Cushion Cut
A square or rectangular cut with rounded corners, like a pillow. Softer and warmer in character than a princess.
It descends from the old mine cut, the dominant shape before electric lighting, and keeps a similar rounded outline.
Cushions produce broader, slower flashes of light rather than the fine rapid sparkle of a round brilliant.
The rounded corners make it considerably more robust than a princess cut of the same size.
When you are buying
Cushion cuts flatter coloured stones particularly well, because the larger facets show body colour rather than breaking it up.
Princess Cut
A square brilliant cut. Nearly as much sparkle as a round, with far less of the rough crystal wasted.
Round Brilliant
The standard round cut with 57 or 58 facets, engineered to return the maximum light. The most common cut there is.
Radiant Cut
A rectangular outline with cut corners and full brilliant faceting. The sparkle of a round in the shape of an emerald cut.
Ruby
Red corundum, the second hardest gem after diamond. Manik in Hindi, and the stone of the Sun in Vedic astrology.
Cut
How a stone is shaped and faceted. The one thing that most affects how it looks, and the one buyers examine least.