What Is A Old European Cut Diamond

Unlike a modern round brilliant the old european cut is cut less precisely and is as a result more organic in shape.

What is a old european cut diamond. Old european cut diamonds oec are an antique type diamond cut born of a time before modern technology enabled the precise geometry we see modern diamond cutters use. Old european cut diamond characteristics. Characteristically an old european cut diamond has a smaller table and higher crowns than their modern counterpart. A diamond dealer would often devalue the stones by approximately 20 30 percent as that would be the amount of diamond weight lost in the recut.

The old european cut evolved from the old mine cut with their trademark small tables heavy crowns deep angles and large visible culet. The old european cut is regarded as the most advanced antique cut. Because of the shape of rough diamonds the end result was a deep cut with a high crown and small table. Most old european cut diamonds were cut to retain more weight rather than optimize appearance.

Up until about ten years ago old cut diamonds such as old mine cushion and old european were viewed by many as diamonds that needed to be recut into modern cuts like the brilliant cut. The old european cut diamond is the standard round diamond that was made between 1890 1930. Set into the original ring design with a natural patina we usually recommend leaving any such item alone. The old european cut diamond or old euro cut was the primary diamond shape used in the art deco era old mine cut diamonds or miner cut were used in victorian and edwardian eras.

The diamond below shows a nicely proportioned old european cut with a small polished culet and fairly shallow proportions. The old european cut also has very long lower half facets accounting for at least 60 of the diamond s total depth. The cut of a diamond greatly affects a diamond s brilliance. An old european cut diamond will have triangular facets while a round diamond s facets are thinner.

This means if it is cut poorly it will be less luminous. The stone is just under 2 carats in weight and measures 7 5mm in diameter. Old european cut diamonds old mine cut. The primary reason for the differences between an old european cut diamond and a modern brilliant cut diamond is that the former is a more rudimentary hand cut stone.

Old european cut diamonds tend to have a large culet that s visible from the table of the diamond. There is some overlap between the periods when both antique diamond cuts coexisted. The old european cut is round in shape with an appearance that s similar to the modern round brilliant cut diamond.