Diamonds - Some Of The Most Popular Diamond Cuts And Where They Came From

The love that many people have for diamonds and the beauty of the way they reflect light has led to the implementation of many diverse cuts of diamond. Some of the earlier types of cuts include the emerald and the round but these days they is a great variety to choose from and some of them are quite expensive.

One of the most popular cuts is known as the round brilliant cut which was first done in the 1600s in Venice, Italy. This is still the premier cut when the raw diamond is in an octahedron shape. Sometimes half of the stone gets cut away when shaping a diamond but in many cases two stones can be created from one octahedron. Raw stones that have more unusual shapes are usually reserved for fancier cuts like heart shapes and the marquis cut. The first brilliant cuts only had 17 facets and were called double cut but the process was rapidly improved to 33 facets which led to the stones being referred to as triple cut brilliants.

By the 1800s many new innovations came about in the diamond industry due to in large part, much better tools for cutting the precious stones. By the early 1900s a jeweler by the name of Tolkowsky took things a step further by marrying the talent of cutting stones to the study of light and refraction which resulted in much more beautiful diamonds. He also authored a book that was very popular called Diamond Design. His work led to much of the modern methods of diamond cutting we see today and also encouraged the mathematical approach that is taken today that goes so far to create more fiery and brilliant stones we now see.

From only a couple of different types of cuts the process has evolved to include princess cuts, pears, ovals, and heart shapes as well as many others. Some of the more expensive cuts have actually been patented. One such cut is called the Ashoka diamond which is an oblong shape with the ends rounded and brilliant. This cut requires that the stone being used be over three carats and the end result is a diamond that is not only incredibly beautiful but very expensive as well. The Tiffany company also has a very highly prized cut that is called the Lucida. Like the aforementioned Ashoka, it is very expensive and is normally seen on the hands of the fiance's and brides of wealthy men.