shown on the right; while it may command a slight premium in price, it is certainly worth it!
The stone on the left is what we call a "crushed ice" cushion and is what you will commonly find in mass retailers and online websites. Believe it or not these two diamonds are priced the same, and an unsuspecting consumer might actually opt for the "crushed ice" one because of the higher clarity grade; which is a huge mistake, as the facets are not very distinctive and appear to almost blend together.
To understand how two stones of equal carat weight, quality and shape can look so different, keep watching! Toward the end of the featured video you will see a comparison of these two diamonds from the profile view; the "crushed ice" cushion to the left has a lumpy appearance and contains additional faceting underneath. This is a way for cutters to save weight, but it results in a duller, watery-appearing sparkle when viewed face-up.
On the other hand, our "cushion brilliant style" diamond has a very sharp appearance with facets that extend directly from the bottom tip (culet) to the top outermost edge of the stone (the girdle). This cleaner faceting style underneath displays a crisper sparkle on top and allows for the weight of the diamond to be distributed at the surface (as opposed to the bottom), giving it a larger face-up appearance.
BUYER BEWARE: There will be no distinction between these two styles on the GIA report, as both would be called "cushion modified brilliant”. This can be confusing for a novice shopper, but not to worry: at Lauren B we sell quality and exclusively offer the superior version of the cushion cut to our clients.
Inquire to learn more about our full diamond inventory here!