What are Crushed Ice Diamonds?

The diamond industry is continuously expanding. In 2019, the sales of rough diamonds totaled over $13.9 million worldwide.

With so many different looks and cuts, it’s no wonder they say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Plus, diamonds are constantly evolving, giving people more and more jewelry options.

One type of diamond that’s started to emerge in popularity is the crushed ice diamond. Historically, crushed diamonds have been given a bad rap, mainly due to their name. Many people think crushed diamonds are nothing more than some smashed-up stones melded together.

But crushed diamonds are so much more than that. Read this guide to learn all about crushed diamonds.

What is a Crushed Ice Diamond?

Also known as a crushed glass diamond, a crushed ice diamond is a stone with a center that looks like shattered ice or glass. These diamonds come with smaller facets that create the illusion of shattered ice, making the diamond stand out amongst the others.

Crushed Ice Diamonds vs. Non-Crushed Ice Diamonds

So, what makes a crushed ice diamond different than a non-crushed ice diamond? Non-crushed ice diamonds have more prominent facets in the center, so they’re not as flashy when the light hits them.

However, unlike crushed ice diamonds, you can pick out the facets as the diamond sparkles and see where the light comes from. If the diamond is well-cut, the facets create arrows in the corner.

On the other hand, crushed ice diamonds sparkle more than non-crushed ones due to their many facets. However, there’s more of a blended sparkle because you can’t really decipher which facets are bouncing lights.

Are you wondering how to clean gold jewelry? Click here to find out!

What are Cushion Cut Diamonds?

Crushed ice diamonds are a type of cushion-cut diamond, so to better understand crushed ice diamonds, you first need to understand cushion-cut diamonds. Cushion cut diamonds come with 64 facets and an open cutlet, and this differs from miner cut diamonds, which come with 58 facets.

While cushion cut diamonds aren’t as brilliant as some of their more famous counterparts (i.e., the round cut diamonds), they have a pillowy, romantic form that makes them attractive. Additionally, they’re more affordable than other types of diamonds, therefore putting them at the top of many peoples’ lists for engagement rings.

Cushion cuts can have a few different faceting patterns and may include 4, 6, 8, or 10 facets. Cushion-cut diamonds offer a

Types of Cushion Cut Diamonds

Diamonds

Here are the different cushion cut diamonds to know about:

Crushed Ice Diamonds

As we mentioned, crushed ice diamonds are a type of cushion cut diamond, and they are one of the most recent developments of the cushion shape. Crushed ice diamonds differ from other cushion-cut diamonds due to their star facets.

The star facets are what you can see when looking at the bottom of a diamond map, and they resemble the arms of a star. When these diamonds are shortened or modified, the cushion cut has a “crushed ice” look.

This is the most common type of cushion cut style because they preserve the most original diamond crystal.

Brilliant Cut Cushion

Brilliant cut cushion diamonds have the most amount of light return. Compared to other cushion cuts, these diamonds look larger in diameter and have excellent brilliance.

Old Mine Cushion Diamonds

Old mine cushion diamonds have the oldest faceting style. These diamonds are known for having chunky, geometric facets. The old mine cushion cut dates back to the 1700s. Its defining characteristics include its large cutlet, deep pavilion, and high crown.

Cushion Modified Hybrid

These diamonds combine the facet pattern of the crushed ice diamond and the brilliant diamond. The carat size of the hybrid diamond also has a much larger look, similar to the cushion brilliant diamond.

Tips for Buying Crushed Ice Diamonds

If you think a crushed ice diamond may be for you, there are some things you should keep in mind before buying one.

Ideally, you want to find a diamond with an H or better on the color grade scale. Crushed ice diamond cuts hold their color better than traditional cushion versions.

You shouldn’t be too concerned about inclusions, as the tiny facets help to mask the inclusions. On the other hand, large facets easily show the inclusions.

Buying a crushed ice diamond in person is often easier, as you can better understand how the diamond looks and feels. You’ll also have the chance to look at it from different angles to see how it reacts to light.

However, this doesn’t mean you should rule out shopping online. You’ll want to make sure you do your research on retailers to find a reputable one.

If you find a trusted jeweler to work with, they can guide you through the buying experience. Whether the diamond is for an engagement ring or something else, it’ll likely be one of your biggest investments, so it’s essential to do your research before purchasing.

Are Crushed Ice Diamonds a Good Investment?

Diamond

Speaking of investments, many people wonder whether these diamonds are a good investment. It all comes down to personal preference. If you like the look of a crushed ice diamond, then it’s a worthy investment.

Typically, crushed ice diamonds are suitable for those who prefer outside-of-the-box, unconventional styles or for those who want to represent their unique personality.

On the other hand, if you’re into more of a traditional cut, this type of diamond may not be for you. If resale value is important to you when buying a diamond, you may want to stick with a more conventional cut. However, the crushed ice look may become popular in the future, so it’s hard to tell what their value might be.

CAN YOU GET A CRUSHED ICE DIAMOND IN EVERY SHAPE?

Diamonds have always been popular, and even the shape and settings of the gem can rise in popularity. No, exactly, while radiant cut diamonds tend to have a similar appearance to a radiant cut diamond. Overall, you can expect to be pretty limited in this aspect.

WHY ARE CRUSHED ICE DIAMONDS MADE?

Professional diamond cutters are always looking into ways where they don't waste the diamond. So, whenever they're determining the shape, they need to decide how to preserve it. What makes a crushed ice diamond would mean that the professional diamond cutter saw the smaller facets and chose to make them a part of the stone. This, and with the raw material, makes the crushed ice diamond how it is.

HOW CAN ONE TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRUSHED ICE AND NON-CRUSHED ICE DIAMONDS?

It's all about the distinction, such as making non-crushed ice diamonds resemble pavilion faceting. To the untrained eye, both of these types of diamonds can look the same. However, there is some difference. For instance, the definition between the two can be noticeable. The changes in the angles between the culet and girdle are how a professional is able to distinguish the difference between the two. But some other methods can help show the difference between the two.

THE PROPORTIONS

The proportions between crushed and non-crushed can truly show the difference. The ideal depth for cushions is between the cut and the depth itself. While a lot needs to be considered when a diamond is getting cut, the proportion alone can make this a big deal. For instance, it's usually considered that a cushion-cut diamond has a more significant proportion.

a large diamond with shards of small diamonds

NON-CRUSHED ICE DIAMONDS APPEAR BIGGER

When it comes to comparing the size of non-crushed and crushed ice diamonds, the non-crushed diamonds are going to appear more prominent. For starters, there isn't exactly a definitive difference in the apparent sizing of the two types of diamonds. Even when you compare both, they may have identical weights.

However, a non-crushed ice diamond will appear to be 5% large, which can be as high as 10% larger too. How can this happen? Well, the cut cushion diamonds will hide weight in the extra lumps. This alone will make the diamond's sizing appear more prominent.

CRUSHED ICE DIAMONDS VS NON-CRUSHED DIAMONDS, WHICH IS BETTER?

Just as people question if lab-grown or natural diamonds are better, even the styles of diamonds get questions like that too. Out of the two types, there isn't one that would be considered "better ."It's all going to come down to what you like the most and what you prioritize, such as budget. However, it would help if you understood what you're getting when looking at both types of ice diamonds. Crushed ice diamonds will feature small facets that can be perfect for hiding any imperfection while tinting the stone.

As for budget, this is going to vary from person to person. Crushed ice diamonds are usually more inexpensive compared to their non-crushed counterparts. Sometimes, the pricing difference can be as high as 15% price difference. So again, neither of these are better, and it's all going to come down to what you prefer.

Final thoughts

Now that you know more about crushed ice diamonds, it’s time to decide if this diamond type is right for you.

Of course, crushed ice diamonds aren’t the only jewelry option.

If you’re looking for some new jewelry, check out our beautiful necklaces!

Currency