Cushion Cut Sapphire: Pros, Cons & Light Return

The cushion is a square outline with rounded corners and a brilliant facet plan. Our model has 85 facets, a 39.56° pavilion and a depth of 65.0%, deeper than any of our rounds.

In sapphire it scores 88 for light, against 80 for the same cushion in diamond and 94 for the T73 in sapphire, and it sparkles more than the T73. The cons are corundum's familiar ones: fire, tilt, weight and some leakage.

Depth matters for colour, too: a deeper stone gives light a longer path, which can deepen the tone of a pale sapphire.

Is a cushion a good cut for sapphire? Pros and cons

Pros

More light than the diamond cushion 88 vs 80
A little more sparkle than the T73 85 vs 80

Cons

Half the diamond cushion's fire 36 vs 73
Loses light faster than in diamond when tipped 72 vs 92
Heavier than diamond, and deep 1.44 vs 1.27 ct
Twice the T73's leakage 11 vs 5

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire 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 sapphire (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire (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 sapphire: ahead on 2, behind on 6.

Global76, the comparison 79, difference −3
Brilliance88, the comparison 94, difference −6
Fire36, the comparison 37, difference −1
Scintillation85, the comparison 80, difference +5
Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
Symmetry97, the comparison 100, difference −3
Shape-norm103, the comparison 102, difference +1
Tilt72, the comparison 75, 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 a sapphire gains as a cushion

More light than the diamond cushion

Brilliance 88 against 80 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 8 points higher

Brilliance 88 in sapphire, 80 in diamond. The pro is against diamond: next to the T73 in sapphire the cushion is still behind, 88 against 94, so a round returns more.

Cushion cut in sapphire face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 88) — 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

A little more sparkle than the T73

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

85 facets against 73, spread over a square face.

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

Where the cushion costs a sapphire

Half the diamond cushion's fire

Fire 36 against 73 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 37 points lower

36 against 73. The cushion's broad flashes carry little colour in a stone that disperses so weakly.

Cushion cut in sapphire face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 36) — 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: Little moves fire in sapphire. The Oval Cut Sapphire reaches 74, with far less light.

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

Loses light faster than in diamond when tipped

Tilt 72 against 92 for the Cushion Cut in diamond: 20 points lower

At 20° the sapphire cushion keeps 72 of its face-up light, the diamond 92.

Cushion cut in sapphire tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 7% 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 sapphire tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 16% 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: For a steadier squarish stone, the Square Cut Sapphire holds 84 at a tilt, though it returns less light, 78.

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

Heavier than diamond, and deep

1.44 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.27 ct for the same cut in diamond (+14%)

At 65.0% deep the cushion is already a heavy outline; in sapphire a 6.5 mm stone comes to 1.44 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.

What helps: Compare cushions by length and width.

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

Twice the T73's leakage

Leakage 11 against 5 for the T73 Round Brilliant in sapphire: 6 points higher

11% of the light leaves through the pavilion in our census; the T73 in sapphire loses 5%.

What helps: The pavilion is at 39.56°, above sapphire's 36.4° minimum, so it is not too shallow. For less leakage, a round: the T73 Round Brilliant Sapphire leaks 5%.

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

Who a cushion sapphire suits

For a fancy-shaped sapphire that keeps its light, this is the one we would cut: the most light and among the most sparkle of our non-round shapes in sapphire.

If you want a round's full light, DG-M5 Sapphire or DG-Anteros Sapphire. The antique cushions fare far worse in sapphire: the Old Mine Cut Sapphire leaks 49%.

Cushions also forgive rough that is not quite square, which is one reason so much fine blue is cut this way.

Cushion Cut Sapphire: questions

Is a cushion cut good for sapphire?

One of the best fancy shapes we measure: Brilliance 88 against 80 for the diamond cushion, and 11% leakage.

Cushion or oval for a sapphire?

The cushion returns more light (88 against 66) and leaks less; the oval has about twice the fire (74 against 36).

Modern or antique cushion for a sapphire?

Modern: our cushion returns 88 and leaks 11%; the Old Mine returns 50 and leaks 49%.

What does a 6.5 mm cushion sapphire weigh?

1.44 ct by the model's volume.

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

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

Cushion Cut Sapphire: more light than the same cushion in diamond