Cushion cut enagement ring

Cushion

The cushion shape diamond is an antique cut that has resurfaced in recent years due to its classic, timeless appeal. Designed to catch the beauty of candlelight, the cushion cut diamond contains 64 facets.

With intense fire when exposed to light, our cushion cut diamonds are sure to ignite your inner spark. Shop the collection today.

What You Need to Know About Cushion Diamonds

This unique shape of a cushion cut diamond has been popular for more than a century. Available in shapes ranging from square to rectangular, it never fails to disperse light for a dynamic appearance.

Cushion cut diamonds are seen as an excellent alternative to round diamonds because they offer similar brilliance and sparkle as well as a soft and unique shape for a lower price. For example, a 1 carat round diamond generally costs around 15-20% more than a cushion cut diamond of the same carat weight.

The cushion shape diamond also lends itself to various intricate and inspiring designs thanks to versatility in terms of cut and ratio. Wearer traits include kind, traditional and family orientated.

History and Origins of Cushion Diamonds

The modern-day cushion shape owes its facet design to an ancient diamond called the old mine cut, which dates back to the 1700s. Back then, much of the world’s diamond mining occurred in Brazil after the first mines in India began to dry up.

Brazilian stone cutters utilised the old mine cut because it maximised carat retention with the rough crystals produced there. As these diamonds became more and more popular, jewellers slowly introduced new modified versions of the mine cut, eventually resulting in the cushion cut we've come to know and love.

Many believe the modern day cushion cut was inspired by cuts such as the table, Peruzzi, and candlelight. This is thanks in large part to a better understanding of diamond cutting and the cleaving process.

Guide to the Cut, Colour and Clarity of Cushion Diamondsur and Clarity of Princess Diamonds

Cut

Picking a cushion can be tricky as shapes and specifications vary greatly. While some have an antique sparkle, others feature ice-like scintillation. Generally speaking, look for a small table and big facets if you want sparkle or a large number of skinny facets for more scintillation.

Colour

Seeing as princess diamonds are 'brilliant' stones, you can mask some colour with great sparkWith most Victorian cushion cuts designed by candlelight, a number of stones have warm-toned colours. While some people like to stick with this tradition, others prefer a more colourless look from their cushion cut.le. This means that near colourless princess stones in the G and H range will often appear white while providing great value.

Clarity

Cushion diamonds are brilliant stones, meaning they give off lots of sparkle and can mask inclusions. So you can often select VS2 or SI1 graded clarity and your stone will appear flawless to the naked eye.

Cushion Diamond Ring Settings

Cushions look great in many engagement ring settings, especially if they showcase their square or rectangular shapes. Here are some options:

Solitaire

A timeless and classic design, the solitaire setting puts the focus on the dynamic cushion cut diamond. Its simplicity also means you can dedicate more budget to the stone.

Micropavé

This setting features four delicate claws which cradle the cushion cut diamond, sitting on top of a discerning row of meticulously hand-set diamonds.

Split shank

Designed to highlight the soft and elegant shape of the cushion cut diamond, the split shank setting is perfect if you want an elegant yet eye-catching look.

Tips for Buying Cushion Diamonds

The cushion is an extremely versatile cut that has different faceting patterns and ratios, which means almost no two stones look alike.
When searching for a cushion cut diamond, ensure you get the maximum measurements for your carat weight.
Cushion cuts are notorious for their deep proportions, so don't go for a stone deeper than 68% as this will provide you with better value for money.

So what carat weight is right for you? Well, a lot depends on personal preference and budget. Just remember that with diamond rings, the most visible aspect of the stone will be its surface area at the top.

You should also consider the diamond’s cut and diameter, as this will have an impact on its aesthetic. Carat has the biggest effect on a diamond’s price, but more expensive doesn’t always mean better stone.

4C Of Diamond

Diamond Color

GIA developed the definitive diamond color scale or chart in the early 1950s, a time when there were a lot of different and subjective terms in the marketplace for describing a diamond’s color: white, blue white, AAAA, for example.

The GIA scale begins with the letter D, representing colorlessness, and continues with increasing presence of color to the letter Z, representing light yellow, light brown or light gray. The 23 color grades on the GIA Color Scale (or diamond color chart) are subdivided into five subcategories, which are: colorless (D-F); near colorless (G-J); faint (K-M); very light (N-R); and light (S-Z).

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Diamond Clarity

Diamond Clarity refers to the inclusions and blimishes.

To understand diamond clarity, we must first understand how diamonds are created. Natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. This process can result in a variety of internal characteristics called ‘inclusions’ and external characteristics called ‘blemishes.’

Evaluating diamond clarity involves determining the number, size, relief, nature, and position of these characteristics, as well as how these affect the overall appearance of the stone. If you are trying to determine what is the best clarity for a diamond, remember that no diamond is perfectly pure. But the closer it comes to purity, the better its clarity

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Diamond Cut

Achieving the best cut for a diamond reflects in the stone’s final beauty and value.

Diamonds are renowned for their ability to transmit light and sparkle so intensely. We often think of a diamond’s cut as shape (round, heart, oval, marquise, pear), but what diamond cut actually does mean how well a diamond’s facets interact with light. Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry and polish deliver the magnificent return of light only possible in a diamond.

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Carat Weight

Diamond carat weight measures Diamonds Apparent size.

To put it simply, diamond carat weight measures how much a diamond weighs.

A metric “carat” is defined as 200 milligrams. Each carat is subdivided into 100 ‘points.’ This allows very precise measurements to the hundredth decimal place. A jeweler may describe the weight of a diamond below one carat by its ‘points’ alone. For instance, the jeweler may refer to a diamond that weighs 0.25 carats as a ‘twenty-five pointer.’ Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals. A 1.08 carat stone would be described as ‘one point oh eight carats.’

All else being equal, diamond price increases with diamond carat weight because larger diamonds are rarer and more desirable. However, two diamonds of equal carat weight can have very different values (and prices) depending on three other factors of the diamond 4Cs : Color , Clarity , and Cut

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