Alexander Princess
How the diamond was Chiseled
Believe it or not in the old days diamonds were considered too precious to cut. It was believed that cutting and polishing of a diamond crude would rob him of his great supernatural powers. The diamond was considered a prestigious stone and only rulers and kings were allowed to possess them, but even they were not allowed to mess with the original form.
It is interesting to note that India was the only source of diamonds, way back in the fourth century BC and it was only after Alexander Great conquests that the diamond was introduced to the West after the limited trade began between the East and West. The diamonds were not considered as precious and expensive as rubies sapphires and even at this time.
Gem cutters started applying their skills on the diamond only in the year 1300. By that time the market had opened up between India and other trading centers like Venice and Europe, saw his first cut and polished diamond around 1380AD. Trade-different methods of polishing and cutting of the diamond are divided between the countries. However, travel between the East and West was not easy and the journey was hard and lasted long. It was not until Vasco da Gama traveled from the Cape of Good Hope to India by sea trade routes opened up further as the pain of reduced transport. Within a few months after the discovery of this route cities like Bruges, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Venice began to see large number of diamonds from India in their markets. Roughs from India were transported to these cities that fed Europe endless hunger for the gem.
The diamond of this time was much less advanced compared to the brightness that we see today. This is clear when one observes antique jewelry and antique settings. Many of these simple cuts were later adapted to the more modern cuts over time and the reports of the methods used could only be obtained from paintings, diaries and catalogs.
The journey of the diamond industry, as we know it today begins with the point cut and ends at fancy brilliant cuts. The point was lowered, the first cut We are aware of today and it was the most popular cut in the fifteenth century. The cut mimicked the rough octahedral shape of the natural diamond and this was achieved by use of stationary polishing surfaces covered with diamond grit and olive oil. To minimize the heat due to friction required in the process, olive oil was used.
In the late 1400's the table cutting style made its appearance. The upper part of the natural octahedral shape was cut using the same tools present a rather " Still cutting edge with diamond grit and olive oil. The end result was that of a polished square facet that looked like a tabletop. Some cutters removed the lower part of the octahedral shape to a square shape called the culet. When viewed from the top corner of the table cut looked like a square within a square. Since the table top cut improved the reflective index and resulted in higher brilliance and fire, this proportionate cut found great appeal among consumers during the Renaissance period. These strict ruled the diamond industry for the next few centuries, and there were numerous variations like rectangles, tapered shapes and lozenges.
After a few centuries of the table cut rule, the rose cut made its entry into the scene and continued to dominate the nineteenth century. This reduction was not conceptualized for octahedral diamonds but a cut that helped produce The largest diamonds from flattened roughs. The rose cut has flat bottoms and triangular facets that are one point up. Though the cut gives a high level of brilliance, fire that this cut is not too high. Creative cutters have variations of this cut too and we have the double rose and Briolette.
The seventieth century saw several types of cuts in the market. The seeds of the modern brilliant cut were sown when miners found some crystals in the river gravel in Minas Gerais in Brazil. Initially The miners did not realize that the crystals they used to keep score in card games were actually diamonds. It was only after someone familiar with diamonds highlighted she became aware of the value of their discovery.
With funds drying up in India, this deposit was very welcome and Brazil became the main source of rough diamonds for diamond cutters in Europe. Diamonds from Brazil were used to make the first brilliant cuts and thus was born the old mine cut, a cushion shaped cut with a deep pavilion, high crown and large culet. Although the number of facets cut into the old mines are similar to the modern brilliant cut, did the first cut is not as much glare as the pavilion became deeper.
The modern brilliant cut came on the scene after more than 500 years of experimentation. This cut was the first cut that brought the true brilliance of the diamond that it is able. A round brilliance has a round girdle outline, symmetric triangular and kite-shaped facets. The table is more than 50% of the girdle diameter and a culet that is hardly noticeable.
The oldest of the modern brilliant cut can be traced back to the year 1800. The cutting rejected cutting style by Henry Morse from Boston discovered earlier, and clung to the old mine cuts and European parts. It was only in 1919 when Marcel Tolkowsky published these cuts have become popular. Though many cutters who worked on The large high quality roughs adopted Tolkowsky suggestions, there were others that used variations of this plan for smaller diamonds to the maximum weight of a diamond in the rough get. Other variations also an appearance and thus were born shapes like marquise, cushion, pear and oval.
The contemporary cuts cause higher levels of artistic roughs flair and can be cut and polished based on minimum loss due to grinding and polishing. With the popularization of the brilliant cut, many fancy brilliant cuts started to come into the picture. It was the success of the round diamond cutters are encouraged to try other forms together with the brilliant cut. The triangular brilliant, 'Trillion' Finker developed by Leon in the 1960s became so popular that people began to refer to a triangular brilliant as the "Trillion". Milton and Irving Meyer were marketing bringing their own version at the moment and they called it the "Trilliant" and registered the name. The phrase 'trillion' had become generic in nature so that they Trielle later renamed in 1992.
Other brilliant cut shapes like rectangle and square brilliants were also produced. The first rectangular brilliant cut was patented by Henry Gros Bard and the same was called as 'Radiant'. Using this cut resulted in a loss of 40% of crude compared to 50% loss in case of a round brilliant. Other brilliant cuts like the square brilliant also came on the scene. Ambar Diamonds, Inc. developed and patented a brilliant square cut called the quadrillion.
Fancy brilliant cuts to ensure a minimum loss in a rough diamond. They are also very useful in manipulating and perfecting the color of the diamond when given up the face. These days the diamond industry makes use of modern software and technology to develop new cuts to optimize the size of the diamond. The round brilliant has perfected the use of technology to the production of symmetrical, proportionate and patented diamond cuts to create to standardize.
Number of manufacturers and marketers trying to promote what they called the 'ideal cut' in the year 1990. This was marketed as the cut that was ideal for a specific diamond minimal loss give maximum brilliance and fire. Although the concept was welcomed by researchers from the polished diamond industry, was there is no evidence that the 'ideal cut' was really ideal. The technology allows the customer to see the different parts and how each one relates to another. However, critics argue diamond that there is more to a diamond than the cut alone and that there is not an ideal cut that fits everyone.
Even Though history has seen various cuts that have come and gone and the technological and creative expertise in this area, there is no doubt that what really matter in the end, the perceived beauty of the diamond by the buyer, the support and the spectators!
About the Author
Mithun Rao holds a professional degree in gemology and jewelry design from Mumbai and has spent more than 10 years in the industry. He manages his own jewel store and takes out the free time to write and maintain his site on gemstone information and diamond industry.
Why did prominent people throughout history to die in such a tragic way?
Caesar – Alexander killed Jesus – crucified Just name a few Julius the Great – poisoned / malaria -? King Louis XIV and Queen Marie-Antoinette guilottined Mahatma Gandhi – killed Elvis Presley – drug Princess Diana – horrible car accident President Yasser Arafat – poisoned blood from his sheets Michael Jackson – cardiac arrest, I think that only the Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep.
I think that's the price they pay for are great. You see everything in this world comes with the price.
Princess Máxima and Prince Willem-Alexander
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