Your Cart is Empty
Free Shipping on All Orders Over $100
While many people know the phrase “diamonds are girl’s best friends” there are only few who know a thing or two about diamond cut types and the history of diamond types. The diamonds we have today didn’t look the same throughout history.
The evolution of diamond cutting is quite an interesting one. In fact, the first diamonds were embedded in jewelry uncut and unpolished. If you want to learn the history of diamond types, continue reading and discover how all the popular diamond cut types were developed and adopted.
Diamond history starts in India, where they were discovered for the first time and kept unpolished. Indians considered them to possess special magic-like powers. Diamonds were embedded into jewelry for the first time in the 11th century in their uncut form.
Jewelers started cutting them for the first time in the 14th century, but it was more polishing than cutting. The name “point cut” comes from the nature of the cutting procedure – jewelers followed the natural shape of the diamond.
Kings and queens had to wait until the 15th century for diamonds to be properly cut. That is when it was discovered that diamond dust can cut and therefore polish diamonds.
It was during this age that the point cut was perfected, and the table cut was invented. In 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy with a diamond ring, thus breathing life into the diamond engagement ring tradition.
In the following century, many new tools were invented. This has made the life of jewelers easier and enabled them to cut facets into diamonds. The rose cut was invented, and it was one of the most popular types of diamond cutting in the 16th century. The signature of the rose cut is the flat diamond bottom and dome-shaped top.
The next era in the history of diamond types begins with diamond production in Brazil. This took place in the 18th century. The brand new “Old Mine” cut, which is extremely similar to the cushion cut, was invented. This cut resembles the modern brilliant cut.
The old mine cut is very distinctive. These cuts had a somewhat curved edge, thus forming dozens of soft squares on the diamond surface. Combined with regular triangular facets, soft squares gave these diamonds an architectural and quite unique look.
It took an entire century before a new cut was invented. The Asscher cut was invented in 1902 by the Royal Asscher Diamond Company. This cut was one of the first ones to be patented, but it did take almost 20 years for it to gain popularity. The Asscher cut features signature squares with large step facets, a small table, and a high crown.
At the same time, the Old European cut was invented. It resembled the old mine cut, but it had thick triangular blocks as facets and culet cut in such a way to give the diamond a flat bottom.
Invented by Marcel Tolkowsky, a brilliant mathematician, the round brilliant cut turns rough stones into the most brilliant and mesmerizing diamonds. It became the standard in some countries. American diamonds, for instance, are judged by this standard to this very day.
The Emerald cut was invented in 1930, and it pushed the step cut and table cut out of the picture. The emerald cut gives diamonds a hall of mirrors effect. The emerald cut allowed jewelers to maximize the carat weight because the step cut follows the natural shape of the uncut diamond.
The modern brilliant cuts entered the scene in the 1960s. These include oval, trillion, radiant, and princess cuts. Each one of these features a unique facet pattern, thus giving the final diamond a distinctive look.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed a quick recap of the history of diamond types. To make one of these brilliant cuts your own, shop with Kyllonen Luxury today!
