The same carat, two very different invoices
A 6.5mm round and a 6.5mm cushion on the same line sheet rarely carry the same wholesale price tag. The cushion is usually cheaper per carat equivalent — sometimes by 15 to 25 percent. New buyers assume the difference is marketing. It is not. It comes from how the rough is used, how many stones the cutter can recover, and how much hand-finishing each shape demands. Understanding that gap is what lets you price a cushion order for margin instead of guessing.
Why the round is the reference price
The round brilliant is the benchmark because it is the most studied, most automated cut in the trade. Faceting machines are calibrated for round proportions, and the cutter's yield from a given rough block is well understood. When a supplier quotes you a round price, that number is the baseline everything else is measured against. Every other cut either shares that efficiency or pays a premium for it.
Fancy shapes like oval, pear, and marquise follow the outline of the rough rather than the most efficient circle, so they waste more material per finished carat — which is one reason they can cost slightly more per usable stone even though they look "less standard." Step cuts like emerald and asscher require more hand-finishing to keep the step lines straight, and the cushion sits in between: automated enough to be affordable, distinctive enough to command a small fashion premium.
How the cushion cut prices in practice
The cushion is the value play of the fancy shapes. Its soft square outline and crushed-ice or brilliant facet pattern read as luxurious under a pendant or solitaire, yet the wholesale price lands closer to a princess than to an oval. That gap is where a smart buyer makes margin: you can sell a cushion solitaire at nearly the same retail price as an oval solitaire while paying less for the stone. The customer sees a bigger, more distinctive ring; you keep a wider spread.
Watch two variables on the cushion line. First, the corner radius — a rounder cushion uses less material and is cheaper; a sharper square cushion uses more and prices higher. Second, the facet style — crushed-ice cushions are easier to produce and price lower; classic brilliant cushions command more. Ask the supplier which one you are quoting before comparing two numbers that look like the same stone.
One buying trap to avoid: a cushion priced suspiciously below the market usually means the table is too large or the girdle is heavy, both of which show up as a dark center under store lighting. The cushion's whole appeal is its soft sparkle; a poorly proportioned version has neither that nor the efficiency of a round. Always request a face-up photo at the quoted price before assuming the discount is real.
Price-per-carat is not the whole story
Because moissanite is sold by carat equivalent but mountings are priced by mm, the smarter comparison is price per millimeter of face-up diameter. A 1.00-carat oval at 8x6mm may cost less per visible millimeter than a 1.00-carat round at 6.5mm, because the oval covers more finger for the same invoice. Run this math on your next order and the "expensive" shape often becomes the cheaper one per unit of visual size.
Worked example: the cushion margin that hides in plain sight
Say a 7mm cushion costs you 30 percent less than a 6.5mm round on the wholesale line, but the finished solitaire retails for nearly the same price in your market. The stone cost difference is roughly the same as your setting labor — which means the cushion ring carries a wider gross margin than the round on the same ticket. This is not a reason to push cushions on every customer, but it is a reason to keep cushions in the case: they are the shape that lets you hold a premium price without paying a premium cost. Buy two cushions for every three rounds and you have a balanced spread.
Pricing the stone through to your customer
Wholesale price is one input; the other is what your local market will bear. Cushion solitaires in a mid-sized city typically retail at a 2.5x to 3x markup over landed cost including setting. Step cuts can carry a slightly higher multiple because the customer is buying the design, not just the carat weight. Rounds compete on price most directly, so their multiple stays tighter. If you are building a price ladder for your case, anchor the round, then build the cushion and oval one step above it, and reserve the top shelf for asscher and heart. Update this ladder twice a year — input costs drift, and a multiple set three seasons ago quietly erodes margin.
For current cushion dimensions and wholesale pricing, browse cushion moissanite rings and compare the mm specs to your existing tray before you reorder.