Cushion cut diamonds has been in use for about two centuries and is still one of the most sought after diamond cuts. The cushion cut is a favorite option of people who love incorporating vintage styles in their diamond jewelry.
The cushion cut is more a combination of round cut and mine facet pattern, and has a rectangular or square shape with rounded vertices that make the whole cut look like a pillow and hence the name cushion cut. Several tips help you choose the best cushion cut diamond and some of them are discussed here.
Be Selective About The Styles And Settings You Choose For Cushion Cut
The versatility of the cushion cut helps it go well with different styles and settings and it looks equally stunning in vintage and modern designs .The cut doesn’t have any vulnerable points and thus doesn’t require a protective setting to keep it in place .
For the best light performance and visibility, you can choose a prong setting for your cushion cut engagement ring, a setting that most people prefer. The cushion cuts usually have four prongs attached at the corners and when the size of the diamond is large or shape is rectangular, a 6-prong setting is usually selected.
If a flashy look is what you want, you can go ahead with the halo setting as the tiny diamonds that surround the center diamond will enhance its glow and raise the security level of the diamond.
Select The Right Shape Option In Cushion Cut
The cushion cut has square as well as rectangular shape and the corners of the cut are rounded, making it look like a pillow or cushion. Traditional shape of the cushion cut is square but that is not the exclusive option. You can choose your favorite shape by altering the length to width ratio of the diamond, which is close to 1 for square shapes and greater than 1 for rectangular shapes.
Choosing From The Two Cushion Cut Categories
The two main categories of cushion cut are standard and modified cut that respectively are the traditional and modern versions of the cut. The two have minimal differences, which will not bring visible variations in the cut.
Selection Of Faceting Patterns For The Cushion Cut
The cushion cut has two main faceting patterns, namely chunky or crushed ice patterns.
Chunky cuts are known as the antique cushion cut and the faceting arrangement is similar to that of round cut diamonds. Crushed ice cushion diamonds do not have a specific faceting pattern and has similarities with radiant cut diamond. The facets are organized in an irregular fashion giving the diamond a look similar to that of crushed ice.
The choice of crushed ice or chunky cushion depends on personal preferences.
Avoid Imperfectly Cut Diamonds
If a diamond is not cut with perfection, its quality will be less and the diamond will look ill proportioned and will lack sparkle. GIA grading does not exist for the cut of fancy diamond shapes and cushion cut is one among the fancy cuts, which means that you do not have specific cut standards to follow.
To ensure that the diamond has the best look, make sure that the table and depth ratio is not less than 67%. You can choose a percentage up to 70% but going beyond 70% might cause the diamond to lose the sparkle and brilliance.
Choose The Best Color Grade
The most commonly selected cut for colored diamonds is cushion cut owing to its ability to retain color well and maximize it. The color grade of diamonds range from D to Z and if a clear colorless diamond is what you are looking for, then you can better select a color grade within the D to F range because the color of the diamond increases on moving up the grade scale.
The D grade is more expensive than the E and F grades but there are only slight differences between the three grades, which means that you do not have to strictly choose D grade itself.
Select The Best Clarity Grading
Whether the cut is chunky cushion or crushed ice cushion has a lot to with the selection criteria of clarity grading. The irregular faceting pattern of the chunky cushion makes the flaws less visible but in the chunky cushions, the inclusions are more visible due to the ordered faceting pattern.
Clarity grade is undoubtedly an important standard but inspecting the diamond by eye is very important because it is common to find diamonds with varying number of inclusions even when they are of the same clarity grade.
Doing a bit of research about diamond and its quality determining factors or getting expert help will aid you in selecting the cushion cut diamond that has assured quality and light performance.