Early modern cut diamonds
The early modern cut, also known as the Tolkowsky cut, is a less precisely
cut version of the modern brilliant cut.
Created by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919, his theoretical work described
the best proportions of a round brilliant diamond that would provide
a balanced brilliance and dispersion.
As a result, many diamond cutters fashioned their larger, high-quality
diamonds into these "ideal" proportions. The Tolkowsky cut
is also sometimes called the American Ideal Cut, even though his work
originated in Europe.
Modern Diamonds
To understand antique diamonds, it's helpful to examine the modern diamond.
In the simplest representation, a modern diamond has 3 main parts. The
top of the diamond is called the crown and the bottom is called the
pavilion. The part that separates the crown and pavilion is called the
girdle. A modern brilliant cut diamond has 57-58 facets or polished
surfaces. The flat part on top of the diamond is the table, which is
the largest facet. The culet is a tiny facet at the very bottom of the
pavilion. If the pavilion comes to a point at the bottom, the diamond
does not have a culet.
Today's modern brilliant diamond is precisely cut to maximize the diamond's
"fire", which is the play of light that reflects off the stone's
facets. When grading the cut of a modern diamond, one must consider
several characteristics: table size, crown angle, pavilion depth, girdle
thickness, as well as polish and symmetry.
 
      
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Antique Diamonds
When judging diamonds in antique jewelry, one must be careful not to
judge antique diamonds by modern standards. Antique diamonds have a
soft romantic glow that many people find very appealing. Antique diamonds
typically have smaller tables, higher crowns, deeper pavilions and thicker
girdles than their modern counterparts. Antique diamonds were cut to
maximize carat weight, not "fire". That's why the proportions
of old diamond are
quite different from their modern counterparts.
Diamonds were cut by hand until the early 1900's. This was a laborious,
time-consuming process. Unfortunately, many antique diamonds have been
re-cut with modern cutting techniques. This has caused demand for these
old cut diamonds to soar in recent years, along with the prices that
people are willing to pay for them. An antique diamond is oftentimes
more expensive than a new diamond with the same carat weight.
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Rose Cut
Rose cut diamonds were introduced as early as the 1500's and were popular
until the early 1900's. The shape of a rose cut diamond resembles the
petals of a rose bud. The bottom is flat. The crown is domed shaped
and the facets meet in a point in the center. The number of facets varies
from 3,6,12,18,to 24 facets.
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Old Mine-cut
The old mine cut diamond is the earliest form of the modern brilliant
cut. Also called the "cushion cut", it has a cushioned shaped
girdle. This cut of diamond is characterized by a high crown, small
table, deep pavilion and large culet.
Other names for this cut are: old miner, peruzzi cut, and triple cut
brilliant.
 
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Old European-cut
The old European diamond has a very small table, a heavy crown, and
great overall depth. This diamond cut was the fore-runner of the modern
brillant cut. Like the modern round brilliant, the old European diamond
has a circular girdle.
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Single-cut
The single cut diamond has an octagonal girdle, a table, eight bezel
(or crown) facets, and 8 pavilion facets. It may or may not have a culet.
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