Cushions are all unique! For that reason, specifications vary greatly. Some are square, some are rectangular. Some have antique “big flash” sparkle, others have more modern crushed-ice “scintillation.” Like all fancy diamonds, GIA does not give cut grades for cushions. So, when a jeweler states a cushion cut is “ideal” or “excellent,” that is the jeweler’s opinion. Also, there is no industry standard for what makes a great Cushion diamond. As a result, picking a Cushion can be a little tricky. To help our couples, we have included our suggestions for choosing a beautiful, well-proportioned stone below.

Pro Tips for your perfect Cushion Cut Diamond!

– Vintage, big flash sparkle (like chunky glitter): Look for a small table (the large facet on the top of your stone) and big facets on the bottom of your stone (the “pavilion”). You will also often see four large facets on the pavilion that make a noticeable star shape in vintage-look stones.

– Modern scintillation (like fine glitter or crushed ice): A large amount of small facets will create a large amount of smaller-sized sparkle. So, look for a large amount of skinny facets on the bottom of your stone.

The “color” of a Cushion is its whiteness or its yellow hint. Diamonds are graded on a scale beginning with “D” color and ending with “Z” color. So, D, E, and F color diamonds are colorless, like water. G through Z color diamonds have increasing tints of yellow. As Cushions were designed before electricity, and because warm colored candlelight masks color better than today’s bright white LEDs, many Victorian Cushion cuts were warm-toned colors. This is why cushions are also referred to as “candlelight” diamonds today! Some couples prefer these warmer colored Cushion cut engagement rings for this reason. Others prefer a more colorless look. The chart below provides a general guide for choosing your perfect Cushion.

The clarity of your Cushion is how “crystal clear” the gem is, that is to say, how many internal marks (“inclusions”) it has. Almost all diamonds have some inclusions, and they are all unique. It is like your diamond’s fingerprint! Because Cushions are “brilliant” stones, they give off a lot of sparkle. This is important in terms of clarity because sparkle can mask inclusions. As a result, couples choosing a Cushion cut can often select a VS2 or SI1, and it will appear flawless to the naked eye. This is a great value! Visually inspecting the gem is important, however, as some larger stones may show small inclusions that are not obvious, but still eye visible. The following is a helpful chart for evaluating clarity in cushions.

Clarity Tip! Ratings in the Eye Clean column expect that your jeweler will double check the stone. Every engagement ring purchased from Do Amore is confirmed “eye-clean.” We inform the customer if it isn’t.