Stones
Diamond Cuts
| Older Cuts | Modern Cuts | ||
| Asscher | Baguette | Emerald | Heart |
| Briolette | European | Marquise | Oval |
| Mine | Rose | Pear | Round |
| Single | Table | ||
Asscher
The Asscher cut was originally patented by the I.J. Asscher Company of Amsterdam in 1902. Joseph Asscher, a master diamond cutter most famous for cleaving the 3,106 ct. Cullinan diamond in 1908, is given credit for the design.
A predecessor to the modern emerald cut diamond, the Asscher cut is step cut with a squarish, almost octagonal outline, wide corners, small table, deep pavilion, and high crown. Owing to its high crown and greater overall depth, the Asscher has more brilliance and dispersion than a standard emerald cut. This brilliance and geometric appearance made the Asscher very popular in the Art Deco jewelry of the 1920's.
There was renewed interest in Asscher cuts in the 1990s with many
celebrities sporting estate jewelry and searching out the unusual Asschers.
Modern versions of the Asscher began to appear, but most failed to capture
the fire and brilliance of the older stones. In recent years the Royal
Asscher Diamond Company has begun producing Asscher cuts again.
Baguette and French Cut Baguette
Literally meaning "Rod" in French, baguettes are a simple step cut, usually rectangular or square, and sometimes tapered on one end. They are similar is appearance to emerald cuts, but have fewer facets. A French Cut baguette has a modified crown where the table edges are oriented 45 degrees to those of the girdle.
As with all step cut stones, Baguettes tend to be high grade diamonds.
Their lack of brilliance and easily visible clarity make it difficult to
hide inclusions. Baguettes are almost exclusively used as accent stones.
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Briolette
One of the oldest cuts, briolettes date back to Roman times. Briolettes are believed to have evolved as a variety of faceted bead. It is most likely that colored stones and other materials were the first to be cut in this fashion.
Diamond briolettes began appearing in the 17th Century.The famous French traveler and precious stone trader Jean Baptiste Tavernier is credited with bringing the diamond briolette from India to Europe. Briolette cut stones were a popular addition to the dress of the Indian Moguls. Briolette cut stones in earrings and necklaces became very popular among members of the French court. A famous necklace given to Empress Marie Louise by Napolean contained ten briolette cut diamonds weighing over four carats each. It is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.
Briolettes have a characteristic teardrop shape and pattern of
triangular or rectangular facets covering their surface. Unlike a brilliant
cut diamond which sparkles in one direction, briolettes catch and return
light from all angles. They are especially stunning when in motion, as in
earrings.
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Emerald
The emerald or step cut can have either a square or rectangular outline with diagonally cut corners. This cut does not have a set number of facets, but can have two, three, or four rows of facets parallel to the girdle on the crown and pavillion.
Emerald cut diamonds are renowned for producing large flashes of white light and will show off a white, clean diamond beautifully. However, they do not sparkle like the more popular brilliant cuts and have almost no dispersion. Like the similar Asscher cut, some people liken the emerald cut to looking into a series of concentric mirrors.
Sometimes emerald cuts are cut very deeply or have a bulging pavilion.
This can create an "iron cross" of light leakage and the center of the
stone will appear dark.
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(Old) European Cut
The Old European cut evolved directly from the Old Mine cut, and is similar in appearance. As with the Old Mine cut, this cut has 58 facets, 33 on the crown, and 25 on the pavilion. Unlike the Old Mine cut, which has a squarish outline, the Old European has a round outline similar to a modern round brilliant. Old Europeans are characterized by a small table facet (usually between 40 to 50 percent), an open culet, a high crown and a medium to deep pavilion.
This cut first rose to prominence in the 1890's and was the cut of choice up until the 1940's. Over time these stones evolved in the more modern European cut. European cut diamonds typically had a slightly larger table (45 to 55 percent),
?a smaller, but still noticeable culet, and a slightly lower crown. With the advent of modern diamond sawing techniques, this cut eventually evolved into the modern round brilliant most people are familiar with today.
As with most cuts, the (Old) European cuts can well cut or poorly cut,
but they are not inherently better or worse than their modern counterparts.
Because of their small tables, they usually offer better dispersion
(rainbow color light return) and less brilliance (white light return) than
modern round brilliants.
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Heart Brilliant
The heart brilliant cut is a modified brilliant cut in the shape of a
heart with 33 crown facets, 24 pavilion facets, and usually a keel line
instead of a culet. Proportion is extremely important to heart shapes, as
stones that are too wide or too tall just look goofy.
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Marquise Brilliant
Also called the "Navette" cut, this brilliant cut is believed to have been developed in France in the mid-18th century. It's name is attributed to the Marquise de Pompadour, a well renowned mistress of King Louis XV.
Most old marquise cut diamonds have an elongated culet while more modern stones come to an edge called a "keel line". Well-proportioned marquise cuts (usually 1.25-1.75 to 1 length to width ratio) command much higher demand than very short or long skinny stones.
If a marquise is cut too deeply, or the crown is too shallow, light
leakage called a "bowtie" may occur. This appears as a dark (bowtie shaped,
strangely enough) area in the center of the stone. Stones with bowties are
not as desirable as those without.
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Old Mine
The Old Mine cut, also known as the "Triple Cut" or "Cushion Cut", is one of the oldest forms of brilliant cut i.e. cuts with a facet arrangement that radiates from the center of the stone towards the girdle. Old Mine cuts appeared around the year 1700 and were cut until about 1900.
Old mine cuts have a characteristic 58-facet arrangement and a cushion-like shape with a high crown and an open culet (bottom facet). It is important to note that when these diamonds were originally cut, diamonds were much more expensive and rare than they are today. Thusly, Old Mine cuts retain as much of the original diamond crystal as is practical. Such a diamond is polished in three stages hence "triple cut".
The term "Old Mine" cut arose in the 1880's when diamonds from the recently discovered South African mines began to flood the market. The "Old Mine" or "Old Miners" referred to diamonds from the older mines in Brazil and India.
The 58-facet Old Mine cut eventually evolved into the Old European cut
and ultimately the modern round brilliant cut we see today.
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Oval Brilliant
A brilliant cut with an elliptical girdle outline. Ovals have the same
basic layout as a round brilliant or marquise cut with 58 facets. Like
marquise and pear shapes they can sometimes suffer from a dark "bowtie" of
light leakage if improperly cut. Stones with bowties are less desirable
than those without.
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Pear Brilliant
A brilliant cut with a pear-shaped girdle outline. Pears have the same
basic layout as a round brilliant or marquise cut with 56 to 58 facets.
Like marquise and oval shapes they can sometimes suffer from a dark
"bowtie" of light leakage if improperly cut. Stones with bowties are less
desirable than those without.
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Rose
Rose cuts are some of the oldest cuts we see in estate jewelry. The consensus is that Rose cuts were developed in India and introduced to Europe sometime in the 15th century. They remained popular as both accent and center stones until the late 1800's when electric lighting and changing fashions brought the more modern brilliant cuts into prominence.
Rose-cut diamonds have varying outlines and facet arrangements, but most
have a pattern of triangular facets radiating from a central point on the
top of the stone. Because Rose cuts have no pavilion, all the sparkle comes
from light dancing off of the top facets (scintillation). Sometimes Rose
cuts are backed with foil to enhance their sparkle. They are most dramatic
when viewed in low light or candlelight.
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Round Brilliant
The evolutionary progeny of the old mine and old European cuts, the round brilliant is by far the most popular cut of diamond today. For facets and placement see the European cut listed above. The more modern diamond saws developed after World War II allowed diamonds to be cut in new ways. This cut allows for much more rough diamond to be retained and is therefore a more cost effective alternative to the less efficient European cut. Modern round brilliants tend to have more brilliance (white light return) and less dispersion (spectral colors) than an equivalent European cut diamond.
A plethora of information is available about round brilliants on the
internet. As our emphasis is on older stones, we will leave further
education to other scholars.
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Single
Single cuts are simple, 17-facet round diamonds. Unlike other brilliant cut stones, which go through a three step cutting process, single cuts have only one round of cutting, usually done by a single cutter.
Single cuts are usually quite small, rarely exceeding 0.05 carat and are
common in jewelry dating from about 1900 to 1950. They are almost
exclusively used as accent stones. The advantage of single cuts is that due
to their tiny size, their fewer (but comparatively larger) facets sparkle
more than a full cut (58 facets) stone of the same size.
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Table
Table cuts are one of the oldest known symmetrical cuts and are a very
simple layout. A diamond octahedron shaped crystal is simple faceted at
both ends, with a large culet at one end, and a table on the other. We
sometimes see these in pre-Victorian jewelry and they are quite stunning!
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Questions?
Our Buyer's Guide explains terms related to fine estate jewelry, stones and metals. If you have any questions regarding this site, the jewelry, our stores, or us, please contact us.
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