The document discusses the history and evolution of diamond cuts from their early uncut forms to modern brilliant cuts. It describes how early cuts like the point cut and old single cut led to developments like the Mazarin and Peruzzi cuts that increased light refraction. The modern round brilliant cut was developed around 1900 and possesses 58 facets to maximize brilliance. Other popular cuts described include the princess, emerald, asscher, oval, pear, and marquise cuts, which are variants of the brilliant cut tailored for different shapes.

2. An enterprise conceived and managed
by the alumni of the Gemological
Institute of America (GIA), IGL&I
was started in 2007 with the aim of
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international quality education and
testing services.

3. The Cut is the most critical of all the 4C’s of Diamond.
The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance, sparkle
and fire-the three attributes that contribute immensely
to the value of a diamond.
When we talk about ‘Brilliance’ we refer to the amount
of light the diamond can refract. ‘Fire’ refers to the
ability of the diamond to refract light and how it shows
off the different colors of the spectrum. ‘Sparkle’
signifies how much the diamond simmers when we move
it around light, this is also known as Scintillation.

4. The cut of the diamond determines how
much light it reflects, it is the ultimate
display of the craftsman’s skills to
make a rough piece of stone into a
brilliant and wonderful diamond. The
best cut is the one in which the light
entering into the diamond is refracted
back from the top or the table,
displaying a magnificent spectrum.

8. The history of diamond cuts can be traced to the late
Middle Ages, before which time diamonds were
employed in their natural octahedral state. The first
"improvements" on nature's design involved a simple
polishing of the octahedral crystal faces to create even
and unblemished facets, or to fashion the desired
octahedral shape out of an otherwise unappealing piece
of rough. This was called the point cut and dates from
the mid 14th century.

10. The addition of four corner facets created the old single
cut (or old eight cut). The first brilliant cuts were
introduced in the middle of the 17th century. Known as
Mazarin's, they had 17 facets on the crown (upper
half). They are also called double-cut brilliants as they
are seen as a step up from old single cuts. Vincent
Peruzzi, a Venetian polisher, later increased the number
of crown facets from 17 to 33 (triple-cut or Peruzzi
brilliants), thereby significantly increasing the fire and
brilliance of the cut gem, properties that in the Mazarin
were already incomparably better than in the rose.

12. Yet Peruzzi-cut diamonds, when seen
nowadays, seem exceedingly dull compared to
modern-cut brilliants. Given the general name of
cushion—what are known today as old mine
cuts—these were common by the early 18th
century. Sometime later the old European cut was
developed, which had a shallower pavilion, more
rounded shape, and different arrangement of
facets. The old European cut was the forerunner
of modern brilliants and was the most advanced
in use during the 19th century.

14. Around 1900, the development of
diamond saws and good jewelry
lathes enabled the development of
modern diamond cutting and
diamond cuts, chief among them the
round brilliant cut. The other ‘fancy
cuts’ are pear, emerald, heart and
many others.

17. The modern round brilliant cut came into
existence roughly 90 years ago, and is an
adaption of the brilliant cut that has been
around since the early 18th century, and it
remains the most popular cut to this day. A
brilliant cut possesses 58 facets, divided among
its crown (top), girdle (middle), and pavilion
(base). The result of which, if well cut, is a firing
gem that shines with brilliance.

19. The princess cut combines the high degree
of light return of a round brilliant cut
with a distinctive shape. The princess cut
is relatively new, being created in the
1960s. It often finds its way into solitaire
engagement rings or earrings. This design
is very well-suited for long fingers.

21. The emerald cut includes what are called step
cuts. These are comprised of larger facets which
act like mirrors. There are fewer facets than most
other cuts, and because of the size and shape of
the facets, the emerald cut shows less sparkle
than the brilliant cut diamonds. However, the
emerald cut has classic beauty and elegance quite
distinct from the fire and the brilliance of others.

23. The asscher cut is a unique design created specially for
the Dutch Royal family in 1902. It has an almost
octagonal shape, and was a departure from the popular
brilliant cut of the 1800s. It became the forerunner of
the standard emerald cut. Its beauty however is
breathtaking due in part to the angled corner facets
which gives it a look of an inverted pyramid. It is also
commonly attributed as having an art deco look which
confers real class on the style.

25. The oval shape is also a brilliant
cut, borrowing the same faceting
techniques from the round brilliant
although additional facets are added
to assist in the elimination of the
bow-tie effect in the mid section of
the stone.

27. The pear shape is also a brilliant cut,
except the proportions are elongated along
the tip. One of the keys to cutting a good
pear shape is the reduction of the bow-tie
effect that appears in the lower mid
section of the stone (called French tipping)
to counter light leakage in the area.

29. The Marquise cut is another adaption of the 58
faceted round brilliant cut. This shape complements
long slender fingers particularly well. The crown is
modified in the marquise to form what is called a
French tip, where the bezel facet at the point of the
stone is eliminated. Marquise diamonds have an
elongated shape with pointed ends supposedly inspired
by the smile of the Marquise de Pompadour and
commissioned by the Sun King of France, Louis XIV.

30.  Wikipedia
 Internet for some Images
 Jindal Diamonds for Images