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1: The Four C's of Diamond Buying

2: Descriptions of Antique Cut Diamonds

1. The Four C's of Diamonds Antique Cut Diamons

2: Descriptions of Antique Cut Diamonds

Antique Cut Diamons

Old Mine cut diamonds, Cushion diamonds, Asscher cut diamonds, emerald and Rose cuts have found new life in the past few years. Here’s a review of each and some examples of how they’re used in today’s jewelry as well as antique engagement rings .

Old Mine cut Diamonds

The old mine cut dates back to the 1830's and was common up until the turn of the century. This was a style of faceting a diamond by hand in a round shape with a high crown, small table and faceted culet. This style enabled the diamonds 58 facets to show more fire due to the high crown (top portion of the diamond) and small table creating beautiful life and giving the diamond more personality and timelessness. Old mine cut diamonds were cut for candlelight rather than modern denser light which makes them sparkle in even a dim candlelit atmosphere.

Rose Cut Diamonds

Developed in the 16th century, the rose cut has a flat bottom and domed top covered with triangular facets. The outline varies, but rose cuts are most typically round, oval, triangular or pear-shaped. In the 17th century, they gained greater acceptance and their facet arrangement became less random. Variations were always in multiples of six, such as a six-facet rose, an 18-facet rose and the full rose cut, which has a lower tier of 18 facets and upper tier of six facets coming to a point at the apex, which makes it look like a rosebud just starting to open. The brilliant cut supplanted the rose cut in the 19th century. The rose returned at the turn of the 20th century, when jewelry drew inspiration from 18th century Baroque styling, but went out of favor again after 1910 when styles moved toward Art Deco. For almost a century, the rose cut has been in retirement, popping up only occasionally.

Cushion Cut Diamonds

The cushion cut diamond was one of the most popular cuts of diamonds ever. For more than 70 years from 1830 to the turn of the century this was how diamonds were cut. Sometimes referred to as a "pillow cut", the cushion cut has an open culet (the bottom of the diamond) and a rectangular to square shape with rounded corners and a facet plan to give the diamond depth. The cushion cut diamond was cut for candle light. This is quite different from today's diamonds which are cut for brighter denser electric light. The beauty of a cushion cut is the depth of the diamond. The facets allow the eye to travel into the diamond. It is a calmer more soothing cut than a modern cut...and at a romantic candlelight dinner, the cushion cut is at its best. Most quality cushion cut diamonds are found only on the antique and estate market..

Asscher Cut Diamonds

Abraham Asscher designed this cut in 1902 and it’s been updated and reintroduced by the fourth generation of Asscher diamantaires, Edward and Joop Asscher. Their Royal Asscher Cut, is the only authentic successor to the original. It boasts a special arrangement of 74 facets that create more kinetic brilliance than its predecessor. The original Asscher cut was designed to improve the brilliance of emerald cuts. The Royal Asscher Cut retains the original features (small table, high crown and steep pavilion), but has wider corners and more facets for added brightness and more sparkle in a cut already known to blaze with light.

Emerald Cut Diamonds

Emerald or step-cut diamonds signify tradition and possess subtle beauty. They don’t return light all at once. But when light refracts from the broad back facets through the table, you see a sudden, broad flash. This hide-and-seek quality intrigues customers. It’s hard to hide inclusions in diamonds with long, broad facets, so cutters try to restrict them to non-reflecting corners.

Part by Lorraine M. O’Donnell, A.J.P., Excerpt from Professional Jeweler Magazine


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