Thoughts on this diamond??? Radiant or Cushion cut?

[Girl505]

I’m no expert on diamonds and wanted the input of those more knowledgable than me on if I have got a good diamond worth buying and if there is anything I should be concerned about. This is for my engagement ring. The diamond is a cushion cut diamond that is a cushion modified brilliant, 3.01 carats, I color, VS2 clarity. The diamond has excellent polish, very good symmetry, and no fluorescence. There were no visible inclusions of any kind when my boyfriend and I viewed it through a loupe though I think the diamond may have a crystal. The GIA report states “additional clouds, pinpoints and internal graining are not shown.”
In terms of dimensions, this diamond faces up 8.7x8.36x5.47mm and the table % is 66% and the depth is 67%. This diamond looked spectacular to both me and my boyfriend and I could not detect a hint of yellow although I will admit I am not color sensitive. As I am new to looking at diamonds, I want the input of others. I have asked for a video of this diamond in daylight and fluorescent lighting as well as the ASET report. I haven’t looked at HCA so help with that would be great, but I am also looking to see if there’s anything I’m missing or that I should be aware about before purchasing the diamond? As well as thoughts on the quality of this diamond?

Additionally, my boyfriend and I were shown both a radiant cut and cushion cut and deciding on which one was a very difficult decision as prior to seeing this cushion cut, I had been hung up on having a radiant cut. For now, I selected the cushion cut but am debating whether I should still choose the radiant. Both are similar in specs and price range and were absolutely beautiful. I wanted the opinion of others on pricescope of whether to stick with the cushion or go with the radiant and what looks better. Please note that in one pic the cushion is on my ring finger and in the other it is on my middle finger.

 

[AprilBaby]

Wow, beautiful choices! That’s a hard one. I’m partial to the cushion but the radiant is spectacular!

 

[lovedogs]

In terms of dimensions, this diamond faces up 8.7x8.36x5.47mm and the table % is 66% and the depth is 67%. This diamond looked spectacular to both me and my boyfriend and I could not detect a hint of yellow although I will admit I am not color sensitive. As I am new to looking at diamonds, I want the input of others. I have asked for a video of this diamond in daylight and fluorescent lighting as well as the ASET report. I haven’t looked at HCA so help with that would be great, but I am also looking to see if there’s anything I’m missing or that I should be aware about before purchasing the diamond? As well as thoughts on the quality of this diamond?

HCA is only for MRBs, so it won't be helpful in this case. With most fancy cuts, your eyes are the most important "tool" you have, along with the ASET and knowledge that it has a GIA/AGS report so that the vendor is being honest about the color, clarity, etc. But once you have those things, you need to pick whichever one speaks to your eyes the most.

I personally prefer the "longer" one (radiant, I think), but that shouldn't matter since your preferences matter more than mine! Honestly, both are gorgeous!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I, in general, like cushions FAR more than radiants. But with either type, it all depends on the cut. Most diamonds look good in jewelry store lighting. I wish I could see the facet patter close up of both stones, but I like the shape of the cushion a lot. It appears maybe to have better light return than the radiant. Radiants often do not have as good light return as other cuts.

 

[Girl505]

Bump

 

[ClemsonPurdue]

Hi @Girl505! I'm not sure how helpful I'll be but will share my experiences. I found this forum about a month ago as I began searching for my 1.5 carat round. Since then, I've been to countless jewelry stores and received so much helpful insight on this site. Where I started to where I ended up has been such a journey full of apprehension and indecisiveness. But I'm so happy as I finally purchased and received in the mail this past weekend my radiant cut 2.01 G SI1, 1:1.24 from Diamonds By Lauren. The stone is so beautiful!

As a bit of backstory, I was trying on settings and on a whim put a setting on my hand with a rectangular stone. All along I've wanted something unique (I'm SO over seeing RB's on pave bands...), and I fell in love with the rectangular fancy cut on a cathedral band. From there, I considered emerald, radiant, and elongated cushion cuts. For me the emerald did not "wow me" in the 2 carat size. I wanted more sparkle. I then looked at a lot of celebrity rings and read online about differences between radiant and cushion. It seemed to me that cushion offers more of a elegant, vintage look similar to oval while the radiant is more modern with the cropped corners. I am not a "dainty" person and knew that I did not want any miligrain, halos, or tiny pave stones. I also read that the radiant typically faces up a bit bigger on average, but this can of course vary stone to stone. So, from all of this I decided on radiant.

As far as faceting, it seems to be stone specific. The stone I purchased has what many would describe as a "crushed ice appearance." And while I do love to look at a stone up close and see the individual facet cuts, which you can't see on mine, I love the amount of sparkle mine gives off. From several feet away, the stone is very glittery. My biggest priority was that I did not want any bow tie or dead spots. I wanted a consistent look across the stone. And A LOT of the radiants and cushions had bow tie effect. Several that I saw in person I immediately eliminated because of this.

Both of the stones in your picture are so gorgeous. For me, my advice would be to consider "the look" you are going for and decide from there.

 

[Octo2005]

It's really hard to judge from your photos, but it seems like the radiant has a bit of a bowtie in your. You mentioned that you had requested a video and ASET's, do you have them yet?

On a personal note I prefer cushions. - It is hard to see the faceting and it is hard to tell in your photos, but I don't see any areas that look very dead. However, I suspect that you are in spot lighting, which can be deceptive. I am concerned about the mushiness seen across the top half of the cushion in the 2nd photo

 

[Octo2005]

Another thing to keep in mind is what flavor cushion that you are looking for. Modified brilliant cushions will often have a "crushed ice" or splintery light pattern, whereas a cushion brilliant will be more defined facets and larger more colorful flashes.

 

[HappyNewLife]

not an expert on either cut, but I will say that the rectangular diamond (assuming this is the radiant) has more finger presence than the square.

 

[Girl505]

It's really hard to judge from your photos, but it seems like the radiant has a bit of a bowtie in your. You mentioned that you had requested a video and ASET's, do you have them yet?

On a personal note I prefer cushions. - It is hard to see the faceting and it is hard to tell in your photos, but I don't see any areas that look very dead. However, I suspect that you are in spot lighting, which can be deceptive. I am concerned about the mushiness seen across the top half of the cushion in the 2nd photo

Not yet, but I will post them as soon as I receive them. I’m glad to have your opinion as I still have a lot to learn.

 

[Girl505]

Hi @Girl505! I'm not sure how helpful I'll be but will share my experiences. I found this forum about a month ago as I began searching for my 1.5 carat round. Since then, I've been to countless jewelry stores and received so much helpful insight on this site. Where I started to where I ended up has been such a journey full of apprehension and indecisiveness. But I'm so happy as I finally purchased and received in the mail this past weekend my radiant cut 2.01 G SI1, 1:1.24 from Diamonds By Lauren. The stone is so beautiful!

As a bit of backstory, I was trying on settings and on a whim put a setting on my hand with a rectangular stone. All along I've wanted something unique (I'm SO over seeing RB's on pave bands...), and I fell in love with the rectangular fancy cut on a cathedral band. From there, I considered emerald, radiant, and elongated cushion cuts. For me the emerald did not "wow me" in the 2 carat size. I wanted more sparkle. I then looked at a lot of celebrity rings and read online about differences between radiant and cushion. It seemed to me that cushion offers more of a elegant, vintage look similar to oval while the radiant is more modern with the cropped corners. I am not a "dainty" person and knew that I did not want any miligrain, halos, or tiny pave stones. I also read that the radiant typically faces up a bit bigger on average, but this can of course vary stone to stone. So, from all of this I decided on radiant.

As far as faceting, it seems to be stone specific. The stone I purchased has what many would describe as a "crushed ice appearance." And while I do love to look at a stone up close and see the individual facet cuts, which you can't see on mine, I love the amount of sparkle mine gives off. From several feet away, the stone is very glittery. My biggest priority was that I did not want any bow tie or dead spots. I wanted a consistent look across the stone. And A LOT of the radiants and cushions had bow tie effect. Several that I saw in person I immediately eliminated because of this.

Both of the stones in your picture are so gorgeous. For me, my advice would be to consider "the look" you are going for and decide from there.

I was browsing your post on your radiant and it’s beautiful. I may reach out to DBL as it seems you had a positive experience with them. I was sold on having a radiant as I also love the sparkle it gives off but this cushion caught my eye and appeared larger to the eye.

 

[lambskin]

cushion

 

[CareBear]

I prefer cushions over radiants in general, but I do love the radiant that you posted!

 

[ClemsonPurdue]

@Girl505 - I just posted on my thread with my final takeaways/ experiences from my "journey" which was long, winding, and up-hill. LOL! David with DBL was truly my saving grace in the whole process, and I would absolutely recommend that at the very minimum you reach out to him by phone. Even that very first phone call with him gave me so much clarity on what I was looking for. His specialty is fancy cuts and colored stones, so I'm sure he'll have advice on cushion vs. radiant. I'll be using him for my setting as well and will be starting on designing it next week. I priced stones at all of the brick and mortar store where I live in Indianapolis, and prices were at least 25% higher plus tax at their bottom dollar from where I was at with DBL. Did you feel like you saw any bowtie in the radiant you tried on in person as it appears in your picture it may be a bit dark in middle? In this picture, I think I prefer the cushion stone to the radiant with the plain pave band setting. But I do think David would be able to source even more beautiful stones in both cuts if you reach out to him. My biggest issue with James Allen and Blue Nile is that I think it is incredibly difficult to gauge what a fancy cut will look like in person from their zoomed in photos. David posted youtube videos of the diamonds he brought in for me to examine which gave me a more realistic idea of what they'd look like in person. Of course, because that's the direction I went, I'm going to be partial. I'm jealous of your 3 carat size. You'll find a beautiful stone I'm sure!