Cushion Cut Moissanite: Pros, Cons & Fire

Our cushion is a square outline with rounded corners over a brilliant facet plan: 85 facets, 65.0% deep, with a 39.56° pavilion. It descends from the old mine cut.

In moissanite it gains what every cut gains, fire, and a little sparkle over the T73. Against the T73 it gives up light, leaks more, keeps less when tipped and is slightly smaller for its weight: four cons, of which only brilliance is large.

Is moissanite good as a cushion cut? Pros and cons

Pros

Far more fire than a diamond cushion 93 vs 73
Lighter than a diamond cushion 1.16 vs 1.27 ct
Slightly more sparkle than the T73 85 vs 80

Cons

Much less light than a round 74 vs 86
More leakage than a round 12 vs 7
Keeps a little less light when tipped 91 vs 94
Slightly smaller for its weight 98 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite 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 moissanite (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite (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 moissanite: ahead on 1, behind on 7.

Global85, the comparison 91, difference −6
Brilliance74, the comparison 86, difference −12
Fire93, the comparison 97, difference −4
Scintillation85, the comparison 80, difference +5
Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
Symmetry97, the comparison 100, difference −3
Shape-norm86, the comparison 93, difference −7
Tilt91, the comparison 94, difference −3

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 moissanite gains in a cushion cut

Far more fire than a diamond cushion

Fire 93 against 73 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 20 points higher

Moissanite's dispersion, 0.104, is well over double diamond's, and the two renders show the same cushion under the same light. The diamond cushion scores 73, the moissanite 93.

Cushion cut in moissanite face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 93) — 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.

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

Lighter than a diamond cushion

1.16 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.27 ct for the same cut in diamond (−9%)

Cushions run deep, and this one is 65.0%. Moissanite's lower density takes some of that weight off, as the bars at 6.5 mm show.

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

Slightly more sparkle than the T73

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

85 facets against the T73's 73; our scintillation score follows the count.

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 cut moissanite

Much less light than a round

Brilliance 74 against 86 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 12 points lower

The T73 returns 86 in moissanite, the cushion 74. Among the square outlines we measure in this stone, the Square returns more, 82.

Cushion cut in moissanite 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.

T73 round brilliant in moissanite face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 86) — 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.

What helps: Keep the four corners and gain light with the Square Cut Moissanite, which gives 82 in this stone. Our brightest moissanite round, DG-M5 Moissanite, returns 98.

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

More leakage than a round

Leakage 12 against 7 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 5 points higher

The cushion lets 12% of the light in our census out through its pavilion, where the T73 lets out 7%. At 39.56°, that pavilion only just clears the 39.5° guide minimum.

Cushion cut in moissanite tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 18% of the face leaking — 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 moissanite tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 15% of the face leaking — 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: A steeper pavilion is not what our data supports: it already sits above the guide minimum. Only a different cut leaks less, and the rounds lead: DG-Anteros Moissanite loses 3%.

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

Keeps a little less light when tipped

Tilt 91 against 94 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 3 points lower

Tilt 91 against 94 for the T73: a small gap, on top of less light to begin with.

What helps: The Octagon Cut Moissanite and DG-Octagonal Kite Moissanite keep 100 when tipped, but return less light: 67 and 71.

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

Slightly smaller for its weight

Spread 98 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in moissanite: 2 points lower

At 65.0% deep the cushion holds more of its weight below the girdle than the T73, so a stone of the same carat weight shows a little less face.

Cushion Cut · 6.19 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 98

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.68 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in moissanite and are drawn to the same scale, from each cut's own model. Spread is face-up size per carat: a deeper stone carries more weight below the girdle and looks smaller for its weight.

What helps: Choose a cushion by millimetres: at 6.5 mm it weighs 1.16 ct in moissanite.

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

Who a cushion cut moissanite suits

The cushion suits a vintage-style ring where colour is welcome and a round's full brightness is not the goal. Its sparkle is a step above the T73's; its light is a clear step below.

For a brighter square, the Square Cut Moissanite. For an antique cushion, the Peruzzi Cut Moissanite trades a little light for the older outline: 71 against 74, with 15% leaking.

Cushion Cut Moissanite: questions

Is moissanite good in a cushion cut?

For fire, yes: 93 against 73 for a diamond cushion. For light, no cushion keeps up with the T73 in our census: 74 against 86.

Cushion or square cut moissanite?

The Square returns more light (82 against 74) and leaks a point less; the cushion sparkles more (85 against 78) and holds its light better when tipped.

How much light does a cushion moissanite leak?

12% in our census, against 7% for the T73 and 9% for a diamond cushion.

What does a 6.5 mm cushion moissanite weigh?

About 1.16 ct; a diamond cushion that size is 1.27 ct.

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

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

Cushion Cut Moissanite: far more fire than a diamond cushion