Introduction to antique cut stones

If you’re new to antique & vintage jewelry, some terms jewelers often use to describe stone cuts may be unfamiliar to you, as they're different from the ones used in modern jewelry. These antique stones were cut and polished by hand, and as technology advanced, stone cuts slowly became more precise, symmetrical, and engineered for maximum brilliance. To us, there’s a certain charm and romance in the asymmetry and imperfections of antique stones, and the unique ways in which they sparkle. We’ll start with a few of the cuts we see the most: rose cut, old mine cut, old European cut, and single cut. While we’re generally referring to diamonds, other gemstones were cut like this too! 

Let’s start off with some terminology we use when referring to different parts of a stone:

1. Facet

The “faces” of a stone, each plane where a cut has been made. 

2 & 3. Crown & Pavilion

Imagine a gemstone in two halves - the top half is known as the crown, and the bottom half is the pavilion. 

4. Culet

Look at the bottom of the pavilion of an antique stone, and you’ll find an extra facet called the culet. The limitations of antique technology made it difficult for lapidaries to create a point at the bottom of the stone, like we see in modern cuts. Culet facets were phased out as technology improved.

Rose cut (1600s - )

The oldest cut- with an entirely flat bottom, with facets cut in a dome, and perhaps the one with the most longevity, as modern designers continue to use the cut. Rose cuts come in all shapes, and the older ones are generally very rough circles, becoming closer to a circle over time as technology improved. Early rose cuts can be distinguished from modern ones, as older stones have much rougher and less symmetrical facets, compared to precision cut modern rose cuts that are perfectly symmetrical with consistently sized facets.

Old mine cut diamond in an antique Victorian ring (c. 1860-90), with smaller rose cut diamonds

Old mine cut (1800s - early 1900s) 

Chunky and charming, old mine cuts have a higher crown, an open culet, and off-round, cushion-y shapes. The name begs the question, “Which mines are the old ones vs. the new ones?” We're usually talking about mines in Brazil or India– before more diamonds were being mined across the African continent. They are generally warmer in color, and usually have 58 facets. These stones have so much personality and uniqueness due to their rougher, less perfected shapes. 

At the end of the 19th century, the transition began from old mine to old European cuts. However, old mine cuts were still used into the 1930s and 40s- during World War I, diamond cutting and trading wasn’t exactly a priority, and a decade later, many people re-used family diamonds in new settings rather than buying new ones due to the Great Depression.

Unmounted old European cut diamond 

Old European cut (late 1800s - mid 1900s)

The mother of the modern round brilliant, still with 58 facets. When looking at stones from the beginning of the 20th century to the mid 20th century, the evolution is clear: the shape evolved towards a perfect circle, the facets became more symmetrical, the crown lowered, and the culet shrank until it eventually completely disappeared. There isn't a clear defining line between an old mine and an old European cut diamond, as the terms reflect different points along the timeline of technology. We usually refer to more circular diamonds as old European cuts, while more cushion-shaped stones are called old mines. 

Single cut diamonds set under an emerald cabochon, Art Deco ring c. 1920-30

Single cut (1800s - mid 1900s) 

Used for smaller accent diamonds, single cut stones have less facets compared to full cut stones (57 or more facets), as the technology wasn’t there to cut so many facets on tiny diamonds. They can be cut with a culet, or without, and over time they evolved from being like old mine cuts with less facets to the modern round brilliant. Towards the later half of the 20th century, even the tiniest stones could be cut with a full 57 facets, and single cuts fell out of fashion.