Q&A: Seeking Cushion Cut Diamond for $4K Budget

I’ve read through a few of your articles and one in particular scared me a fair bit. I’m talking about the one where you compared a VS1 (I think?) diamond against a I3 (again, I think?) diamond and examined the inclusions. Your analysis identified a stark black mark in the VS1 diamond, whilst the I3 looked relatively clean. This really scared me a little bit, as I’ve been looking at getting a diamond online and I always assumed a VS1 would naturally look cleaner than a lower grade.

Ideally, I would like a cushion cut diamond in the D colour range, at least VS2 clarity, at least very good polish and symmetry, around 0.8-1 carat and an ideal cut for around $4,000-$4,500. I’d prefer the diamond to be close to square. I’d probably also be more comfortable if the diamond came with a grading report from GIA or AGS.

I’ve had a look at some diamonds meeting this criteria on James Allen, but my lack of expertise really prevents me from knowing a good diamond from a bad. Some of the diamonds which appear good on paper are clearly not terribly good even to an amateur like me when viewed through the virtual loope on James Allen, and I suppose this concerns me should I ultimately buy sight unseen from another online diamond seller.

I guess what I’m after is some advice on getting a good diamond online, or if you can point me in the direction of a diamond that meets my above criteria that’d be great too!

Thank you very much for your help, and most of all for your quick response!

I had a number of questions I was hopeful you might be able to answer:

In that second diamond you linked me to there is an obvious inclusion near the center of the stone. I have generally avoided such stones due to such an inclusion being so obvious. Do you feel that such inclusions are very unlikely to be seen by the naked eye even close up?

Also, in many of the photos on James Allen there is a noticeable difference in the colour of some of the diamonds (even in the two you linked), is this just a consequence of the photograph or do you believe this reflects different vibrancy or fire in each respective diamond? If so, how can you really tell what makes a good or a bad cushion cut diamond when looking at a photo?

I have done some further research and was looking at a couple of diamonds on Good Old Gold (www.goodoldgold.com), and particularly the two below.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/7878/

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/8038/

Why is it that these two diamonds look so much prettier than those listed on James Allen? Is this just a consequence of the photography techniques or are they superior diamonds? In line with this, why are these Good Old Gold diamonds so much more expensive than a comparable stone on other websites?

I noticed that on Pricescope people often recommend Good Old Gold, and have even seen people say that there are a large number of poor stones on James Allen (specifically for cushion cuts). What are your thoughts on this?

My thoughts are that it seems like the vast majority of stones on James Allen have a significant number of inclusions noted on their GIA reports as compared to some stones available on other online diamond providers (Union Diamond, Blue Nile, Excel Diamonds, etc). Even where a diamond is quite good it seems to have an extremely thick girdle, which I don’t believe is ideal.

In line with the above, the ring design will look like the below. Given the design and the fact that the diamond will be mounted under a bezel how much of a concern is girdle thickness, and specifically an extremely thick girdle?

Obviously, any diamond will have inclusions and blemishes. What do you consider to be unnoticeable or minor inclusions/blemishes? Essentially, which ones should you avoid at all costs?

Would you be hesitant to buy a cushion cut diamond, sight unseen simply based off a positive set of numbers in the GIA report? ie like the below?

http://www.exceldiamonds.com/Loose_Cushion_Cut_Diamond-145/Loose_Cushion_Cut_0.87_Carat_E_Color_VS2_Clarity_diamond-680433.html

Can you provide any suggestions as to what I should look for in terms of depth and table when trying to identify a good cushion cut diamond? I get the impression that there aren’t really any industry standard figures unlike some other diamond shapes, which makes me wonder how websites classify a cushion cut diamond as an ideal or excellent cut?

I know it is probably a psychological thing, but my fiancee would prefer a diamond in the VS range at worst. Would you be able to suggest a couple that you think would be good?

I’m so sorry for the long post, but I’m finding cushion cuts incredibly complicated to get my head around compared to simpler shapes.

I really appreciate your help!

Thanks for the suggestions, and information provided Ira. Those diamonds do look great!

To me the presence of lots of inclusions is kind of off-putting, but is this feeling perhaps a bit silly? I mean some diamonds obviously have more inclusions than others, but is this essentially something you shouldn’t worry about where they are not easily visible even under magnification? I feel like you are paying for an inferior product if it has a number of inclusions.

Out of these suggestions which do you believe is the best? Which would you choose?

I was having a bit more of a look at James Allen as my fiancee said she’d really like an E colour (as opposed to F).

What do you think of these diamonds? Are they better than some of the others you’ve suggested? Which would you choose?

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1375791.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1298886.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1285076.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1280937.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1319085.asp

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1362074.asp

So after some discussion with my fiancee and some thought I’m leaning towards the below diamond.

https://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/E-VS1-Ideal-Cut-Cushion-Diamond-1285076.asp

What are your thoughts? I’m curious to hear if you think that maybe the table or depth are too high on this one? How are these likely to impact the visuals of the diamond?

Isn’t excessive depth in a diamond typically a bad thing?

Thanks a lot Ira!

I’ve placed the order and will let you know how it looks when I finally get it!