Buying Cushion-Cut Diamonds: Know why they are the best of Vintage & Modern worlds
Posted by Hari Krishna
July 15, 2021
There is a different kind of comfort in the word cushion itself and combining it with the diamond gives you the unique taste of luxury blended with comfort.
Cushion diamond cut is an evolved version of the old-mine diamond cut with the perfect blend of classic shape of old mine cut and modern round highly brilliant diamond-cut faceting pattern.
This diamond cut is square/rectangular-shaped with rounded corners and curved edges, which gives a pillow-like appearance. Also, this way, the name cushion diamond cut got its name.
Cushion-cut diamonds were already embraced as a de-facto diamond shape for over 200 years as an old-mine cut and graced the fingers of royalties.
However, it has been reintroduced in the market and became charismatic as a brilliant cushion cut in the early 20th century after Marcel Tolkowsky invented the new way of diamond cutting.
Many well-known diamonds in the world are cushion-cut diamonds, including Agra Diamond, Archduke Diamond, Cullinan-II Diamond, Hope Diamond, Jubilee Diamond, Regent Diamond, etc.
Historically, diamond cutting was challenging due to technological limitations. Diamond cutters, by then, only focused on retaining the maximum rough weight using step faceting patterns.
Well, the old mine cut was the most favorable to accommodate these limitations. So, it was the most popular amongst the diamond cutters and buyers.
In the mid-19th-century, Marcel Tolkowsky introduced the new method of cutting cushion-cut diamonds with brilliant facets using the same faceting technique as a round brilliant cut diamond.
This technique added refinements to the traditional cushion cut, such as a larger table, a lower crown, shallower pavilion, shrinking of the culet, and improved cut angles.
These refinements added more fire and brilliance to the cushion cut diamonds, commonly referred to as cushion brilliants.
Do you know? The first cushion brilliant diamond, cut in the 19th century, got the name – Candlelight Cut because of its unique light reflection that lightens up the room.
However, since then, the cushion diamond cut has undergone several modifications but has retained its ultimate characteristic throughout. Let us see how:
As already stated, cushion-cut diamonds have a variety of facet arrangements, unlike any other diamond cut.
However, we can mainly divide a variety of facet arrangements of cushion diamond cut into two categories: standard/traditional and modern/modified.
The standard type of facet arrangement in the cushion diamond cut consists of 58 facets (same as the old-mine cut). And the modern facet arrangement in the cushion diamond cut holds 64 facets.
Let us see this journey of 58 to 64 facets in the cushion cut diamonds:
Traditional cushion cut diamonds have an enlarged open culet and shallower pavilion, and so they reflect the light in a big flash sparkle (chunkier pattern) than modern cushion cut.
This chunkier pattern (lesser brilliance than modern cuts) creates a distinctive look in antique cushion diamonds, making them still desirable amongst the buyers.
You might be surprised to know that well-cut traditional cushion-cut diamonds show the hearts and arrows pattern (just like round-brilliant diamonds), unlike modern cushion cut diamonds.
As already stated, the cushion brilliant-cut diamonds have very similar facet arrangements to that of round brilliant cut diamonds.
They also show an X-like (star) pattern when viewed from the table, resembling the round brilliant cut diamonds with soft corners & edges.
However, these diamonds reflect the light that gives them the crushed ice look with enhanced sparkle.
In cushion brilliants, the square shape is more popular and hence comes with a premium price. The rectangular cushion brilliants are often less expensive than the squares.
The ideal length-to-width ratio for a maximum sparkle in square cushion brilliant-cut diamonds is 1:1, and in rectangular cushion brilliant-cut diamonds is between 1.1:1 to 1.2:1.
Also, for the best light performance and maximum fire in cushion brilliants, the ideal depth percentage is between 66%-56%, and the optimum table percentage is between 72% to 56%.
But nowadays, a newer method of cutting the cushion brilliants has hit the market by adding an extra row of facets to the pavilion.
This method is referred to as a modified cushion brilliant on the grading reports. So, without further ado, let us see what it is:
Cushion-modified brilliants are a newer version of the cushion brilliants that maximize their brilliance even more.
However, this increased brilliance gives the cushion a more crushed ice look with a distinctive needle-like facet pattern, similar to radiant cut diamonds.
As stated above, these modified cushion brilliants contain extra 2-3 facets below the girdle, so the pavilion facets do not reach directly to the girdle.
This facet arrangement in the modified cushion brilliants gives them a flower-like appearance when viewed from the table.
This large number of skinny facets in the pavilion of modified cushion brilliants creates more surface for light to reflect from, which produces a large amount of fine-glittery sparkle.
Since the modified cushion brilliants are less popular, their demand is low in the market, making them less expensive than the cushion brilliants.
Buy cushion-cut diamonds online as they are most versatile amongst all diamond cuts. They give a slender & exquisite look to the wearer in almost any jewellery setting.
Be it the simplicity of the solitaire setting, trending halo setting, or the long-lasting beauty of the bezel setting, all the traditional jewellery settings give cushion diamonds a room to breathe stunningly.
Since the cushion is more vintage-style diamond cut, you can favorably experiment with modern jewellery settings like center stone design, twisted rope design, or the Celtic knot design.
All these modern jewellery designs still look traditional, but their twists and turns give a more modern edge.
So what are you waiting for? This overwhelming ocean of beauty in the form of cushion-cut diamonds is just a click away.
Click below to visit our latest inventory now!
