A designer in Los Angeles bought a "cushion moissanite lot" at a trade show and opened it to find square pillows, rectangular puffs and crushed-ice vs classic facet patterns all mixed in the same tray. Once set, the stones looked like four different cuts on a display card. Cushion is the most variably shaped cut in the loose-stone market, and a lot is only as good as its sorting. Here is how we sort every wholesale cushion parcel before it leaves our bench.
The cushion shape problem
"Cushion" covers a family: square pillows (1.0–1.1 ratio), soft rectangles (1.2–1.3), and elongated puffs (1.4+). On top of that, two facet patterns dominate — classic chunky facets and crushed-ice (also called pillow cut) with many small facets. Mix them and a single display tray looks like inventory from four different suppliers. Open-market cushion lots routinely blend all of these. We sort to three labeled trays:
| Tray label | Ratio | Facet pattern | Retail read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square classic | 1.0–1.1 | Classic chunky | Vintage, Art Deco |
| Soft rectangle | 1.2–1.3 | Classic or crushed-ice | Modern engagement |
| Elongated puff | 1.4–1.6 | Crushed-ice | Designer, halo-friendly |
What we inspect on every cushion
- Corner softness: cushion corners are rounded; we check they're even on all four corners, not pinched on one side.
- Facet pattern consistency: crushed-ice trays must be uniformly crushed-ice; a single classic stone in the mix reads as a mistake.
- Color: D–E–F range. Cushions with their broad tables show warmth more than rounds, so mixed color grades are obvious.
- Culet and pavilion: no open culet on cushions, which can show through as a dark dot in the center.
Our incoming cushion rejection runs around 4%, mostly for lopsided corners or mixed facet patterns that slipped through rough sorting.
Buying a cushion lot by scenario
Boutique opening a cushion tray
Pick one tray type, not all three. Most modern engagement programs take the soft rectangle (1.2–1.3) crushed-ice or classic. Square classic cushions are a vintage SKU; elongated puffs are a halo SKU. Mixing them in one tray is the trade-show mistake.
Designer building a cushion collection
Order two tray types — soft rectangle for solos and elongated puff for halos — cut from the same batch so color matches across the collection. We hold cut-sheet archives for reorders.
Private-label / chain
Lock one ratio and one facet pattern across a bulk run (100+ pieces). This is the order that reads as a designed product on a retail card, not as a job lot. Matched accent stones are available from the same batch.
Display merchandising follows the sorting. A tray that mixes square classic and crushed-ice rectangular cushions looks on a display card like a clearance bin, even when every stone is correctly graded. Boutiques that pull one tray type per card — square classic on one card, soft rectangle crushed-ice on the next — see higher engagement because the client sees a product, not a job lot. The sorting we do at the bench is the same sorting your display cards need.
One sorting habit we push back on: boutiques who ask for a mixed cushion lot to 'see what sells.' A mixed lot is exactly what sits in the tray for a year. The data we see is that a properly sorted soft-rectangle crushed-ice tray turns in under eight weeks, while the same stones sorted as a mixed cushion lot turn in over twenty. The sorting is the product, not a service we charge extra for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOQ for a cushion lot?
Opening lots start at 10 pieces. Bulk runs of 100+ pieces qualify for single-batch pricing and cut-sheet archiving.
Which cushion ratio sells best?
The soft rectangle at 1.2–1.3 ratio is the workhorse for modern engagement. Square 1.0–1.1 cushions skew vintage; elongated 1.4+ cushions skew designer halo.
What is crushed-ice vs classic cushion?
Classic cushion has chunky, larger facets; crushed-ice (pillow cut) has many small facets that break light into a scattered sparkle. They read differently side by side and should never be mixed in one tray.
Do cushions show color more than rounds?
Yes. Cushions have broader tables and larger facet windows, so warm color grades are more visible. Our wholesale cushions are held to D–E–F, not the warmer range some parcels include.
Can you match side stones to a cushion center?
Yes. Accent rounds or tapered baguettes are cut from the same batch as the cushion center so color and facet behavior align in the mounting.
Takeaways
- Cushion is a shape family — a lot must be sorted by ratio and facet pattern before it reaches a display tray.
- Pick one tray type per product line; mixing square, rectangle and puff reads as random inventory.
- Require D–E–F color; cushion tables show warmth more than rounds do.
- Request a cushion sample lot: MOQ 10 pcs, ships in 5 business days.
View our cushion cut moissanite, read the cushion shape guide, or see cushions set in engagement rings on our site. Designers can request a cushion lot directly.