If you have made up your mind about buying a diamond engagement ring, what follows is a series of decisions you should make about diamond cut, ring style and setting type. All of these factors decide the price and value of the ring. Multiple options available in diamond cuts vary in terms of brilliance, clarity, color and several other parameters.
Cushion cut and round cut are two of the most popular diamond shapes and in this session, we make a comparison of both cuts.
External Shape Of The Cuts
The diamond in cushion cut engagement rings looks like a pillow and hence the name. The rounded edges of cushion cut and its square or rectangular shape give it an elegant appearance. Cushion cut is a modification of the old miner cut but unlike the miner cut, cushion cut has greater number of facets and an attractive scintillation pattern. Square cushion cuts have a length to width ratio closer to 1 while elongated cushion cuts have length to width ratios greater than 1 that makes it look rectangular in shape.
Round cut has an overall round appearance that makes it popular as a center stone in engagement rings. It is a traditionally used shape that has 58 facets, and the specific facet number gives the round cut its characteristic brilliance and sparkle.
Brilliance And Sparkle
Cushion cut is more of a blend of round cut and radiant cut and it has 58 facets. Round cut has 58 facets divided among its top, girdle and pavilion. The cushion cut has larger facets than that of round cuts, and this is the underlying reason of the reduced brilliance of cushion cut when compared with round cuts.
Larger sized facets indicate that the inclusions will be more visible. Due to larger sized facets, a cushion cut will show more inclusions when compared with round cuts. If you want to go for a cushion cut in which inclusions will not compromise diamond clarity, you may select a crushed ice cushion cut diamond that can hide the flaws and inclusions well.
Price
Cushion cut diamonds are about 25% cheaper than round cuts because of the better utilization of rough diamonds. In the cutting process of round shape, a high percentage of the rough diamond is wasted and the remaining diamond has high price per carat weight.
If you are shopping with a tight budget and wants to make a purchase that has maximum carat weight, better go for a cushion cut.
Many people who are buying a diamond engagement ring actually start with a budget for the ring itself, including the diamond. It’s important to factor in both the diamond itself and the setting, or the ring itself that goes around your finger. The average purchase for an engagement ring online is between $3000 and $5000, according to Rockher that did the study in 2009.
Ideal Settings For Cushion Cut And Round Cut
There is no denying that cushion cut styles suits various ring styles, but they suit vintage and soft halo settings best. In a soft halo ring style, the center diamond is surrounded by a specific number of small diamonds that enhance the charm of the cushion shape placed at the center. The halo setting will give a flashy look to the ring and adds another dimension of sparkle by accentuating the size of the center stone. During rough usage, the initial physical impact is on the layer of halo stones and not on the center diamond, thereby increasing its security. To improve the light performance of the cushion cut, choose prong settings so that there is better light penetration.
Round cut diamonds look good with many ring settings and a perfectly round cut will enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of the ring. Prong settings hold the round cut diamonds in place all the while allowing more light to enter the diamond.
Color
Cushion cuts retain color more than round cuts and if you want a for a colorless diamond in your engagement ring but do not want the common round cut, you could go for cushion cut diamond engagement rings that has a color grade better than H. The choice of color grade for cushion cut will also depend on the type of metal used in the setting. If the diamond is set in rose or yellow gold, going down to K color grade will not do any harm.
As the round cut do not show color like cushion cut, you can select color grades up to L. Take a note of the fact that even though two adjacent color grades do not have visible differences in color, their price ranges will have a clear variation. If you want your purchase to be within your budget, you could choose lower grades, provided the diamond does not have color that is visible to the naked eye.
Size
Diamond shapes often look different from their actual size and two diamond shapes with the same carat weight can look different in size. The table surface area of diamonds decides the extent to which it looks bigger than its actual size.
Most of the fancy shapes look larger than their size and cushion cut is no exception. The table surface of cushion cut is slightly larger than that of round cut. In addition to that, the cushion cut has larger facets and all these factors collectively make it look bigger. If you want a bigger looking diamond, you can choose cushion cut over round cut.
| Parameter | Cushion Cut | Round Cut |
| Price | Low | High |
| Sparkle | Less sparkle | More sparkle |
| Size | More than actual size | More than actual size |
| Color | Shows more color | Shows less color |
| Ideal Setting Types | Halo setting | Prong setting |
Both round and cushion cut are popular diamond cuts but people who are fond of fancy shapes and like to try out styles different from traditional ones, often choose cushion cut more than round cuts. Whether you are looking for a round cut or cushion cut ring RockHer has wide selection of popular rings you can choose from!