Old Hand Cut Diamonds

Diamond cutters in past centuries used techniques that are no longer common today.

Old hand cut diamonds.

Most round brilliant cuts only have 57 due to the fact that most have a pointed culet see below. Again being all hand cut without the use of precise machines each one is as individual as the people who cut them. Often cutting diamonds by hand they gave diamonds shapes and dimensions that capture the character and essence of their eras diamonds cut using the old techniques may exhibit less fire and brilliance though they sometimes are preferred for their warmer more romantic glow. There is some overlap between the periods when both antique diamond cuts coexisted.

Buying old cut diamonds sourcing antique stones. The cut of a diamond greatly affects a diamond s brilliance. While old cut diamonds were cut with an emphasis on maximising their size and enhancing their colour and clarity round brilliant cut diamonds are cut to maximise their brilliance hence the name or the amount of white light that s reflected internally and. This means if it is cut poorly it will be less luminous.

Although many old cut diamonds demand lower prices than modern cuts scarcity often sets their price above modern cuts. Old european cut diamonds old mine cut. A diamond cut is a style or design guide used when shaping a diamond for polishing such as the brilliant cut cut does not refer to shape pear oval but the symmetry proportioning and polish of a diamond. Each stone possesses its own individual and unique character making this diamond cut a favorite of those longing for a one of a kind jewelry piece.

They are the earliest form of the modern brilliant cut. Old mine cut diamonds date back to the 1830 s and were common up until the turn of the century. Old european cut diamonds were the diamond cut that was used in almost all rings made at the beginning of the 1900s. Old european cut diamonds are also known as old euro round old mine and european cuts.

Old cut diamonds have 58 facets. Old mine diamonds are mostly off round in shape with a high crown small table and open culet. The more light a diamond returns the greater its brilliance. Most antique jewelry from that era used old european cut diamonds old mine cut diamonds rose cut diamonds and single cut diamonds.

The proportions of a diamond s cut determine how well the stone will return light to the eye of the observer. As part of our service we source old cut diamonds for clients. Old mine cut diamonds were a form of brilliant cut with a variety of facets structures and with the outside perimeter being out of round often more square or rectangular in shape. Owing to the limited availability of old cuts we use our network of diamond merchants to source suitable stones.

Antique diamonds have old cuts that usually don t maximize the stone s brilliance as well as contemporary cuts do.