Modern Cushion Brilliant
Everything you wanted to know about Cushion Cuts
Cushion cuts happen to be one of the oldest cut diamonds in the world along with the old mine cut and are generally found in antique and period piece jewelry. Cushions get their name due to the fact that they appear "cushiony", kinda like a pillow! :) The corners are generally always rounded, the facets large and chunky and most of the older cushions have large open culet facets.
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Here is an excellent example of an old style cushion with a very large culet facet. Right smack in the center of the diamond you can see the open culet facet and you can even see right through it to the background behind it as the culet is a point within the diamond that leaks light. Hence you can see through the culet.
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Since cushions are not round you can also find them in a variety of shapes or length to width ratios. This 3.01ct cushion below has a length/width ratio of 1.19:1 while the stone above has one of 1.11:1.
The Facet Structure of a Cushion Cut
Facet structures can vary on cushions as there are no set guidelines for cutting them. However there are 2-3 flavors that populate the market. The primary difference between the flavors is in the way the pavilion is faceted.
Here are some GIA plots on some cushions that are among some of the most common faceting patterns along with virtual models of cushion cuts we have scanned in of these types of stones. You'll need the free Gem Advisor software to open the virtual models which you can download and install for free at this link.
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Description
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Plot
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Virtual Model
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Crown:
8 bezels
8 stars
16 upper girdles
1 table
Pavilion:
8 mains
16 lower girdles
1 culet
Total facets: 58
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Crown:
8 bezels
8 stars
16 upper girdles
1 table
Pavilion:
4 mains
16 lower girdles
1 culet
Total facets: 54
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Crown:
8 bezels
8 stars
16 upper girdles
1 table
Pavilion:
4 mains
24 misc pavilion facets
Total facets: 61
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As you can see the crowns on each are faceted the same. There is one other diamond that recently hit the market that is being sold as a cushion but we are marketing that separately from traditional cushion cuts which you can read about here. This tutorial is dedicated to traditional cushions.
Cushion Cuts and the Major Labs
more to come...
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