3 carat cushion cut diamond ring
Ultimate guide to buying a three carat cushion cut diamond
3 carat cushion cut diamonds are a beautiful choice – they sparkle incredibly well, which means that your ring will catch eyes from across any room!
Cushion cuts are one of the most popular shapes for 3 carat diamond rings, which means that there is a good supply of stones available and you should be able to find exactly what you are looking for.
It also means that finding the best 3 carat cushion cut diamond can mean reviewing and rejecting sub-par stones. That’s where this page will help.
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Key takeaway:
There are many factors that affect price and value of a 3 carat cushion cut diamond.
Due to the high cost of these diamonds and the variation in size, shape and beauty that can be present in two diamonds with the same carat weight, we strongly recommend that you work with a specialist in significantly-sized diamonds, who can guide you through the process and ensure you get the most beautiful diamond and pay a fair price.
Our recommendation for this is Alon at The Diamond Oak, a third generation diamond dealer who puts a huge emphasis on personalised service and finding the right stone for each person.
Why working with a diamond specialist makes sense for such a significant investment
While smaller diamonds may be virtually interchangeable, at this carat weight there can be a significant different between two diamonds that look similar on paper.
Their specs may be similar but they are worth very different values.
A diamond specialist will take the time to understand what you are looking for, present several options (often sourced through personal connections and otherwise inaccessible) and guide you towards the diamond which is the absolute best fit for you.
3 carat cushion cut diamond price
At the time of writing (2nd August 2022), the cost of a 3 carat cushion cut diamond can vary from $18,000 to $120,000.
$18,000 to $120,000 is a significant range, and the price you will pay will depend on the color, clarity and the ‘make’ if the stone ie. how well the diamond has been shaped.
Some examples of realistic prices for good examples of each combination of color and clarity:
- A 3 carat cushion cut with F color and VS2 clarity is likely to cost around $58,000, although this could be 10% either way, depending on the individual stone.
- At the top end, a D color, IF clarity stone is likely to cost around $120,000.
- At the lower end, an I color, SI1 clarity diamond is likely to cost around $35k, but again there can be some variation depending on how it is affected by the SI1 clarity grade.
- At the very lowest end, an L color, SI2 clarity 3 carat cushion cut is likely to cost around $18,000, although we don’t recommend that you choose a diamond with these specs as its appearance will be compromised by the low clarity grade.
These prices are sourced across three online diamond aggregation services which collectively have over 1,000,000 diamonds available to choose from, and then checked this against the ‘Raplist’ – the most widely-accepted list of wholesale diamond prices.
It’s important to recognise that at this carat weight, there can be considerable differences between individual stones with similar specs on paper, so these are very much just a guide.
With diamonds, you generally get what you pay for, so you may be able to find diamonds online for lower than the prices above.
However, ‘cheap’ 3 carat cushion cut diamonds will likely have a low-price for a reason – this may be significant inclusions (or ‘flaws’), or it may have poor proportions to reflect light and therefore not sparkle well.
But, when buying a diamond, there is always a balance that needs to be found between the 4Cs and the fifth C – cost. Where that balance lies for you is an individual choice, so it can be worth looking at a few options to where you are comfortable compromising, and where you aren’t.
Factors such as availability at the time you are looking, and then specific of the individual diamond (e.g. the cut quality) will affect the price of any individual stone. However, the prices quoted should be a good guide to understand the relative pricing of different combinations of color and clarity for 3 carat cushion cut diamonds.
3 carat cushion cut diamond size
Cushion cut diamonds deliver the least ‘spread’ shapes of any diamond, which means that for a given carat weight, they appear smaller than many other shapes.
A typical A typical 3 carat cushion cut diamond may be around 8.4mm × 8.4mm × 5.38mm.
Here’s how it looks compared to a 2 carat and a 4 carat:
One important thing to understand when you are looking at 3 carat cushion cut diamonds is that carat weight is a measure of weight rather than size.
Carat weight is therefore spread out throughout the volume of the stone ie. length, width and depth.
Depending on the shape of the cushion cut, there can therefore be a significant difference in how large the diamond looks, even at the same carat weight.
This can be most noticeable when comparing square cushion cuts to more rectangular ones. A rectangular cushion cut will often look larger than a square as they tend to be longer and narrower.
Cushion cuts generally look larger than other square cuts like a 3 carat asscher cut diamond ring, or a 3 carat princess cut diamond ring, but can look smaller than elongated shapes like a radiant diamond at 3 carats.
3 carat cushion cut diamond color
As you likely know, diamond color is graded on a GIA-developed scale from D to Z, although most diamonds used in jewelry fall into the D to M range:
Higher carat weight diamonds tend to show up color more easily than smaller stones, especially in the corners where they sparkle less.
If you want to ensure your diamond doesn’t have a yellow tint, it’s important to try and keep the color as high up the scale as possible.
On the other side of the equation is the effect color has on price.
In most shapes, the price difference between an H color, I color and J color diamond can be significant,
With some diamond shapes, the color grade you choose can be dependant on the color of the ring setting you are going to pair the diamond with. However, 3 carat cushion cuts, I color diamonds are a great balance of whiteness and value for money, whether you are going to choose a white setting (ie. platinum or white gold) or a yellow gold setting.
3 carat cushion cut diamond clarity
Clarity is a measure of the presence of inclusions (or flaws) within a diamond.
The clarity scale runs:
Cushion cuts combine some of the elements of ‘brilliant’ cut diamonds, which means that they are optimised to reflect light back from the bottom of the stone in the form of sparkle, and some elements of the old mine cut diamond. This can mean that inclusions can be difficult to see under the facets, which is a good thing!
A good starting point for 3 carat cushion cut diamond clarity is SI1:
However, depending on the diamonds that are available at the time you are looking, you may need to increase this to VS2, or even higher, to ensure that the diamond is ‘eye clean’ and no flaws can be seen.
Pictures of 3 carat cushion cut diamond rings on the hand
Higher carat weight rings mean that additional considerations can be needed to be taken into account, depending on the ring setting style chosen.
These images of 3 carat cushion cut diamond rings on the finger will show you how big your ring could actually look.
3 carat cushion cut diamond solitaire ring
Solitaire settings are a great match for cushion cut diamonds – the simple style is a great pairing with the elegance of the diamond.
A major trend with settings is super slim and petite bands and prongs, which are effective in making the stone itself look larger.
While these can look great, some care does need to be taken with higher carat weights, as an extremely narrow band may not be wide enough to support the stone. It may twist on the finger and become uncomfortable.
If you’re choosing a solitaire setting to match a 3 carat cushion cut, I recommend you choose a band of at least 2.5mm width.
3 carat cushion cut diamond pavé ring
When choosing a pavé or channel setting, there is a big decision to make.
Either can be a great option, but one thing to consider is the color of the side stones.
Small, brilliant cut stones can appear whiter than larger diamonds, which means that even if you do match the color by the color grade, they still may appear whiter.
In cases like these, especially if you are going a little lower on the color on your center stone, like in the image above, it can be a good idea to work with an expert to ensure that the side stones complement the center stone.
3 carat cushion cut diamond three stone ring
Three stone cushion cut rings look great when paired with almost any other shape as the side stones.
Tapered side stones can work particularly well because the side stones make the transition from the long broad side of the diamond to the narrow band more gentle and more elegant.
3 carat cushion cut diamond halo ring
At 3 carats, some may feel that a halo is unnecessary to increase the size and impressiveness of the ring.
However, if you do choose a halo ensuring the side stones are a good match for the center stone is essential, due to their proximity.
Even more so than with a pave or channel setting, working with someone who can color-match the side stones to the center stone is the best way to ensure that they complement each other well.
Best Place To Buy a 3 Carat Cushion Cut Diamond Ring
For smaller diamonds, I usually recommend buying online as retailers present hundreds of thousands of diamonds and make it easy to choose exactly what you are looking for.
However, As previously mentioned buying a diamond of this size diamond is very different to buying a smaller stone – both in the expense involved and in the potential for pitfalls.
My recommendation is to find a diamond dealer that you can trust to guide you through this process. You may be able to source a personal recommendation, or my recommendation is Alon Mor at The Diamond Oak.
Why I recommend Alon at The Diamond Oak
I’ve worked with Alon for over five years, helping people who are looking to buy significant diamonds, as well as those who are selling high quality jewelry.
Through that time, I have seen the exceptional service that Alon delivers to each and every client he works with.
I like this review – it sums up how special working with someone who truly cares can be.
If you are seriously considering making a purchase and want to ensure you get a beautiful diamond at a fair price, I recommend you book in a discovery call with Alon: