5.37ct Cushion Cut Lab Grown Diamond

Let's address the elephant in the room - is this stone dark in the middle... like a bow tie? First, we need to understand that a long tall rectangular shape makes it very difficult for the cutter to get a stone that has an even sparkle in the middle compared to the ends. In a worst case scenario, not only is the center "different" it's dead... or transparent. There are also "crushed ice" tall rectangles, where you get a consistent sparkle from ends to middle - this sort of cut is great for Fancy Colored diamonds, especially. When considering the best case scenario for a tall 1.33:1 ratio Cushion Brilliant, this stone is a textbook example. Capturing the beauty of this diamond in pics and video is a bit frustrating as a photographer. In the images, I think it looks a bit dark in the middle. In a few, I captured the "rainbow" which is "fire". In real life, you get fire easily as you tilt the stone. At arm's length, the center is bright. Totally colorless. VS1 clarity. A full GIA report - a rarity in itself. Another elephant in the room boy it's crowded in here he he) Price. It's a lot more costly than other stones which are ostensibly similar. But this stone is truly special. No matter where the prices go - a specialty cut, done this well, will always cost more