Cushion Cut Diamond

Cushion cut diamonds are quite rare when it comes to cuts. They are most similar to the radiant cut, but the cushion cut diamond has more rounded corners, similar to a pillow. No wonder cushion cut diamonds were originally called pillow cuts. Cushion cut diamonds are slightly less brilliant and fiery than round brilliant cut diamonds, but they are more light dispersive, meaning they serve as a mini prism that splits light into its 7 constitutive colors. So if you like rainbows, thecushion cut diamond is for you.

Cushion cut diamonds were the most popular cut for most of the 19th century, from 1830 until the turn of the 20th century.  Now they are less in demand due to the brilliance of the now ubiquitous round brilliant. They can come in any shape between rectangular and perfectly square, depending entirely on personal taste. The cushion cut diamond is another example of a cut that does not have rigid standards as to its grade, though retailers set their own rubric and pricing based on their own preferences. The good part about this is that the consumer can pick whatever cushion cut diamond he likes best, regardless of price.

Similar to round brilliants, cushion cut diamonds also end in a sharp point at the pavilion, but their girdle is not as abrupt and sharp as the round brilliant. It’s more gradual in its decent to the apex on the bottom.

Many cushion cut diamonds have a what is called a culet, which acts as a window through the diamond and reflects whatever color is behind it. This is not so of a round brilliant, whose pavilion is much sharper and abrupt than that of acushion cut diamond. There are many ways to cut the face of the diamond, though what makes it a cushion cut diamondare its rounded corners and resemblance to a pillow.

For fancy colored diamonds specifically, this cut is the most popular since it most evenly distributes the diamond’s color. In fact, the world’s most famous diamond, the deep blue Hope Diamond, was originally described as having a cut of  “cushion antique brilliant with a faceted girdle and extra facets on the pavilion.” The Hope Diamond is, of course, centuries old, back when cushion cut diamonds were much more popular than they are now. If people were more conscious of the Hope Diamond’s cut, perhaps cushion cut diamonds would rocket back into style.