Cushion Cut Diamonds

If the round brilliant is precision and the emerald is architecture, the cushion is romance. Its rounded corners and curved sides give it a softness that no angular shape can manage, and it glows rather than flashes. People who describe wanting something antique, warm or candlelit are usually describing a cushion.

It is a brilliant cut, one of the styles the International Gem Society distinguishes from step cutting, so it sparkles freely and forgives small inclusions well.

A cushion cut is a brilliant with a square or slightly rectangular outline, rounded corners and softly bowed sides. Facet counts vary widely, typically from 58 upward, and that variation is exactly why two cushions can look so unlike each other.

Chunky cushions use fewer, larger facets. They produce broad, slow flashes of light and dark, closer to the antique stones the shape descends from. Crushed ice cushions use many small facets, producing a glittering, granular sparkle that scatters rather than flashes.

Neither is better cut than the other; they are different designs. But they photograph differently and they wear differently, so it is worth deciding which one you actually want before comparing stones.

Length-to-width ratio between 1.00 and 1.09 reads as square. Above about 1.15 you are into elongated cushion territory, which is a distinctly different look.

The cushion is the oldest shape still in mainstream use. Its ancestor is the old mine cut, developed in the eighteenth century and dominant until the early twentieth. Those stones were cut by candlelight, for candlelight, with small tables and deep pavilions that produced a warm, soft flicker rather than bright sparkle.

When the modern round brilliant arrived in 1919 it made the old mine cut technically obsolete overnight. But the look never lost its admirers, and the modern cushion is essentially that antique silhouette re-cut with contemporary precision. Read more about its direct ancestor at the International Gem Society.

Cushions receive no overall cut grade, so read the numbers. Depth between roughly 61% and 68% with a table around 61% to 67% gives the best balance. Cushions historically run deep, which is why an older-style stone can look smaller than its carat weight suggests.

Check the corners too. They should all be rounded to the same degree; uneven corners make the pillow look lopsided. Every Ronora cushion is Excellent cut.

Cushions hold colour slightly more than a round brilliant. The deeper pavilion and larger facets give warmth more room to show, and on a chunky cushion in particular a faint tint becomes visible sooner than it would elsewhere.

Some people actively want that, setting a slightly warm cushion in yellow or rose gold for a deliberately antique effect. Ronora takes the other route: every cushion sits in the D-E-F colourless range, so the softness comes from the cut rather than from the colour.

A one carat cushion measures roughly 5.5mm by 5.5mm against about 6.5mm across for a one carat round. Cushions carry weight in their depth, so they spread a little less face-up. An elongated cushion recovers some of that through length, and our diamond measurements guide draws both at true size so you can compare them properly.

On durability the cushion is excellent. Rounded corners mean there is nothing to chip, which makes it one of the safest shapes for someone who works with their hands. Clarity is forgiving too, particularly on crushed ice stones where the granular sparkle hides almost everything.

See a cushion cut at actual size on your own ring size, or as a stud or pendant, with Find Me Diamond, our free diamond size visualizer.

Rounded corners mean nothing needs protecting, so a cushion can go into almost any setting. The question is whether you lean into its antique character or push against it.

• Halo. The natural partner. A frame of small rounds echoes the curved outline and makes a cushion read considerably larger, since cushions spread less than other shapes.
• Vintage and milgrain. Fine beaded edges, filigree and detailed galleries suit the cushion's history better than any other shape.
• Four or six prong solitaire. Clean and simple, letting the pillow outline speak. Works best on a chunky cushion where the facets carry the interest.
• Three stone. Rounds or half-moons either side complement the curves without fighting them.
• Bezel. A rim follows the soft outline beautifully and gives a modern reading of an old shape.

• Cushion vs Round. The round is brighter and spreads more per carat. The cushion is softer, warmer and noticeably less common. Choose round for maximum sparkle, cushion for character.
• Cushion vs Princess. Both are squares. The princess is sharp, modern and has corners that chip. The cushion is rounded, antique and effectively indestructible.
• Cushion vs Radiant. Both soften a square, but differently. The radiant crops its corners and sparkles sharply; the cushion curves them and glows.
• Cushion vs Elongated Cushion. Same faceting, stretched. The elongated version flatters the finger the way an oval does while keeping the soft pillow edges.

What it does well

• Rounded corners make it extremely durable; nothing can chip.
• Genuine antique character that no modern cut reproduces.
• Hides inclusions well, especially in crushed ice form.
• Lower price per carat than a round.
• Suits vintage, milgrain and halo settings better than any other shape.

What to watch

• Chunky and crushed ice are very different stones sold under one name.
• Spreads less per carat than most shapes, so it can look smaller than its weight.
• Holds colour a little more than a round.
• No official cut grade, so proportions must be judged individually.