What is the difference between cushion brilliant and cushion modified brilliant?

A cushion brilliant has larger facets producing distinct, separate flashes of light with a vintage character. A cushion modified brilliant (crushed ice) has additional facets producing finer, more scattered sparkle. Both appear on GIA reports with their specific designation. The visual difference is noticeable in person.

Is a cushion cut or round brilliant better?

Neither is objectively better — they produce different visual characters. Round brilliants maximise scattered, white brilliance. Cushion cuts produce a warmer, larger-faceted sparkle with a softer, more romantic outline. The choice depends on aesthetic preference.

What length-to-width ratio is best for a square cushion cut?

For a classic square cushion, a length-to-width ratio between 1.00 and 1.05 is standard. Beyond 1.10 the cushion starts reading as rectangular. Most buyers choosing a cushion for its square outline stay within the 1.00–1.08 range.

Cushion Cut Diamonds: The Soft Square Shape and Why It Endures

What a Cushion Cut Is

The cushion cut is a square or rectangular diamond with rounded corners and large, curved facets. It is one of the oldest modern diamond shapes — versions of it were used throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was known as the "old mine cut." The contemporary cushion cut retains the shape's characteristic rounded-square outline and deep, romantic sparkle, updated with modern cutting techniques.

Cushion cuts sit at an interesting position in the market. They are square, like a princess cut, but softer — the rounded corners are more forgiving and less prone to chipping than a princess cut's sharp corners. They are brilliant, but their larger facets produce a different sparkle character than a round brilliant — warmer, more diffuse, sometimes described as "chunky" or "crushed ice" depending on the specific facet arrangement.

Cushion Brilliant vs Cushion Modified Brilliant

Within the cushion cut category, there are two main faceting variations that produce visually different stones.

A cushion brilliant (sometimes called "chunky cushion" or "antique cushion") has larger facets that produce distinct, separate flashes of light — large, identifiable patterns of brilliance that have a vintage, jewellery-box quality. These stones show each facet's reflection individually, producing a bolder and more nostalgic sparkle.

A cushion modified brilliant (sometimes called "crushed ice cushion") has additional facets below the girdle that produce a finer, more scattered sparkle — sometimes described as crushed ice or glitter. This produces a more modern look that some find more brilliant and others find less distinctive than the traditional cushion brilliant faceting.

The difference is visible to the naked eye and matters to buyers who have a preference for one sparkle character over the other. GIA reports both as "cushion brilliant" or "cushion modified brilliant" — the designation is on the certificate. Viewing stones from both categories in person is the most reliable way to establish which you prefer.

Proportions: Square vs Elongated

Cushion cuts range from nearly square (length-to-width ratio around 1.0–1.05) to more rectangular (1.15–1.30+). The square cushion is the classic and most common choice — it reads as a soft square from above and has strong visual symmetry. More rectangular cushions are less common and suit buyers who want the cushion's warmth with a more elongated outline.

For square cushions, a ratio between 1.00 and 1.05 is the standard. Beyond 1.10, the cushion starts to read as distinctly rectangular rather than square.

Colour in Cushion Cuts

Cushion cuts hold colour more noticeably than round brilliants. Their larger facets and deeper proportions concentrate body colour in a way that makes lower grades more visible. G or better is the safe choice for a white-appearing cushion in white gold or platinum. In yellow gold, H cushions can look very clean because the warm metal tone and the cushion's own warm sparkle character complement each other naturally.

Many buyers specifically seek a slightly warmer cushion cut — an H or I in yellow gold — for a vintage-inspired ring where the warmth of the stone reads as part of the aesthetic rather than a deficiency.

Settings That Suit Cushion Cuts

The cushion's soft square outline works in a range of settings. A simple four-claw solitaire lets the shape read clearly. A halo of round brilliants frames the cushion without competing with it — the contrast between the cushion's softer outline and the halo's circular form is a combination that became very popular in the early 2010s and remains widely used.

Pavé band settings complement cushion solitaires well. East-west cushion settings — rotating the stone so one corner faces up the finger — are a more unusual orientation that reads as a diamond shape from above and creates a different visual dynamic.

In yellow gold with a deeper colour-grade cushion, the vintage association is strongest. Filigree or milgrain details around the bezel reinforce this aesthetic.

Book a consultation to view cushion cut options and discuss setting designs, or message us on WhatsApp with any questions.