How To Buy The PERFECT
Cushion Diamond Engagement Ring

Cushion Diamond Engagement Rings are pure fundamentals. Like the Triangle Offense, but you know, a square. Now, square-shape Diamonds (Cushions, Princess-cuts, Asschers) have a smaller surface area by carat weight than elongated shapes (Ovals, Pears, Marquise, Radiants, Emerald-cuts). You’ll likely want more carat weight on a Cushion than you would on an elongated shape, we’re here to make sure that’s well within your budget. Rookie contract dollars for a future hall of famer.

• Scouting Report: Awesome light return, soft corners go well with Round Diamonds on the band, symmetrical shape means almost no risk of “bowtie” (dark shadows across middle of the Diamond).
• Needs improvement: What we’re not going to do today is revisit high school geometry, we’ll keep this short and sweet. The surface area of a square is less than that of a Round, Oval, Pear, etc. In other words, you’ll need a 3.50 carat square Cushion to achieve the same surface area as a 3 carat Oval.
  • You can also opt for an elongated Cushion Diamond, a Cushion with a rectangular Length to Width (L/W) ratio.
• Popularity Rank (Current): #6
• Surface Area / Carat Weight Rank: Tied for #7
• Light Return Rank: Tied for 3rd.

Want the quick steps instead of reading the whole Playbook? We got you covered.

1. Set Cut Grade from “Ideal” to “Excellent”
2. Set Color Grade to “E”
3. Set Clarity Grade from “VS1”
4. Open Advanced Filters and set Polish and Symmetry to “Excellent”
5. Set Price to your ideal budget for the whole Ring, minus a $1,000 buffer for the Setting
6. Select “IGI” as the Lab
7. Set Depth from 62 – 68%
8. Set Table from 55 – 62%
9. Manually check that Crown Height is between 8 – 16%
10. Manually check that Pavilion Depth is between 40 – 56%
11. Manually check that the Diamond is CVD Type IIA (always passes diamond tester)
12. Set your Carat Weight range. Factor in:
    1. How large of a Diamond she’s comfortable wearing
    2. How large of a Diamond looks nice but not “overpowering”
    3. The cost of the Setting (let’s say roughly $1,000)

Cut Grade of an Cushion Diamond

Cut Grade refers to how well your Diamond reflects light. An “Excellent” Cut Cushion Diamond has brilliant sparkle and symmetry throughout the stone, with no pockets of shadows. Who says the fundamentals can’t be brilliant?

Straight from the IGI’s Fancy-shape “Excellent” Cut Guidelines, below are the Proportion #s behind an “Excellent” Cut Cushion Diamond. “Excellent” Cut means maximum sparkle from all parts of the Diamond and no dark shadows.

Let’s look at a real “Excellent” Cut Cushion Diamond’s IGI Report below…

All Proportions within “Excellent” Cut range…

• Table % is 62% in the Report above ✅ Optimal light received into the Diamond.
• Depth % is 66.7% in the Report above ✅ Optimal Carat Weight distribution, no shadows, and Diamond looks like a proper 4 carat (overly-deep Diamonds look smaller once set in a Ring, since most of the weight is on the bottom, which you can’t see).
• Crown Height is 12.5% in the Report above ✅ Optimal balance between fire (rainbow-colored light) and brilliance (white light). Too much brilliance and the Diamond looks “glassy”, too much fire and it looks like a Moissanite.
  • Crown is a Diamond’s top half, above the girdle.
• Pavilion Depth is 51% in the Report above ✅ Maximum volume of light is being reflected from the Diamond.
  • Pavilion is a Diamond’s bottom half, below the girdle.
• Girdle is Medium to Slightly Thick in the Report above ✅ The Diamond is durable and bears no risk of chipping while being set in your Ring.
  • Girdle is the Diamond’s border dividing crown and pavilion.
• Polish is “Excellent” in the Report above ✅ Each of the Diamond’s facets are polished to the highest degree possible.
• Symmetry is “Excellent” in the Report above ✅ If you split the Diamond in half, right down the middle, one side would look exactly like the other. Fire, brilliance and scintillation (contrast between light and dark areas) are displayed evenly.
• Length/Width (9.44 divided by 9.24) ratio is 1.02, for the classic square look ✅ For an elongated Cushion, the most popular ratio is between 1.30 – 1.40 L/W.
• Cutlet is “Pointed” ✅ The pavilion facets all meet at the pointy bottom of the Diamond, which has been cut proportionally and isn’t visible when looking down at the Diamond.
• Comments Section: This isn’t a Proportion, but since we have the Report open, make sure you’re looking at a CVD Type IIA Lab Diamond. These are the purest form of Diamond, and they always pass diamond pen testers.

When you’re searching for a Diamond online, let the Report be your guide. If you’re unsure or just want to confirm the Diamond’s beauty, call or text us @ 305-796-6143.

You see the “Additional Requirements” section at the bottom left corner of the “Excellent” Cut Guidelines chart above? Our team will double-check that in person by analyzing the Diamond under ASET Scope to confirm there’s no bowtie. 

• Note: A Cushion Diamond with lots of shadows will have blue (contrast) as the primary color under ASET Scope. An “Excellent” Cut will have red (max light return) and green (lesser light return) as the primary colors across the middle under ASET.

Quick Note:
“Ideal” isn’t an official Cut Grade for IGI graded Fancy-shape (non-Round) Diamonds. The highest Cut Grade they can receive is “Excellent”.

When a jeweler lists a Cushion Diamond as “Ideal”, it’s a marketing gimmick, not an official Cut Grade shown on the Diamond’s Grading Report (aka Certificate). Keep an eye out for this! Trust the data straight from the Laboratory that’s grading the Diamond (the IGI or the GIA).

Set Cut Grade from “Ideal” – “Excellent”, Table from 55-62% and Depth from 62-68%.
On the IGI Report, check Crown Height (8-16%) and Pavilion Depth (40-56%).

Facet Pattern of an Cushion Diamond

There are two main facet patterns for Cushion Diamonds- the Modern Brilliant-cut and the “Crushed Ice”.

What’s the best Color Grade for my
Cushion Diamond Engagement Ring?

When it comes to picking your Lab-Grown Cushion Diamond’s Color Grade, the place to be is the “Colorless” Range- D, E and F. Our favorite Color Grade is “E”, because it’s the perfect mix of price and quality. This applies to any size Diamond, from 1 carat all the way to 6 carats+.

• “D” Color Diamonds have no included coloration. They’re perfect. The ‘72 Dolphins but make it a Diamond.
• “E” Color Diamonds have the SLIGHTEST amount of coloration. Just like “D” Color Diamonds, they’re a bright, crisp white. Think 72-10 Chicago Bulls. Perfect season? Almost. Championship-level? Absolutely.
  • The difference between a “D” Color and “E” Color Diamond is SO SLIGHT that it begs the question, “Is that tiny upgrade worth $500, $1,000, etc. more?”. That’s totally up to you, but in my opinion, “E” is the sweet-spot. 
• “F” Color Diamonds are the last grade in the “Colorless” range, with a minor amount of included coloration. The drop to “F” Color will be even more noticeable here, “E” is a much brighter shade of white.

Set your Color Grade filter to “E” and move on to the next step. 

What’s the best Clarity Grade for my
Cushion Diamond Engagement Ring?

All that you care about in terms of Clarity is that your Diamond is eye-clean. An eye-clean Diamond has no imperfections that are visible to the naked eye.

The best Clarity Grade for your Cushion Diamond Engagement Ring is “VS1”, short for “Very Slightly Included (1)”. Straight from the GIA, VS1 Diamonds contain “inclusions that are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10X magnification”. VS1 Clarity Grade will be eye-clean on practically any Cushion Diamond size you’d use for an Engagement Ring. We’ve made Rings with 7 carat Cushion Diamonds with VS1 Clarity, and as expected, there are no imperfections visible to the naked eye.

Below, VVS1, VVS2 and VS1 Clarity 3 carat Cushion Diamonds. Go ahead and tell me which is which 😊

On an Cushion Diamond, you’re safe with a “VS1” Clarity on almost any Diamond size for an Engagement Ring.

Set your Clarity Grade filter to “VS1”.

What’s the right Carat Weight for my
Cushion Diamond?

This one’s totally up to you. A 5 or 6 carat Diamond might fit within your budget range, but is your lady comfortable wearing that? Do you live in a well-lit neighborhood?? Is she packing heat???

From top to bottom: 2.01 carat, 2.51 carat, 3.03 carat, 3.02 carat (elongated), 3.52 carat (elongated)
All IGI graded Lab-Grown Diamonds, “Excellent” Cut, E Color and VS1 Clarity

If you’re unsure of what size Diamond she wants, ask her. Bring it up casually. Show her a Ring from our Instagram around the size you’re shopping and see what she thinks of the main Diamond. Too big? Too small? Just right? Show her a few, see which one she thinks looks best. 

With Lab-Grown Diamonds, the sweet spot seems to be between 3 and 4 carats. Not too big, and definitely not too small. Yes, some couples go with 2 carat Diamonds. And others go with 5, 6 and 7 carat Diamonds. Don’t worry about what everyone else is wearing- pick the right Diamond for you. Diamonds symbolize forever with your soulmate- no matter how big they are.

Set your Carat Weight range (3.00 – 3.25 carats if you’re unsure).

You’re ready! The PERFECT Diamond awaits.
Let’s go find it.