Value Of Modern Cushion Brilliant Vs. Old Mine Diamonds

[skyfx]

Hi all,

The time has come for me to purchase an engagement ring for the first time. I have decided to go with a cushion center stone and have narrowed my search to the below three stones:

1) A 0.73ct cushion brilliant H VS1 GIA-certified center stone (Polish: VG, Symm: VG, Fluorescence: None) for $2,540

2) A 0.92ct cushion brilliant "Old Miner" H VS1 EGA-USA certified center stone (Polish: G, Symm: G, Fluorescence: None) for $2,950

3) A 1.05ct cushion brilliant "Old Miner" H VS1 GIA graduate gemologist graded center stone for $2,250

In speaking to a local jeweler, I was told "Old Miner" cuts are not very popular and they have a hard time selling them, because they lack the brilliance and precision of modern day cuts, which has really made me question options (2) and (3). Can anybody else speak to that and give me any pointers on how best to proceed?

Thanks a lot
-skyfx

 

[SparklyOEC]

I can't answer to the value of one style cut over the other, but it's more a matter of preference. What's the recipient's preference? For me - I love old cuts, but if you're concerned about value, there are newly cut Old Miner's as well. Good Old Gold and ERD are two that come to mind.

Link to Good Old Gold:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamondResults.php?shape=2&ctMin=0.4&ctMax=10.00&optSym=66&inHouse=1&resultsColumns=402669647

ERD:

http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/royal-t-antique-cushion-diamonds/

Also - cushions can vary so much in appearance, so I'm going to post links to a couple of 'educational' threads that you may want to read before purchasing as well.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/3-antique-rectangular-cushions-which-would-you-choose.135280/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/3-antique-rectangular-cushions-which-would-you-choose.135280/[/URL]

I'm sure others will share their knowledge and expertise from their own experience too. Good luck!

ETA: Once you know which style cushion the recipient prefers and you give us a budget, we can help you find a good one.

 

[ericad]

Old cuts are highly valuable within the right circles, though most jewelers who specialize in modern cuts may not realize this. At the end of the day, the best buy is the one that appeals to you and your intended the most. There are so many variations in cushion cuts that it's really a matter of prioritizing and narrowing things down.

 

[skyfx]

@SparklyOEC: Thank you for those pointers. The Cushion 101 was very informative. I am partial to the Cushion Brilliants cuts, but flexible on whether or not it is a Modern Cushion Brilliant or Antique Cushion Brilliant. My budget is in the range of the three diamonds I had picked out - $2-2.5k.

@ericad: Fair point, thanks!

Follow-up question: the dimensions of the second stone I listed in my original post are 6.04 x 5.51 x 4.06, giving it a depth=73.7% and table=56%. Considering it is an Old Miner cut, how much should I read into those %ages, especially in the context of cut tables, such as the one seen here: http://bit.ly/1gyhzBt, which would indicate that it is merely a "Good" cut on account of the high depth %?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Do you have magnified photos of the three stones? There are nice antique stones and some poorly cut. You do want a well cut one if you go that route, and the bonus is that they can be priced lower than newly cut ones. I personally prefer the August Vintage cushions since you get great cut and light performace in a beautiful old style cut. But it all depends on what your options are as to which is the best choice.

You can't judge cut of antique stones by modern round brilliant standards, so don't even try. You'd ideally use a vendor who'd offer an ASET image to show the amount of leakage, and magnified photos can show how symmetrically cut the stone is.

 

[skyfx]

Do you have magnified photos of the three stones? There are nice antique stones and some poorly cut. You do want a well cut one if you go that route, and the bonus is that they can be priced lower than newly cut ones. I personally prefer the August Vintage cushions since you get great cut and light performace in a beautiful old style cut. But it all depends on what your options are as to which is the best choice.

I'll share some pictures below. In terms of comparing modern and antique cuts, I understand what you mean. Do note however that the website I linked to does have ranges not just for round stones, but a variety of shapes.

Here are the images I have for the first stone.

 

[JulieN]

Clearly a modern cushion, otherwise impossible to say anything from these pictures. Are they zoomed and cropped?

 

[skyfx]

Clearly a modern cushion, otherwise impossible to say anything from these pictures. Are they zoomed and cropped?

Not exactly sure what the vendor took the pictures of the first sone with, but they aren't very good, I know

Here is the picture of the second stone.

 

[skyfx]

And here is the third stone.

 

[JulieN]

#3... eh, not a fan. Can't really see much but that culet is just too darn big.

Also the grading is highly suspect. I'm no expert on inclusions but that is no way a VS1.

 

[SparklyOEC]

Do you have magnified photos of the three stones? There are nice antique stones and some poorly cut. You do want a well cut one if you go that route, and the bonus is that they can be priced lower than newly cut ones. I personally prefer the August Vintage cushions since you get great cut and light performace in a beautiful old style cut. But it all depends on what your options are as to which is the best choice.

You can't judge cut of antique stones by modern round brilliant standards, so don't even try. You'd ideally use a vendor who'd offer an ASET image to show the amount of leakage, and magnified photos can show how symmetrically cut the stone is.

Agree with DS with what she said both about getting a well-cut stone and you can't judge antique stones by modern standards.

For me - it's too hard to tell on the 1st stone other than it's a cushion brilliant. I like the shape of the 2nd stone, but it looks dark in the middle, which could honestly just be reflection of the camera that was used. Maybe ask your jeweler about this? I don't like the 3rd stone at all. Sorry...hopefully, don't offend you with that.

 

[skyfx]

Do you have magnified photos of the three stones? There are nice antique stones and some poorly cut. You do want a well cut one if you go that route, and the bonus is that they can be priced lower than newly cut ones. I personally prefer the August Vintage cushions since you get great cut and light performace in a beautiful old style cut. But it all depends on what your options are as to which is the best choice.

You can't judge cut of antique stones by modern round brilliant standards, so don't even try. You'd ideally use a vendor who'd offer an ASET image to show the amount of leakage, and magnified photos can show how symmetrically cut the stone is.

Agree with DS with what she said both about getting a well-cut stone and you can't judge antique stones by modern standards.

For me - it's too hard to tell on the 1st stone other than it's a cushion brilliant. I like the shape of the 2nd stone, but it looks dark in the middle, which could honestly just be reflection of the camera that was used. Maybe ask your jeweler about this? I don't like the 3rd stone at all. Sorry...hopefully, don't offend you with that.

No offense taken, thanks for sharing your opinion