All about the cushion cut

Gemstones have always attracted people with their beauty and extravagance. Nevertheless, in addition to natural data, the cutting of the mineral is of great importance. It is she who gives the unique beauty and dazzling shine to the stones. Correct observance of forms and proportions allows you to achieve amazing results. Each type of stone processing has its own characteristics. Today we will talk about one of them - the cushion cut.

This type of sanding is characterized by softened shapes. Cushion is a rectangular stone with rounded edges. Seen from above, it looks like a voluminous pillow.

The cushion-cut stone is very picky about purity. Whether it's a diamond or any other gem, the slightest contamination will be noticeable on it and will affect the appearance and shine. It has also been observed that neither in daylight nor in lamp lighting will the stone shine as it does in the light of a candle.

Modern jewelers often use the cushion cut for fancy colored stones. It conveys all the optical properties of minerals, demonstrating their advantages and hiding possible disadvantages.

Stone processing with the cushion technique dates back to the 17th century. Workshops were located directly in the diamond mines, where future jewelry was mined. Here the minerals took shape and shine. A little later, it was decided to cut the stones with a table. Like everything new, this method of processing was very popular, but over time it turned out to be impractical.

It was then, in the Baroque era, that the master jewelers came up with the idea to somewhat modify the shape of the crystals by smoothing the corners. But on the whole, there was nothing revolutionary about it.

Then South Africa entered the market, and the Brazilian mines began to be called "old".

When processing a diamond, it acquired a number of advantages:

• no risk of chipping corners;
• volumetric view;
• increased light output;
• minimal weight loss.

In the 19th century, Europe was the main consumer of jewelry and precious stones throughout the world. Therefore, the craftsmen had to learn how to process minerals on their own. London, Paris, Antwerp and other cities have become leaders in the development of jewelry art. The cushion cut was gaining popularity rapidly.

It has been noticed that each cutting method looks differently on different minerals. An oval or perfectly round shape is more suitable for some stones, while a pear or a heart is more suitable for others. Couchon is no exception.

Let's take a look at a few stones that are best suited for this cut.

• Tanzanite - a rather rare mineral of purple color. Named after the country in which it was discovered. This, by the way, is the only place on the planet where it is mined. The color gamut varies from a light purple hue to a rich dark tone, sometimes there may be an admixture of pink or red.
• Swarovski stones. They also look perfect in cushion cut. This type of treatment maximizes the shade and shine of the crystals.
• Sapphire. Pink, blue and even yellow look great in a rounded square shape. The cut adds transparency and richness to the sapphire.
• Diamond. This stone attracts attention in any setting. Cushion diamonds are very popular and in demand.

The special jewelry processing and the width of the facets create the feeling of the uniqueness of each piece with a cushion stone.

The cushion cut is now so popular that several subspecies of this cut have been developed. Their main difference is the shape and variations of the faces, but only a specialist can distinguish them. There are the following types of cushons.

• Diamond. Has a more rounded shape.
• Diamond modified. Has no clear requirements for parameters. The emphasis is on maximizing the preservation of the size of the stone.
• Brilliant modified with rounded edges.
• Old mine. It resembles ancient cut minerals, which are characterized by a high crown, a small platform and a rather deep pavilion.

Sometimes the technology of processing stones with rounded corners is called "Antique". This is because this method is considered the most ancient, one might say, antique.

There are also many world famous cushion-cut minerals. Among their representatives are the following diamonds.

• "Cullian II". It is considered the largest stone of its kind and adorns the crown of Elizabeth II. There are nine Cullians in total, the names differ only in Roman numerals and weight and are arranged in descending order.

• "Golden Jubilee" - a stone of golden color. In 1997 it was presented as a gift to the King of Thailand and is still in the Royal Museum of Bangkok.

• "Tiffany Diamond" - the famous honey-amber cushion, the pride and logo of the Tiffany trademark.

• "Diamond of the Regent"... It has its own mysterious legend and is currently kept in the Louvre.

• "Blue Moon". Fantastic beauty stone of rare shade, was sold at auction.

Famous sapphires are also not inferior to diamonds in either size or beauty. Among them are such stones as "Blue Giant of the East", "Logan", "Blue Beauty of Asia" and many others.Each of them has its own interesting and unique story.

Cushion-cut Brazilian citrine is presented in the video.