Cushion or Radiant

[jbase16]

Hi All,

Questions/thoughts for all the experts out there...many thanks in advance for your time:

I've read articles online that say do not buy a Cushion (or Radiant) shape without seeing the diamond in person. I'm looking for 1.4-1.6 size, either shape, H or better Color, SI2 or better, and GIA certified (budget is around 8k). I'm a little concerned without the GIA cut grade and confused as to how some vendors put a cut grade on these on their websites.

Thoughts?

Thank you!
J

 

[Gypsy]

Is this for yourself or for you lady? If it is for your lady, what is her preference?

 

[sneakyp]

Hi All,

Questions/thoughts for all the experts out there...many thanks in advance for your time:

I've read articles online that say do not buy a Cushion (or Radiant) shape without seeing the diamond in person. I'm looking for 1.4-1.6 size, either shape, H or better Color, SI2 or better, and GIA certified (budget is around 8k). I'm a little concerned without the GIA cut grade and confused as to how some vendors put a cut grade on these on their websites.

Thoughts?

Thank you!
J

I am looking a radiant cut which seem to be a bit different than cushion cuts. i would suggest you check out Good Old Gold site as he has several different types of cushion cuts along with some very nice videos and good explanations. The look of cushions is different than a radiant cut and so i would echo Gypsy's question of what are your preferences. This weekend my wife and i are going to compare some generic radiant cut diamonds versus the branded Original Radiant Cut Diamonds (more facets, supposedly better cut and therefore better light performance, and probably more expensive) to see what our "eyes" tell us. It seems by my research radiants are hard to pick by "numbers" such as table and depth %, and technology such as ASET may not always be helpful in culling out a few good stones from the herd. I think David Atlas has some information on trying to grade fancy cuts so you might check out his site or search this forum for some of his posts. Finally, i hope you get a few more posts from some of the more learned members on this site (such as Gypsy). They have already helped point me in the right direction and answered many of my questions. It seemed to me that some of these newer specialized cushion cuts, like the August Vintage at GOG , have more reliable light performance and i think would be easier to find a couple of good candidate stones. Unfortunately, my wife truly desires a radiant cut and by gosh by golly, that is what she shall have! The game is afoot and for now i must say "I feel your pain."

 

[jbase16]

Hi! Thanks for the response. This is for my lady and she said she likes Cushion cuts over Rounds. However, she also said that she prefers a bigger stone and when I viewed a Radiant vs. a Cushion of the same carat size, the Radiant looked bigger!

 

[chrono]

Radiants and cushions share the similar outlines but have very different cut patterns, hence will have very different looks. Even within the cushion group, their facet patterns have a huge variation. This pattern is a personal preference. Seeing the stone in person, ASET result or a video helps determine its light performance (how well cut or sparkly). Most vendors base their cut grades merely on the depth and table percentages, which tell practically nothing about how great it is going to look.

If she likes cushions, stick with cushions. No matter if radiants are bigger or not, they look different.

 

[Niel]

Had you considered an oval. I think the shape Is similar to a cushion And the faceting is similar tk the crushed ice kind od cushion. Also they face up larger and are less popular so not as expensive

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi! Thanks for the response. This is for my lady and she said she likes Cushion cuts over Rounds. However, she also said that she prefers a bigger stone and when I viewed a Radiant vs. a Cushion of the same carat size, the Radiant looked bigger!

She said she likes cushions, then shop for a cushion. She gave you a pretty clear starting point to go from. (and I say this as a person who has seen women post about how they asked their boyfriends for a specific spape or gave them clear hints and then the guy would buy something else and they were confused as to why this happened!

 

[jbase16]

Hi! Thanks for the response. This is for my lady and she said she likes Cushion cuts over Rounds. However, she also said that she prefers a bigger stone and when I viewed a Radiant vs. a Cushion of the same carat size, the Radiant looked bigger!

She said she likes cushions, then shop for a cushion. She gave you a pretty clear starting point to go from. (and I say this as a person who has seen women post about how they asked their boyfriends for a specific spape or gave them clear hints and then the guy would buy something else and they were confused as to why this happened!

thanks for the advice! now, onto to finding the stone!

 

[Gypsy]

She wants cushions do NOT buy a radiant. Most radiants are cut really deep anyway so you normally need higher carat weight in a radiant to get the same look.


I would stick to cushions if that's what she wants.

I like ovals. But I would ONLY buy her an oval if she approves of it. Otherwise: stick to cushion.

 

[jbase16]

She wants cushions do NOT buy a radiant. Most radiants are cut really deep anyway so you normally need higher carat weight in a radiant to get the same look.


I would stick to cushions if that's what she wants.

I like ovals. But I would ONLY buy her an oval if she approves of it. Otherwise: stick to cushion.

thanks! i'm nervous about doing this all online...

 

[Niel]

She wants cushions do NOT buy a radiant. Most radiants are cut really deep anyway so you normally need higher carat weight in a radiant to get the same look.


I would stick to cushions if that's what she wants.

I like ovals. But I would ONLY buy her an oval if she approves of it. Otherwise: stick to cushion.

I agree buy her what she wants. But we are all assuming she is informed on diamonds and knows exactly what she wants. If she isnt well informed and hasnt seen them in person it might be worth going to the store and saying " sHow me a one ct stone in every shape" so she knows how the size faces up, how it looks on her hand, and how it sparkles. Because just saying she likes one shape over the other doesnt mean she is necessarly aware if alternative, or knows what are the positives and negatives of each shape.

 

[04diamond<3]

She wants cushions do NOT buy a radiant. Most radiants are cut really deep anyway so you normally need higher carat weight in a radiant to get the same look.


I would stick to cushions if that's what she wants.

I like ovals. But I would ONLY buy her an oval if she approves of it. Otherwise: stick to cushion.

thanks! i'm nervous about doing this all online...

I also agree. Call Jonathan at GOG, he will find you a cushion that performs well within your budget. They are a very successful jewelry store that also has their things available online www.goodoldgold.com What's your budget? He also posts videos of diamonds comparing them to "junk" and such, so give him a call.

Also - I'd find out what cut your g/f likes. There's crushed ice (super super sparkly, my favorite, most people hate it), a vintage chuncky cut (which somehow has made its way back) and a hearts and arrows cushion which is actually pretty but uber expensive...all of these are on their website.

 

[Gypsy]

She wants cushions do NOT buy a radiant. Most radiants are cut really deep anyway so you normally need higher carat weight in a radiant to get the same look.


I would stick to cushions if that's what she wants.

I like ovals. But I would ONLY buy her an oval if she approves of it. Otherwise: stick to cushion.

thanks! i'm nervous about doing this all online...

What metro area are you located in? If we know of a good local jeweler for you, that might be an option.