Round cut diamonds, and cushion-cut diamonds are classical and stunning options for engagement rings. Suppose you are at a jewelry shop, and the jeweler has presented you with two outstanding options; option 1 is a brilliant round cut diamond, while option 2 is the timeless cushion cut diamond. Whenever you face this problem, remember to analyze the diamond based on five factors: style, size, sparkle, price, and ease of selection. We have crafted this article to ease your task of selecting one diamond from these two. So, stay tuned and walk through this article with us!

Comparing Their Styles

Round diamonds are considered to be traditional, classic, and timeless! Many engagement rings have these diamonds, which people love. Besides engagement rings, round diamonds are used in various jewelry pieces. This design of diamond is one of the highly sought-after designs, as round diamonds make up 50% of all of the diamonds that are purchased annually! This speaks volumes about the love people have for these diamonds!

Round cut diamonds are popular for their brilliance and sparkling scintillations. Unlike any other cut, a round cut can refract light exceptionally. These diamonds have a classic, traditional look, and thin facets. As depicted by the name, it is round in shape.

Cushion cut diamonds have a rectangular/square shape with sharp sides. These diamonds have a very traditional and antique look, unlike some of the very famous princess cut and emerald-cut diamonds, which have quite a modern look.

Is There a Difference in The Way They Sparkle?

The cut is the most important factor in enhancing/diminishing the sparkle of a diamond. How does a diamond reflect light? When light shines on the surface of a diamond, the diamond reflects and refracts that light, and after that, it emits it. The light that it flashes is known as scintillation, which is made up of white light (also known as ‘brilliance’) and the rainbow effect (called ‘fire’).

When it comes to round diamonds, those have the most stunning brilliance you will find in a diamond because of their cut. On the other hand, cushion cut diamonds are brilliant, but not as much as round diamonds.

Round diamonds also exhibit more fire than cushion cut diamonds because round diamonds have a larger surface area and big facets.

How Do Their Sizes Compare?

A round diamond and cushion cut diamond with the same per carat weights might differ slightly in size. The cushion diamond will look slightly bigger because of its large tabletop and a larger number of facets. However, sometimes round diamonds might seem bigger because of their higher brilliance. Our eyes tend to perceive diamonds as larger when they have higher brilliance. But the difference in size isn’t huge, and both the diamonds with the same per carat weight look almost similar in size. 

If you are looking for a large diamond top for the engagement ring you have your eyes on, we recommend going for the diamond that has a higher cut grade; diamonds having an excellent to good cut grade will have a stunning sparkle and brilliance, and that is what diamonds are generally famous for. Higher brilliance also leads to the diamond having a larger visual size.

Therefore, purchasing a diamond with a higher cut grade will be a win-win situation for you. You will not only be getting the best quality diamond but will also unfailingly put a smile on your fiancée’s face while putting the stunning ring on her!

The Selection Process

When purchasing one, do you know what qualities you should look for in a diamond? Are you aware of the 4Cs of a diamond? If these terms are new to your ears, then don’t worry because the information mentioned below is for you. The 4Cs of a diamond correspond to cut, clarity, carat weight, and color. The cut is basically a measurement of how well the diamond was cut, the clarity is a measure of how white and clean a diamond is, carat weight is just a physical measurement of the weight of the diamond, and lastly, the clarity defines the brilliance and sparkle of a diamond. These four characteristics are enough to determine if a diamond is of good quality and worth buying or not.

If you are interested in buying a round diamond, you should examine its 4Cs to determine its quality. On the other hand, if you are captivated by the charm and antique look of a cushion cut diamond and want to buy it, you will need to look for additional qualities such as ratio, table and depth percentages, and faceting.

A cushion cut diamond having a length-to-width ratio of 1 to 1.02 would be perfect. However, if this figure goes above 1.05, the cushion cut diamond would have a rectangular shape.

The low depth and table percentages make the diamond lose its brilliance. If you want a cushion cut diamond with stunning sparkle and shine, then go for diamonds with depth and table percentages lower than 70%.

Some high-faceted cushion-cut diamonds have the “crushed ice” look. The GIA has placed these sorts of diamonds under the category of ‘modified cushion cut’. However, buying a diamond with the crushed ice look is your choice!

How Do Their Prices Differ?

The prices of round diamonds are skyrocketing mainly because a lot of diamond is wasted during the design of the round cut shape. Moreover, these diamonds have an exceptionally stunning sparkle and are highly sought after by people worldwide, so companies and jewelers charge higher prices for them. As compared to round diamonds, cushion cut diamonds are affordable and are therefore available at 20% l- 25% lower price.

FAQs on Round Diamonds and Cushion Diamonds

Q) What are the ideal proportions of a cushion cut diamond?

Ans. A cushion cut diamond with a depth of about 57% to 69%, and a table of about 58% to 68% is preferred by people. The length-to-width ratio of about 1.15 to 1.30 in a rectangular cushion cut diamond is ideal.

Q) Can a cushion cut diamond have an ideal cut?

Ans. While GIA has not awarded an excellent cut grade, some diamonds have a big antique flash. So, a jeweler will say that a diamond with a good sparkle has an ‘ideal’ or ‘excellent’ cut.

Q) What is more important for a cushion cut diamond or clarity?

Ans. Both of these are equally important. Diamonds with a color grade of H or higher and SI1 clarity are excellent. However, finding a diamond with an eye-clean SI2 clarity will be difficult as these are rare.

Q) Do cushion cut diamonds look bigger?

Ans. The top of cushion cut diamonds have large facets and thus appear bigger. However, round cut diamonds have more brilliance, and a high amount of brilliance makes a diamond look even bigger, so a round diamond looks larger than a cushion cut diamond.

Q) Does a cushion cut diamond sparkle more?

Ans. Cushion cuts have an antique and vintage look with a soft shape. These qualities of a cushion cut diamond give it a particular glamour. They have a good brilliance, more than the princess cut diamond.

Q) Are cushion cut diamonds more expensive than round diamonds?

Ans. No, actually round cut diamonds are about 25% to 50% more than cushion cut diamonds. This noticeable price difference is because a lot of diamond is lost during the designing and cutting of a round diamond, so the diamond’s price is high.

Q) What is most important in a round diamond?

Ans. The cut is the one and the only factor that should be considered before buying a round diamond. The GIA also grades a round diamond based on its cut. A cut refers to the alignment and polish of the stone. A round diamond that has perfectly aligned stones and is polished will have a higher grade awarded by GIA.

Final Thoughts

By and large, the final choice of selecting and buying a diamond is yours. You can choose whichever diamond shape you like. If you love both the diamond cuts but have a low budget, then the cushion cut diamond would be a pocket-friendly choice for you. However, if you can afford the round diamond, then you should definitely go for it! Buy anything that makes you happy, in the end, it is your choice!