The Essential 7C's

Mixed Cut Diamonds

Mixed Cuts (Cushion Cuts)
Cushion CutExcellentVery GoodGoodFairPoor
Depth %62 to 6858 to 7057 to 7556 to 80>56 or <79
Table %58 to 6556 to 7054 to 7553 to 79>53 or <79
SymmetryGood to excellentGood to excellentGood to excellentFair to ExcellentPoor to Excellent
PolishGood to excellentGood to excellentGood to excellentFair to ExcellentPoor to Excellent

The cushion cut is the most common mixed cut, combining faceting elements from both the modified brilliant and step cuts allowing it to ensure weight preservation from the step cuts while at the same time enjoying the optical effects of brilliants. Typically the crown is fashioned like a brilliant cut and the pavilion more like a step cut. Although mixed cuts are all relatively new, dating back to the 1960s, the cushion shape is much older.

The cushion is one of the least uniform cut diamonds and comesin many different variations. In general we can separate the cut into two categories, the cushion brilliant cuts and the cushion modified brilliant cuts.

grading cushion cuts