The cushion cut is where wholesale pricing gets deceptive. Two cushions of the same carat weight and same color grade can sit 30 percent apart in price, and a buyer who does not know why will either overpay for a tier the client does not want or understock the tier that actually sells. The cushion is not one product - it is three, and each tier has its own buyer.
The Three Cushion Tiers
- Crushed-ice cushion - dense, small facets that scatter light like crushed ice; the most modern look and the most popular with younger bridal clients.
- Brilliant cushion - larger facets closer to a round brilliant, with a clear center; a bridge between crushed-ice and old-mine.
- Old-mine (or modified old-European) cushion - chunky, broad facets, open table, vintage character; the smallest production volume and the highest unit price.
How the Price Bands Compare
At the wholesale level, the tiers rank roughly like this for the same carat and color: crushed-ice is the most affordable, brilliant sits in the middle, and old-mine is the most expensive. The reason is production volume. Crushed-ice cushions are cut in large volumes to meet mass bridal demand, which drives the per-carat price down. Old-mine cushions are cut to a vintage spec with tighter proportion requirements and are produced in smaller runs, so each stone costs more.
A buyer stocking cushions should expect to see three price lists, not one. Buying a "cushion" at the crushed-ice price and wondering why the old-mine parcel cost more is a common budgeting mistake.
Which Tier Sells Through Fastest
For most wholesale programs, crushed-ice cushions are the volume mover. They read modern, they sparkle in selfies and video, and they sit well in halo and pavé settings. Expect crushed-ice to be 60 to 70 percent of cushion sell-through.
Brilliant cushions are the steady middle: clients who want cushion shape but prefer a cleaner, more classic look. They move at a moderate pace and pair naturally with solitaire settings.
Old-mine cushions are slow but high-margin. They sell to a defined vintage- and antique-setting client, often in yellow gold bezels. Stock them shallow - one or two stones at a time - and let custom orders pull them. They do not turn over fast, but when they sell, the margin is strong.
Face-Up Size and the Price Per Carat
Cushions are cut slightly smaller in face-up diameter than rounds of the same carat because of their depth. A 1.5ct cushion may measure 7mm across, while a 1.5ct round measures about 7.4mm. When comparing price per carat across cuts, factor the face-up size in. A cheaper per-carat cushion that also looks slightly smaller may not be the value it appears. For wholesale buyers, compare price per visible millimeter, not just price per carat.
How to Structure the Stock
- Crushed-ice - deep stock in 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0ct; colorless to near-colorless.
- Brilliant - moderate stock in 1.0 and 1.5ct; mostly colorless.
- Old-mine - shallow stock, custom-ordered; warm face-up reads are fine here and even desirable.
Label each tier clearly in the catalog. A client who picks an old-mine cushion expecting crushed-ice sparkle will be confused; a client who specifically wants the vintage look will pay for it. The tier label is what prevents the return. When in doubt, show the client all three tiers side by side; the difference is visible within seconds, and the choice then becomes a style preference rather than a surprise.
What to Inspect on Each Tier
Crushed-ice cushions should be checked for even facet density - a patchy stone where one area is dense and another is open looks cheap under magnification. Brilliant cushions should show a clean center window and not a dark "bow-tie" through the table. Old-mine cushions are sold on their chunky vintage character, but the proportions still need to be even; a lopsided old-mine cushion reads damaged, not antique.
Because the tiers look different, QC has to be tier-specific. A crushed-ice stone that passes a sparkle check may fail an old-mine proportion check. Wholesale buyers should inspect each parcel on a white tray under daylight, tier by tier, rather than with one generic standard. A few minutes of sorting on arrival saves returns later, when a client expects one tier and receives another.
What to Ask the Supplier
When requesting a cushion price list, ask for the three tiers separately, with carat, color and facet pattern stated per stone. A supplier who flattens all cushions into one price list is either mixing tiers (which means inconsistent quality) or not handling old-mine stock seriously. For buyers building moissanite rings inventory, the cushion program earns its margin when the tiers are priced and stocked as separate products.
The cushion cut rewards specificity. Name the tier, price the tier, stock the tier - and the cushion sells through instead of sitting.