What is Diamond Cut?

Of all the 4Cs, diamond cut is the one most directly influenced by man. It is by the cutter and polisher’s skills that the true beauty of a diamond is revealed. The diamond cut is often considered the most important factor when choosing your stone. This is because the diamond cut creates the extraordinary dancing light and coveted sparkle most of us have come to associate with diamonds. The cut of a diamond will dramatically influence the properties of fire and sparkle. Therefore, the better your diamond proportions are, the better light will dance off your stone.

The cut of the diamond enables the stone to make the best use of light. When a diamond is cut to excellent proportions, light is reflected internally from one facet to another and then reflected through the top of the stone, giving it maximum sparkle or brilliance. If the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion. However, if the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected.

The Birth of Diamond Cutting

In the 13th century, diamonds were still kept as loose, uncut stones. For many years after this, diamond cutting was really only diamond polishing, merely making the precious stones appear shinier. The point cut, which follows the natural shape of the diamond to a “point”, is believed to be the very first true diamond cutting technique developed, although it is still more a form of polishing than cutting. Diamond cutting originated in the Golconda region of India, a major centre whose name took on the meaning of “a place of great wealth” among Europeans. As more diamonds flooded the European market and demand increased, the diamond-cutting industry was born in Venice. From there, the industry stretched to Burges, Paris, and later to the major cutting centre Antwerp.  Here, cutting technology and styles flourished and were developed further, and over centuries, the unsurpassed brilliance and fire of diamonds were slowly revealed.

The Round Brilliant Cut

In 1650, Cardinal Mazarin of France commissioned the first cross-cut diamond, and this is where the legacy of the round brilliant cut diamond really began. During the 1700s, diamond cutter Vincenzo Peruzzi refined the first fifty-eight facets, and the round brilliant cut diamond further progressed through the 1800s. During this time, titles like “old mine cut” and “old European cut” were often used. In 1919, the modern brilliant cut was invented by Marcel Tolkowsky, which to this day is the most popular cutting style used in diamond engagement rings, pendants, earrings, and more. This cut design is composed of 57 facets (58 if you count the culet), all mathematically perfected to bring out the most brilliance and fire in a diamond. 

The proportions and facet angles that were calculated mathematically by Marcel Tolkowsky to produce maximum brilliance consistent with a high degree of fire in a round diamond brilliant are considered by many to be the “ideal cut”. These figures, computed as a percentage of the girdle diameter, are as follows:

Table	Total Depth	Crown Height	Pavilion Height	Bezel Angle	Pavilion Angle
53%	59.3%*	16.2%	43.1%	34°30′	40°45′

Total depth includes the girdle thickness of 0.7% to 1.7%

The round brilliant cut diamond is the muse for the signature Mark Solomon four-claw Solitaire diamond ring.

A handcrafted contemporary beauty, this ring heralds a round brilliant cut diamond in a strikingly minimal claw setting, crafted in your precious metal of choice, that exhibits the diamond to its fullest.  Seal your love in a timeless style to endure for years to come.

The Stunning MS Signature Solitaire Ring

Fancy Cut Diamonds

Here follows a brief explanation of cuts used in the diamond industry:

Asscher Cut

A fully made emerald cut with larger corners.

A timeless Asscher-cut solitaire diamond ring with a sparkling pavé diamond band.

Baguette Cut

A French word meaning rod. A style of step cutting for small, rectangularly-shaped gemstones.

Baguette-cut diamonds perfectly complement this yellow Princess Cut Diamond.

Bullet Cut

A modification of the pentagon cut, the shape of which is produced by varying the length and angles of the sides. Resembles a bullet in outline.

Emerald Cut

A form of step cutting. It usually is rectangular but sometimes is square, in which case it is known as a square emerald cut. It has rows (steps) of elongated facets on the crown and pavilion, parallel to the girdle, and with corner facets.

The number of rows, or steps, may vary, although the usual number is three on the pavilion. The emerald cut is excellent for colourless stones and when it is desirable to emphasise the colour of fancy diamonds.

Make a statement with this stunning emerald and baguette-cut diamond ring.

Kite Cut

A four-sided form of cutting, usually step cut, that resembles a child’s kite outline.

Barion Cut

A mixed cut comprised of 62 facets, created and patented in 1971 by South African master diamond cutter Basil Watermeyer. It combines a step-cut crown with a modified brilliant-cut pavilion to maximise brilliance and fire in square and rectangular gemstones.

Learn more about the Barion Cut

Briolette Cut

A pear or drop-shaped stone with a circular cross-section, entirely covered with triangular facets. This form of cutting is very rarely encountered.

Cushion Cut

Stones with a rectangular or squarish outline and rounded corners with facets that are usually similar to the facet arrangement of the brilliant cut. Please see our special feature on Trendy Cuts, including the Cushion Cut.

A cushion-cut fancy yellow diamond is the star of our African Glory Neckpiece

Half-Moon Cut

A style of brilliant cutting that produces a stone shaped like a half circle.

Heart-Shaped Brilliant Cut

A heart-shaped variation of the brilliant cut that is related to the pear shape. The round end is flattened and indented, and the girdle diameter across the shoulders is widened until the diameter is approximately equal to the length.

Why wear one heart when you can wear two?

Marquise Cut

A style of diamond cutting in which the girdle outline is boat-shaped. The shape and placement of the facets are of the brilliant type. See a picture of a marquise cut diamond with an authentic EGL certificate.

Trilogy rings are perfect for combining marquise and pear-shaped diamonds

Old-European Cut

A term applied to the earliest form of a circular-girdled full brilliant. It is characterised by a very small table, a heavy crown, and great overall depth. Improperly referred to as old-mine cut.

Old-Mine Cut

A trade term that is applied properly to an early form of brilliant cut with a nearly square or cushion-shaped girdle outline. A term applied occasionally and incorrectly to a somewhat more modern style of brilliant cut that also has a much higher crown and smaller table than the modern brilliant cut, but whose girdle outline is circular or approximately circular – a style of cutting that is more properly called a lumpy stone or an Old-European cut.

Oval Cut

A brilliant style of cutting in which the girdle outline is elliptical; i.e. a rounded oblong. Also called the oval brilliant cut. Also, an obsolete barrel-shaped style of cutting with a circular cross-section and covered with triangular facets.

Small details give these oval halo earrings a delicate vintage look.

Pear-Shaped Cut

A variation of the brilliant cut, usually with 58 facets, having a pear-shaped girdle outline, often with only 56 facets when the pavilion facets at the head and tail are eliminated.

Pentagon Cut

A five-sided form of cutting is usually a step cut, with the sides of equal length.

Princess Cut

An earlier name for the profile cut invented by Arpad Nagy in 1961. It has right-angle corners and is traditionally cut to a square outline, but can be cut to a rectangular outline. The cut features a square outline with sharp 90-degree corners and utilises a modified brilliant facet arrangement—including chevron facets on the pavilion—to maximise sparkle and fire.

Rose Cut

One of the oldest and most romantic cuts, the rose cut dates back to the 16th century and takes its name from the soft spiral of unfolding rose petals. Unlike modern brilliant cuts, the rose cut features a flat base and a domed crown covered in triangular facets, typically ranging from 6 (single rose cut) to 24 facets (full rose cut), which meet in a gentle peak at the top.

Using a rose-cut cushion-shaped diamond can add a truly unique aspect to your engagement ring.

Shield Cut

A many-sided form of cutting, usually step cut, the length and angles of the sides of which may vary. Resembles a shield in outline.

Square Cut

An equal-sided, sharp-cornered form of step cutting.

Trilliant Cut

A modern-shaped variation of the brilliant cut consisting of 44 facets: 25 facets on the crown and 19 facets on the pavilion. The girdle outline is triangular-shaped or a rounded triangular shape.

Trilliant-cut Diamonds can add the perfect amount of sparkle to a Tanzanite ring.

Trapeze Cut

A four-sided form of cutting, usually step cut, with two longer, parallel sides of unequal length and two inclined sides of equal length.

Step Cut

One of the two basic classifications of cutting styles is the step cut and the brilliant cut. In step-cut stones, all facets are four-sided and in steps, or rows, both above and below the girdle. All facets are parallel to the girdle and therefore, except those on the corners, long and usually narrow.

The number of rows, or steps, may vary, although the usual number is three on the crown and three on the pavilion. Different shapes of step cuts are usually described by their outlines; for example, rectangular step cut, square step cut, and octagonal step cut. A rectangular step cut with cut (cropped) corners is popularly known as an emerald cut.