The Cushion Cut is also starting to grow in popularity.  The design has evolved from the Old Mine Cut of the 19^th century, this cut had large deep facets and the more traditional Oval  Cut.  The Cushion Cut was also known as the “candlelight diamond”, when prior to the electric light the diamonds would sparkle in the presence of candle light.

The Cushion Cut, as with other fancy cut shapes, does not provide as much sparkle as the Round Brilliant Cut, but what you get is an individual diamond as this type of cut is much less common.

In terms of standards defining the Cushion Cut there is much more latitude enabling the cutter to cut into shapes ranging from square to rectangular, with varying table sizes.

When purchasing a Cushion Cut diamond it is very important that you get the right advice, ideally you should meet with a specialist who can advise on the various cut attributes and tailor these to the design of your jewellery.  Typically these specialists will source their diamonds direct form the cutters in Antwerp (where most of the world’s larger diamonds are cut.

If you are looking to purchase diamond jewellery then a good starting point would be the London-based office of Antwerp suppliers, bestdiamonds.co.uk and designsbyindigo.co.uk.