European Cut Diamonds
The old European cut was developed long before today’s technology made it possible to cut diamonds with the “perfect” precision and geometrically perfect diamond cuts that people are familiar with today and see advertised in all of the commercials. These diamond cuts evolved from the the old mine cut and were developed to be refinements of the cushion cuts. You can recognize them by their very small tables and bulky, heavy crowns. They have deep bodies and typically larger, more open basal or point culets. These diamonds are still generally round or oval. The old European cut saw its greatest prominence in the late 19th and early 20th century, after which its prominence fell due to the continued advancement of gem-cutting technology. But for their day, these diamonds’ cuts were the best for creating the “sparkle and fire” that diamond ring wearers wanted and they had been developed in accord with that day’s technology to achieve just that effect.