GCAL by Sarine Launches 8X® Cushion Cut Grade

PRESS RELEASE New York, NY — May 20, 2026 — GCAL by Sarine today announced the launch of the GCAL 8X® Cushion Cut Grade, expanding its 8X Ultimate Cut Grade program to one of the most popular and commercially important fancy diamond shapes.

Fancy-shaped diamonds now represent a significant and growing share of GCAL by Sarine submissions, reflecting increased consumer demand for elongated shapes. Building on the success of 8X Oval, Princess, Pear, Marquise, and Radiant, the new 8X Cushion Cut Grade continues GCAL by Sarine's effort to bring greater consistency, transparency, and light performance analysis to fancy-shape diamond grading.

A New Benchmark for Cushion Diamonds

Traditional grading for fancy shapes has largely emphasized polish and symmetry, while leaving consumers and retailers with limited information about light performance, shape appeal, and overall cut precision. GCAL's 8X Cut Grade takes a more comprehensive approach, evaluating eight critical factors: Polish, External Symmetry, Proportions, Optical Brilliance, Fire, Scintillation, Optical Symmetry, and Shape Aesthetics.

Cushion cuts are especially challenging to standardize because their beauty depends on a precise balance of outline, rounded corners, facet structure, contrast pattern, light return, and the minimization of bowtie effect. Two cushion diamonds can have the same carat weight, color, and clarity, yet look dramatically different because of their cut quality and optical performance.

"Cushion cuts have tremendous consumer appeal, but they have also been one of the most difficult fancy shapes for retailers and consumers to compare confidently," said Angelo Palmieri, President of GCAL by Sarine. "The GCAL 8X Cushion Cut Grade gives the market a precise, transparent, and independently verified way to identify cushion diamonds that truly perform at the highest level."

Science-Backed Beauty

The GCAL 8X Cushion standard was developed through technical research, advanced measurement, optical imaging, and direct light performance analysis. Rather than relying on traditional proportion measurements alone, GCAL by Sarine evaluates the relationship between craftsmanship, shape aesthetics, and visible performance.

Each GCAL 8X Cushion diamond is accompanied by a GCAL 8X certificate featuring detailed cut quality analysis, light performance documentation, imaging, and GCAL's money-backed grading guarantee.

"Our 8X program continues to set the benchmark for excellence in fancy shapes," Palmieri added. "With Cushion, we are bringing greater clarity and confidence to a shape that consumers love, but that has historically been difficult to evaluate consistently."

The GCAL 8X Cushion Cut Grade is now available for qualifying natural and laboratory-grown cushion brilliant diamonds.

For more information about GCAL 8X Cushion, visit https://www.gcalusa.com/gcal-8x-cushion-grade.html or contact sales@gcalusa.com

About GCAL by Sarine

GCAL by Sarine is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited gemological laboratory known for its commitment to accuracy, transparency, and consumer protection. GCAL pioneered the industry's money-backed grading guarantee and continues to lead in performance-based diamond grading, including the 8X Ultimate Cut Grade.