Unlock the secrets of cushion cut engagement rings and discover why their timeless elegance and modern brilliance make them the ultimate choice for your perfect proposal.

Navigate this guide:

• Introduction: The Timeless Appeal of Cushion Cut Diamonds
• 7 Practical Tips for Choosing the Best Cushion Engagement Ring
• Chapter 1: The Unique Charm of Cushion Cut Engagement Rings
• Chapter 2: Selecting the Perfect Setting 
• Chapter 3: Celebrity Inspirations and Iconic Designs
• Conclusion
• FAQ

Introduction: The Timeless Appeal of Cushion Cut Diamonds

Diamonds may be the hardest natural substance on earth, but there’s one diamond shape out there that you would just love to sink your head into…Plush, pillowy, and oh so luxurious, the cushion cut is arguably the most seductive of the diamond shapes. And that’s just on paper!

In person, the cushion cut really comes into its own. Its rounded appearance makes it visually similar to the round brilliant, while its unique proportions maximise fire over brilliance, making it perfect for anyone who loves that firework-like display of sparkle.

What’s more, it’s also a versatile shape, being available in both square and elongated proportions. Finally, as if you needed another reason to pursue the cushion cut diamond, it’s significantly more affordable than the round brilliant. A win-win. 

Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:

7 Practical Tips for Choosing the Best Cushion Engagement Ring

Tip 1. Setting Depth and Security:

• Prong Placement: Ensure the prongs are securely holding the cushion cut stone. Four prongs are common, but six can offer added security. However, too many prongs can obscure the cushion shape.
• Bezel Setting: This encases the entire perimeter of the stone in metal. It’s a modern look and can protect the edges of the cushion cut, but it also hides more of the stone.

Tip 2. Band and Shank Design:

• Pavé or Micropavé: These settings, with small diamonds embedded into the band, can enhance the ring’s overall sparkle. However, they can also make resizing more challenging in the future.
• Split Shank: This design can make the center cushion cut appear larger and adds a touch of elegance.

Tip 3. Halo Considerations:

• Halo Shape: Ensure the halo complements the cushion shape without overwhelming it. Some halos are rounded, while others might have a more squared appearance.
• Double Halo: This can add more brilliance to the ring, but also might make the center stone appear smaller in comparison.

Tip 4. Metal Choice and Appearance:

• Metal Color: While white metals can enhance the brilliance of diamonds, rose or yellow gold can offer a vintage or romantic feel, which complements the cushion cut’s antique appeal.
• Finish: Decide between a high polish, matte, or satin finish. Each offers a different aesthetic appeal.

Tip 5. Matching with Wedding Band:

• Contour and Fit: Some cushion cut engagement rings have unique profiles. Consider if you want a wedding band that sits flush against it or if you’re okay with a gap.

Tip 6. Overall Aesthetics and Style:

• Vintage vs. Modern: Cushion cuts naturally have a vintage feel. Decide if you want to enhance this with art deco or other historical design elements or opt for a more contemporary setting.
• Personal Customizations: Think about adding personal touches, like engravings or unique side stones, to make the ring truly one-of-a-kind.

Tip 7. Maintenance and Durability:

• Daily Wear: Consider how the ring’s design might fare with daily activities. Intricate designs with many crevices might require more frequent cleaning.
• Setting Height: A ring set too high might snag on clothing or other materials. If you’re active, a lower setting might be more practical.

Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:

Chapter 1: The Unique Charm of Cushion Cut Engagement Rings

The cushion cut is something of a middle ground between a number of different diamond shapes. Unlike something like the emerald cut, it doesn’t bring an entirely unique set of characteristics to the table; rather, it combines different elements from a range of popular shapes to create something that captures the best of both worlds.

The cushion cut is not the oldest diamond shape, but it is descended from a very old diamond shape known as the old mine cut. While the old mine cut is no longer widely available due to its inferior light performance, the cushion cut enables some of those very old, dearly beloved features to live on.

As a result, the cushion cut looks great in vintage settings, but it’s close enough to the very classic round brilliant in shape and appearance that it can adapt to almost any setting you put your mind to.

History and Evolution

Cushion cut diamonds, with their soft, rounded edges, trace their origins back to the 19th century, when the old mine cut was the go-to style. This cut, with its larger facets and a charmingly imperfect symmetry, was designed to sparkle under candlelight, offering a warm, romantic glow. Over time, the cushion cut has evolved, refining its proportions to enhance brilliance and fire, yet it retains that nostalgic, vintage appeal that harks back to a time of elegance and grace. It’s this blend of history and modern refinement that makes the cushion cut so beloved today—a perfect balance between the romance of the past and the sophistication of the present.

Characteristics That Set It Apart

The Christian cut is relatively deep compared to other diamond shapes. Unfortunately, this does mean that, face up, the stone doesn’t appear as large as other diamond shapes. For instance, if you were to put a one carat round brilliant diamond next to a 1 carat cushion cut diamond, the round brilliant diamond would appear larger, since more of the diamond’s weight is concentrated into the upper portion of the diamond. However, added depth offers a major benefit to fire; the cushion cut generates a lot more fire than it does brilliance, which really appeals to some shoppers who prefer those colored flashes to the crisp, white flashes of light associated with the brilliant shapes.

The cushion cut’s depth also makes it perfect for holding onto color. This can be tricky if you’re looking at white slash colorless diamonds since any hint of yellow will be more obvious in a cushion cut than it would otherwise be and, say, an Oval. 

But, if you’re looking at fancy color diamonds, then a cushion is a great place to focus your search since any color will be all the more vibrant thanks to that deep cut.

Chapter 2: Selecting the Perfect Setting 

So, what kind of an engagement ring setting suits a cushion cut diamond? The good news for shoppers is that the cushion cut really doesn’t preclude any engagement ring setting style. This is a versatile shape, very similar to the round brilliant, that can be modernised or left looking more vintage depending on the intended wearer’s tastes.

Here are three of our favourite setting styles to pair with the cushion cut diamond.

• A knife edge platinum cushion diamond engagement ring
  Life is all about creating contrast, and a knife edge is the ultimate way to contrast with a cushion cut soft and plush design. The knife edge is a subtle yet powerful departure from the traditional solitaire shape, so you don’t need to add any extra embellishments to make this ring stand out. It’s a great way to keep the overall design simple while avoiding creating something that looks like it’s trying to be a round brilliant solitaire. The bright white platinum adds an extra edge, too.
• A simple cushion bypass ring in white gold
  We know what we said about contrast, but how about seeing the entire ring around the cushion cut’s unique, decadent appearance? While the diamond at the centre can represent a big, square, feather pillow on which to rest your head, the bypass Shank is the perfect representation of a silky, twisted sheet. Yes, it may seem a little poetic, but what better opportunity to indulge your inner poet than when designing the engagement ring?
• A single halo yellow gold cushion cut engagement ring (along with a matching pavé wedding band
  A square Halo is an excellent way to emphasise the shape of the cushion cut and avoid those rounded corners from appearing too similar to a round brilliant. The Halo will add extra brilliance, great for balancing out the fire of the cushion, but also useful for mitigating the reflection of the yellow gold throughout the centre of the diamond. We love the look of yellow gold paired with a cushion cut clear diamond. But you don’t want the cushion to swallow too much of that yellow color at the cost of its beauty.

Solitaire: Simplicity at Its Finest

We’ve said it before and we will say it again and again and again: a solitaire will never disappoint, provided the diamond you choose is beautiful. A cushion cut is no exception to the rule; the solitaire allows the subtle, curved shape of the cushion cut’s outer edge to shine and elevates the diamond enough to let plenty of light in (and, accordingly, plenty of fire out). 

Vintage: Echoes of Elegance

as we mentioned above, the cushion cut is also perfect if you’re looking at designing a vintage inspired engagement ring. Its connection to the old mine cut means that it never looks out of place in a Georgian or Edwardian style of setting or the ultimate in Victorian Gothic design. 

Think: filigree, milgrain, and plenty of accent stones in fancy colors like blue-green, and even read if you can get your hands on it.

Chapter 3: Celebrity Inspirations and Iconic Designs

Over the years, plenty of celebrities have paid the way for cushion cut engagement rings full stop among the most iconic is Victoria Beckham’s headline-grabbing fancy yellow color cushion cut diamond engagement ring, which was paired with a simple, platinum band. She’s not the first celebrity to step out with a yellow colored diamond, but her choice of a cushion cut showcases how powerful this shape can be at retaining color and offering the most vivid appearance possible.

While we’re on the subject of cushion cut yellow diamonds, the Tiffany Yellow Diamond – a remarkable 128.54 carat diamond from Kimberley – stands as one of the most iconic diamonds in history. The diamond has been worn on red carpets by celebrities like Beyoncé and Audrey Hepburn over the years, and once again stands as a testament to the power of the cushion cut to showcase fancy colors in all their splendour.

Don’t believe us, take a look at Jennifer Lopez’s engagement ring from Ben Affleck. Featuring a very rare (and highly collectable) fancy green cushion cut diamond, this one is truly one-of-a-kind – although that won’t stop some of us trying to recreate it.

 But you don’t have to opt for a fancy color diamond just to make full use of a cushion cut. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’ dazzling cushion-cut diamond engagement ring made headlines, inspiring many to consider the timeless charm of cushion-cut diamonds.

Zoe Kravitz and Kate Bosworth have both showcased bright and brilliant cushion cut engagement rings recently, too. 

Conclusion

The cushion cut is as inviting, tempting, and seductive as the name makes it sound. If you feel like it’s the right diamond shape for you, then you’ll be able to enjoy plenty of scope in terms of ring design, thanks to its versatile and adaptable shape. Enjoy the fire that burns bright in this diamond’s crown, and consider complementing it with a few melee diamonds that balance all that fiery color with some bright white brilliance.

10 Frequently Asked Questions About Cushion Engagement Rings

• 1. What is a cushion cut engagement ring?
• A cushion cut engagement ring features a square or rectangular diamond with rounded corners and large facets. It combines a modern and vintage look, known for its soft, romantic appearance.
• 2. Why choose a cushion cut for an engagement ring?
• Cushion cuts are chosen for their unique blend of softness and brilliance, offering a timeless, elegant look with a modern flair. They’re also versatile, fitting various settings and styles.
• 3. Are cushion cut diamonds more expensive?
• The price of a cushion cut diamond can vary widely based on its size, quality, and other factors. Generally, they can be less expensive than round cuts due to less demand and more efficient cutting processes.
• 4. How do I pick a high-quality cushion cut diamond?
• Look for a cushion cut diamond with good symmetry, a high clarity grade, and a color grade that matches your preference. Consider the cut’s depth and table percentages for optimal brilliance.
• 5. What settings work best with cushion cut engagement rings?
• Popular settings for cushion cut engagement rings include halo, solitaire, and pave settings. A halo setting can enhance the diamond’s size and sparkle, while a solitaire setting showcases its shape.
• 6. Can cushion cut diamonds look bigger than other shapes?
• Yes, due to their cut and large facets, cushion cut diamonds can appear larger than other diamond shapes of the same carat weight, especially when set in a halo or with side stones.
• 7. Are there different types of cushion cuts?
• Yes, cushion cuts come in various styles, including standard, modified, and crushed ice. Each type offers a different look, from classic and soft to more brilliant and sparkly.
• 8. How do I care for a cushion cut engagement ring?
• Clean your cushion cut engagement ring with mild soap and warm water, using a soft brush. Have it professionally inspected and cleaned annually to ensure the setting remains secure.
• 9. What metal pairs well with cushion cut diamonds?
• Cushion cut diamonds pair well with all metals, including white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, and platinum. The choice depends on personal preference and the desired overall look.
• 10. Are cushion cut engagement rings good for daily wear?
• Yes, cushion cut engagement rings are suitable for daily wear. Opt for a setting that protects the diamond, such as a bezel or halo, to maintain its beauty and integrity over time.

Discover your dream cushion cut engagement ring with JewelerAI‘s personalized selection process.