Emerald, round, marquis, and princess. You’re familiar with the most popular diamond cuts. Yet, diamonds can be cut into a wide variety of shapes, including some unique shapes that give the stone a distinct appearance.
Here are ten unique diamond cuts that you might not know about. If you’re looking for a unique look on your engagement ring or other jewellery pieces, these might be just what you need.
1. Rose Cut
A Rose Cut diamond is a delicate diamond choice, prioritizing an elegant lustre over a full-on sparkle. The diamond is meant to mimic the spiral of rose bud petals.
The Rose Cut is a unique cut which allows a larger spread than a traditional diamond. This means that the diamond will appear bigger while having a lower carat weight. However, unlike traditional cuts, the rose cut will not glitter as they do not have a pavilion – the bottom half of a diamond that creates that iconic shimmer.
2. Eighty-Eight Cut
Cut in an octagonal shape, the Eighty-Eight cut is named for the eighty-eight facets cut into it. This cut maintains a circular frame of main facets, which create a spiralling effect.
Compared to a traditional round cut, the Eighty-Eight has thirty additional facets. This allows a more brilliant shine.
3. Asprey Cut
The Asprey cut features sixty-one facets to shine as brightly as possible. It features an almost-square shape and soft edges. Unique to the Asprey cut is the letter “A,” which is engraved onto its edge.
Created by Gabi Tolkowsky, one of the world’s most renowned diamond cutters, the Asprey Cut was designed to emulate, and improve the cushion cut.
4. Lily Cut
The shape of a four-leaf clover, the Lily Cut is a rare cut. This is a distinctive cut featuring sixty-five facets designed to resemble a flower.
Designed by Lili Diamonds of Israel in 2007, the Lily Cut has been used by Louis Vuitton, elevating its prestige and high-fashion symbolism.
The Lily Cut is an uncommon cut for many reasons. The main one is that it requires a significant amount of diamond to be lost during the cutting process.
5. Asscher Cut
Asscher cuts share a resemblance to emerald cuts. However, where an emerald cut is rectangular, Asschers are square. An Asscher contains an angled corner to present an octagonal shape at first sight.
Asschers have a high facet count, coming in at seventy-two. They were created by the Asscher Diamond Company and have the unique honour of being the first diamond ever patented.
6. Jubilee Cut
Marked by eighty-eight facets, the Jubilee Cut is distinguished by its lack of a flat table. Easily one of the most unique and therefore rare diamond cuts, the Jubilee sparkles like no other.
The history of the Jubilee is a regal one. Made in the early twentieth century, the Jubilee diamond was made to honour the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria of England. This means the Jubilee has the distinction of being both royal and rare.
7. Ashoka Cut
Another cut that came from a modification to the cushion cut, the Ashoka Cut features a rectangular shape with soft edges. This particular cut has 62 facets to shine the light as brilliantly as possible.
The Ashoka Cut was designed by William Goldberg Diamond Corporation in 1999. It’s named after the Golconda diamond, weighing 41.37 carats.
The cutting of this style can take over six months as the raw diamonds have to be larger and longer than most diamonds. Approximately ten percent of raw diamonds match the necessary criteria for an Ashoka Cut.
8. Old Mine Cut
Old mine diamonds, or miner-cut diamonds, are squarish diamonds with softened edges. They are most similar in design to modern-day cushion-cut diamonds.
Old mind cuts are trademarked by the cutlet in the middle of the diamond. Most modern diamonds have imperceptible cutlets if any at all. An old mine-cut diamond has fifty-eight facets, each of which is generally larger than those in diamonds today.
An old mine cut is an antique cut, popular in the 1700s through the 1800s. Because they were cut by hand, many old mine cuts have uneven facets and asymmetry, and for some, that adds to their charm.
9. Crisscut®
Crisscut® is a modified emerald cut known for its brilliant shine. While a traditional emerald cut retains forty-four facets while the Crisscut® diamond boasts a total of seventy-seven.
Crisscut® diamonds were created by Christopher Slowinski of Christopher Designs and are marked by their facets which criss-cross each other.
And, while this particular diamond cut was made from an emerald cut, its principles can be applied to a variety of other cuts to heighten their brilliance.
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