Cushion Cut Emerald: Pros, Cons & Fire

The cushion is a square with rounded corners and a brilliant plan, descended from the old mine cut. Our model has 85 facets, a 39.56° pavilion and a deep 65.0% profile.

Its pavilion clears emerald's 39.4° guide minimum by a fraction of a degree, and of the fancy shapes we measure in emerald it returns the most light: Brilliance 74, against 78 for the T73. The price is fire, which is low even by emerald's standards.

Is a cushion cut emerald a good choice? Pros and cons

Pros

Lighter than a diamond cushion 0.98 vs 1.27 ct
A little more sparkle than a round 85 vs 80

Cons

The least fire on our emerald pages 27 vs 73
Loses more light tilted than in diamond 68 vs 92
A quarter of the light leaks 25 vs 9
A little less light than the diamond cushion 74 vs 80

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald and with the Cushion Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 2 (Spread) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Cushion Cut in emerald (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

Global67, the comparison 73, difference −6
Brilliance74, the comparison 78, difference −4
Fire27, the comparison 39, difference −12
Scintillation85, the comparison 80, difference +5
Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
Symmetry97, the comparison 100, difference −3
Shape-norm86, the comparison 84, difference +2
Tilt68, the comparison 77, difference −9

Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring.

Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What emerald gains in a cushion cut

Lighter than a diamond cushion

0.98 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.27 ct for the same cut in diamond (−23%)

Deep cushions carry a lot below the girdle, and at 65.0% this one does. In emerald a 6.5 mm cushion is 0.98 ct, against 1.27 ct in diamond.

A Cushion Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Cushion Cut page

A little more sparkle than a round

Scintillation 85 against 80 for the T73 Round Brilliant in emerald: 5 points higher

85 facets against the T73's 73 give a modest gain, and the score is identical in every stone.

Cushion Cut · 85 facets · Scintillation 85

T73 Round Brilliant · 73 facets · Scintillation 80

Scintillation follows the number of facets: more facets, more and smaller flashes as the stone moves. Count the facets in each crown. Drawn from each cut's own model.

Try it yourself: Compare the Scintillation spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

The catch with a cushion emerald

The least fire on our emerald pages

Fire 27 against 73 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 46 points lower

27, against 73 for the same cushion in diamond and 39 for the T73 in emerald. Emerald's low dispersion and a broad cushion face leave little colour to see.

Cushion cut in emerald face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 27) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

Cushion cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 73) — Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

What helps: For colour in emerald, the Oval Cut Emerald scores 71, at 55 brilliance.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Loses more light tilted than in diamond

Tilt 68 against 92 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 24 points lower

Tipped 20°, it keeps 68 of its face-up light; the diamond cushion keeps 92.

Cushion cut in emerald tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 14% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

Cushion cut in emerald tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 30% of the face leaking — Tilt is how much of its own face-up light a stone keeps when tilted. Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: Steepening is not what our numbers support, since the pavilion already clears the 39.4° minimum. Our Octagon Cut keeps 83 when tipped in emerald, at 69 brilliance.

Try it yourself: Compare the Tilt spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

A quarter of the light leaks

Leakage 25 against 9 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 16 points higher

25% in our census against 9% in diamond, and close to the T73's 22% in emerald.

What helps: DG-M5 Emerald leaks 10%; among fancy shapes the cushion is already the least leaky we measure in emerald.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

A little less light than the diamond cushion

Brilliance 74 against 80 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 6 points lower

74 against 80: one of the smallest emerald-to-diamond gaps we measure, so the cushion holds up comparatively well in this stone.

Cushion cut in emerald face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 74) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

Cushion cut in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 80) — Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

Who a cushion emerald suits

If you want a fancy shape that stays lively in emerald, the cushion is the one our census favours: the most light of the shapes we measure and more sparkle than a round. It suits vintage-style rings.

For fire, the Oval Cut Emerald. For the most light of all, a round: DG-M5 Emerald. For a square outline that holds its light better when tipped, the Square Cut Emerald.

Cushion Cut Emerald: questions

Is a cushion cut good for emerald?

One of the best fancy shapes we measure for it: Brilliance 74 against 78 for the T73, and 25% leakage.

Does a cushion emerald have fire?

Very little: 27, the lowest on our emerald pages. The same cushion in diamond scores 73.

Cushion or Asscher for an emerald?

The cushion returns more light (74 against 62) and leaks less (25% against 37%); the Asscher has more fire and the step-cut look.

Get the Cushion Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Cushion Cut 3D files

The Cushion Cut as exact geometry: 85 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
GLBWeb, AR and quick previews

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files

GemCad96 index

Cushion Cut cutting files

The Cushion Cut as a faceting design: 69 + 16 girdles = 85 facets, 96 index, 2-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

.ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
.csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
DiagramPrintable faceting diagram

€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Emerald: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Cushion Cut: specifications, model and files

Cushion Cut Emerald: more sparkle than a round, and the most light of our fancy shapes