Cushion Cut
The romantic pillow shape with vintage appeal — and the only cushion cut with true Hearts & Arrows precision, engineered by Brian Gavin. The world's most popular shape for fancy color diamonds.
Romance Meets Performance
The cushion cut — named for its soft, pillow-like outline with rounded corners — bridges the romance of antique diamond cutting with modern performance standards. This shape has surged in popularity over the past two decades, prized for its warm, romantic light pattern and exceptional versatility across both colorless and fancy color diamonds.
Accounting for approximately 40% of all fancy color diamond sales, the cushion cut's ability to maximize color saturation while maintaining excellent brilliance makes it the undisputed champion for collectors of pink, yellow, and blue diamonds.
Brian Gavin's patented cushion cut represents a landmark achievement: the world's first cushion cut with true Hearts & Arrows optical symmetry — precision previously thought achievable only in round brilliants.
From Old Mine to Modern Cushion
The cushion cut's ancestry traces directly to the Old Mine Cut of the 18th and 19th centuries — the dominant diamond shape before modern bruting machines enabled truly round diamonds. Those early cushion-shaped brilliants featured high crowns, small tables, large culets, and chunky facets that produced warm, candlelight-era sparkle.
As cutting technology advanced in the 20th century, the round brilliant overtook the cushion in popularity. But beginning in the 1990s, a revival of interest in vintage aesthetics — combined with new cutting techniques that improved the cushion's optical performance — returned this shape to prominence.
Today's modern cushion cuts retain the romantic outline of their antique predecessors while delivering dramatically improved brilliance and fire through optimized proportions and facet arrangements.
Facet Structure
Cushion cuts feature a rounded-square or rounded-rectangular outline with 58-64 facets, depending on the specific faceting style:
Crown: Table facet, 4 kite-shaped bezel facets, 4 star facets, and 8 upper girdle facets — plus additional facets in modified versions.
Pavilion: 4 main pavilion facets, 8 lower girdle facets, and optional additional facets in modified brilliant patterns.
The rounded corners distinguish the cushion from the princess cut's sharp corners, providing both aesthetic softness and practical durability — rounded corners are less prone to chipping.
Hearts & Arrows in a Fancy Shape
True Hearts & Arrows precision — the hallmark of the world's finest round brilliants — was long considered impossible in fancy shapes. The asymmetric outline of cushion cuts creates optical challenges that prevent standard cutting techniques from achieving the perfect eight-heart, eight-arrow pattern.
Brian Gavin solved this challenge through years of research and development, creating the world's first cushion cut with verified Hearts & Arrows optical symmetry. This patented innovation requires:
- Extraordinary facet precision — each facet angle and alignment calibrated to tolerances previously achievable only in rounds
- Modified facet geometry — adapted from round brilliant principles to account for the cushion's rectangular symmetry
- Optimal light performance — every proportion combination selected to maximize brilliance, fire, and scintillation within the cushion outline
The result: a cushion cut that delivers the romantic warmth collectors love with the optical perfection that serious buyers demand.
"Everyone told me Hearts & Arrows couldn't be done in a cushion. That's exactly the kind of challenge I live for. It took years of research and cutting experiments, but we proved it's possible — and the optical performance speaks for itself."— Brian Gavin, Fifth-Generation Diamantaire
Two Distinct Faceting Styles
GIA classifies cushion cuts into two categories with significantly different optical properties:
Cushion Brilliant: Features the same facet arrangement as a round brilliant adapted to a cushion outline. Produces broader, chunkier light flashes similar to antique cushions. Typically shows larger facet patterns and a "crushed ice" effect is absent. This is the style Brian Gavin's patented H&A cushion uses.
Cushion Modified Brilliant: Features an extra row of facets on the pavilion, creating smaller, more numerous light reflections. Can produce a "crushed ice" appearance with sparkle more similar to rounds. More common in the market but generally considered less desirable by connoisseurs.
For investment and collecting purposes, the cushion brilliant is generally preferred for its more distinctive optical character and the possibility of Hearts & Arrows precision.
Why Cushion Dominates Fancy Color
The cushion cut's large facets and depth of body create ideal conditions for color saturation — making it the overwhelming favorite for fancy color diamonds:
- Yellow diamonds: Cushion cuts account for ~50% of high-grade yellow sales. Commands 15-20% premiums over other shapes
- Pink diamonds: ~40% of Argyle pinks were cut as cushions to maximize color retention
- Blue diamonds: Cushion and emerald cuts dominate blue diamond cutting for their color-saturating properties
The cushion cut's depth allows light to travel longer paths through the colored material, intensifying the perceived color. A stone that might grade Fancy Intense in a round brilliant could potentially face up as Fancy Vivid in a well-cut cushion.
No Standardized Cut Grade
Like all fancy shapes, cushion cuts receive no GIA cut grade. Expert evaluation is essential.
Key Proportions:
- Table: 56-62% optimal
- Depth: 63-68% (slightly deeper than rounds to enhance color)
- Polish/Symmetry: Excellent/Excellent minimum
Square Cushion
Classic pillow shape. Most popular for solitaires. Maximizes the romantic, symmetrical aesthetic.
Slightly Elongated
Subtle elongation creates finger-flattering proportions. Excellent balance of tradition and elegance.
Elongated Cushion
Distinctly rectangular. Creates a more dramatic, contemporary look while retaining the cushion's soft corners.
Best for Fancy Colors
Maximizes color saturation better than any other shape. The undisputed first choice for investment-grade fancy color diamonds.
Vintage Warmth
Soft, rounded corners and broad light flashes create a warm, romantic aesthetic that brilliant rounds can't replicate.
Every Setting Style
Works beautifully in halos, solitaires, three-stone, and vintage-inspired designs. Square or elongated options for every taste.
Better Per-Carat Pricing
Typically 15-25% less than round brilliants of equivalent quality, with excellent weight retention from rough.
Our Cushion Standards
- ✓ Patented Hearts & Arrows cushion cuts — the world's only H&A precision in a cushion shape
- ✓ Cushion Brilliant preferred over Cushion Modified Brilliant for optical character
- ✓ GIA certified with full color and clarity documentation
- ✓ Expert cut evaluation by Brian Gavin (no GIA cut grade exists for cushions)
- ✓ Type classification verified for all significant stones
For fancy color cushions, we prioritize Fancy Intense and Vivid grades in the 1-5 carat range — the sweet spot for investment value and market liquidity.
Each Shape Tells a Different Story
- Round Brilliant — Maximum brilliance; The Gavin Effect® patented cut
- Emerald Cut — Sophisticated step-cut elegance; patented light performance
- Cushion Cut — Romantic pillow shape; patented Hearts & Arrows precision
- Oval Cut — Elongated brilliance; appears larger for carat weight
- Pear Cut — Elegant teardrop; versatile and flattering
- Radiant Cut — Brilliant fire meets geometric outline
- Princess Cut — Modern square brilliant; exceptional scintillation
- Marquise Cut — Royal heritage; maximizes carat weight appearance
- Old Mine Cut — Historic hand-cut diamonds; antique brilliance
Schedule a Private Consultation
Selecting the right cushion cut — especially for fancy colors — requires expertise in cut evaluation, color optimization, and the distinction between brilliant and modified brilliant. Complimentary and without obligation.
Schedule Your Private ConsultationAll consultations are complimentary and without obligation. We build long-term relationships based on education, trust, and exceptional service.
