Diamond Shape Cushion

The Essentials You Need To Know When Purchasing and Caring For Your Diamond.

Cushion Cut Diamond

The Cushion Cut Diamond was extremely popular in the late 1800's and the early 1900's. For over 70 years this was the way that most diamonds were cut until the development of the modern brilliant by Tolkowsky in 1913. The Cushion Cut shape was also called a Pillow Cut because of its resemblance to the quilted stuffed pillows found on sofas of the day. It is said that Cushion Cut Diamonds look extremely beautiful under candle light and modern cut stones exhibit exceptional brilliance, often looking like pools of sparkling water.

Cushion Cut diamonds are romantic and elegant and lend themselves exceptionally well to solitaire settings or rings of antique styling that harken back to a simpler more traditional day.

Selecting a Well Cut Cushion Cut

Care should be taken in selecting your Cushion Cut, that the culet is not too large. Large culets can create a window at the bottom of the diamond, detracting from its brilliance. We suggest looking for stones with medium or smaller sized culets. Also, Cushion Cut diamonds, if not well cut, can exhibit a dark spot in the middle that resembles a "bow tie" . Your Amberley West retailer or our customer service department can help you select a beautiful diamond which meets all of your requirements.

The science of analyzing light performance in diamonds utilizing computer models is in its infancy. To date, no models have been created for the Cushion Cut. Until clear standards have been widely adopted it is best to look for a stone that is slightly rectangular and falls within the suggested proportions and characteristics provided below as a guide.

What to Look For

Cut Factor	Excellent	Very Good	Good
Length to Width	1.00 - 1.20	1.00 - 1.20	""
Table %	53% - 57%	53% - 65%	""
Total Depth %	59% - 65%	58% - 67%	""
Girdle Thickness	Thin - Thick	Thin - Thick	""
Cut Grade (GIA - AGSL)	EX	EX - VG	""
Polish	EX	EX - VG	""
Symmetry	EX	EX - VG	""