Q&A: Cushion Cut Help… Make that Round Cut

I have been working hard to save money with a plan to propose to my girlfriend by around August of this year (8 months from now) – I still have a good amount of saving to do, but when do you think I should begin to get really serious about my search for a ring? A related question: once I’ve found the right diamond, how long will it take to get the ring made?

This will probably be the first of several questions from me, so thanks in advance for your advice!!

I’m very grateful to have this resource as I try to sift through the process of finding the right diamond. It sounds like once I find the right one, the process of getting the ring made won’t take too long. So that leaves me a decent amount of time to keep saving, which is good news.

You said that the amount of time for the search depends on what type of ring I’m looking for, so I’ll describe my wish list to get the ball rolling:
at least 1.5 carat
Round, Cushion, or Radiant cut (as long as it isn’t too square)
not yet sure what i’m looking for in terms of cut quality, color and clarity (that’s where you guys come in!)
the ring will be yellow gold, either just solid or with pave diamonds if i can afford it
I would love to keep the whole thing under $9K if possible
That just about covers the basics I think – can you let me know if you think it will be possible to find something that fits these parameters within the budget I’m aiming for?

Is there any other info i can provide that would be helpful?

Thanks again!

Hi Michael – thank you for sending this option. I should be clear that I won’t be ready to purchase yet because I still need to save a good amount and don’t want to buy the whole thing on credit.

I like the diamond, but I am realizing from searching that I might be able to get a decent-sized stone for a good amount cheaper. For instance, these two seem to meet most of the criteria described on the website and are substantially cheaper:

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.54-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-180823?a_aid=dmnd1357

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.52-carat-j-color-vs1-clarity-sku-180822?a_aid=dmnd1357

Are there problems with these that I am missing? Thanks again for your help!

She wants a yellow gold pave setting, which was why I thought J color might be acceptable, as apparently the yellow gold will be reflected in the color anyway? Please let me know what you think.

Thanks again!

Ok good to know, thanks!

Another question related to the setting: on the James Allen site, when i select the thinnest pave setting (she wants a skinny ring), it restricts the size of the stone to 1.4 carats for radiant or cushion cuts. If i bought the diamond only and then took it somewhere else to have the ring made, would i be able to get a 1.5 carat radiant or cushion cut on a thin pave ring?

Thanks again for all your help!

Great, thanks again for all your help! I’ll get back in touch when I am ready to purchase.

What do you think of this diamond? https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.51-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-sku-187018?a_aid=dmnd1357

I see the small specks on the face but they look like they might be hard to see without magnification?

Also, I read on your site that I should try to stay below 70% for both depth and table – should the 71.1% depth here be a deal breaker?

Given that my girlfriend really wants no less than 1.5 carats, and I am trying to keep the budget as low as possible while still getting a good-looking diamond, do you think this one represents a good value?

Thanks as always for your guidance.

Gotcha, good to know – thanks Mike! I’ve since learned that she would want a square-shaped (not rectangular) so i will have to keep looking, but good to know that I am starting to figure out the factors that will lead me to the right diamond at the right price

…….

Ok – contrary to what I thought before, i showed her this diamond to pitch the idea of a rectangular cushion cut, and she actually loved it! Based on everything I’ve seen thus far, this is a great value and I think I might want to move quickly to snag it while it is available, even though I had planned to wait a little longer.

My concern is, I am getting a new credit card for the purchase and will have to wait to receive the card before using it. Do you think this diamond will be available a few more weeks? Would James Allen allow me to do anything to make a deposit to hold onto it?

And, if it does get snatched up – do you think a diamond with this combination of features will come up again at this price?

I’m excited and nervous and hoping I can make this work!

….

Sorry for the bombardment of emails – since my last message I have spoken with the people at James Allen and they are going to try to hold that one for me, at least for a few days. So here’s hoping!

In the meantime – what about this one? I realize the color is not quite ideal but do you think it could work with a yellow gold setting?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/cushion-cut/1.61-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-sku-144370?a_aid=dmnd1357

Thanks!

It looks like they’ll be able to hold onto that first one (the 1.5 carat H color Cushion) for me! The sales person at James Allen was super helpful and promised that they’ll be able to keep it off the market until my new credit card arrives.

I’m thrilled – I know it will knock her socks off and from what I’ve seen thus far it seems to be a great value!

I can’t thank you enough for your responsiveness and steady advice through this process – it’s been invaluable and I know I would never have found such a great diamond without help from you and your website.

I have a couple more questions about my next steps in the process, hoping you can continue to provide such stellar guidance:
Finding the right setting: Having looked through the website with my girlfriend before, I know that none of the settings offered by James Allen are exactly what she is looking for. So my plan is to order the diamond on its own and then look around for a local jeweler to finish the job. I live in Boston – do you happen to have any recommendations on where I should go?
Insuring the diamond/ring: This may be outside your wheelhouse in terms of diamond advice – but I want to start thinking about insuring the diamond asap. Since i will be getting the loose diamond first and conceivably it will take some time to shop around for the right setting, do you think i should get an insurance policy for the loose diamond right away and then upgrade once I’ve gotten it made into a ring? Do you have any advice on how to find a good insurance provider?
Thanks again for all your help!

Thanks Michael – I have not looked around for a setting at a local supplier yet. I am basing my thinking on the settings that appear to be available through the “build your own ring” function on the JA website.

Are there more custom options than the ones listed here? https://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/?MetalType=y14

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My girlfriend has shown me this as an example of the type of pave she wants – but none of the engagement setting options have this. Would they be able to custom make a setting like this?

https://www.jamesallen.com/wedding-rings/womens-eternity/ladies-0.75ctw-angled-common-prong-diamond-eternity-ring-item-4617?a_aid=dmnd1357

I’m coming back to you because I’ve decided to return the cushion cut diamond I got from James Allen – it is beautiful, but in the meantime I have learned that my girlfriend would really prefer a round cut after all.

Thankfully James Allen allows for 100% free returns, so there is no damage done. That said, in restarting my search for a round diamond, I have a question about the minimum color quality:

Your info on the website says that rounds hide color the best of all cuts, but I want to know what color grade I should look for given the following specs about the setting – it will be a yellow gold ring but with prong-set pave diamonds around the whole band, which is about 2mm wide, and I will be aiming for a 6 prong platinum setting.

Given the platinum prongs and the pave band, would i still be ok getting a J-K color round cut diamond or would i have to aim a little higher?

Thanks!

Ok thanks for the advice – yes I would love to see some recommendations. I do need to wait until the return is processed but I don’t think that would take too long.

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Do you think the inclusions on this one would be visible to the naked eye?

https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.54-carat-h-color-si2-clarity-very-good-cut-sku-116995?a_aid=dmnd1357

Thanks for getting back to me but that is way out of my budget.

Hi Mike, trying to keep it under $8k if possible. Thanks.