Old European cut
The round diamond cut of roughly 1870 to 1930: a circular outline, a high crown, a small table and an open culet.
The old European cut followed the old mine cut once the bruting lathe made it possible to round a diamond. It has a circular outline, but its proportions still belong to the age of hand cutting: a high crown, a small table, a deep pavilion and an open culet.
It is the diamond of the Belle Époque and of Art Deco, set in platinum with millegrain edges. Its light is softer and broader than that of a modern brilliant, with large, slow flashes of fire.
Many old European cut diamonds were recut in the twentieth century to modern proportions, so a jewel that keeps its original stones is worth more to a collector.
What to look for
Look through the table for the culet, a small circle at the center. Check that the stones in a piece match each other in cut and color, which suggests they are original.
In the collection
Old European cut, available now
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