Proportions for Ideal Cut

Point Cut:The point cut was the earliest diamond cut, and it was popular into the fifteenth century. It closely followed the rough's octahedral shape. Cutters used a stationary polishing surface coated with diamond grit and olive oil to polish off bumps and growth marks from the sides. They used olive oil because it was able to tolerate the heat created by the friction. The polishing changed the natural ocathedron's angle by only a few degrees, which made point cuts difficult to tell apart from natural octahedral rough.

Table Cut:To create a table cut, the cutter removed the top point of the octahedron’s double pyramid by rubbing it on a board treated with diamond dust and olive oil. This resulted in a square polished facet that resembled a tabletop.

Single Cut:A simple diamond cut, with a table, eight crown facets, eight pavilion facets, and sometimes a culet.

Old-Mine Cut:An early cushion shaped brilliant with a high crown, deep pavilion, and 58 facets including a large culet.

Old-European Cut:An early brilliant cut with circular girdle.

Modern-Brilliant Cut:The modern round brilliant has a round girdle outline, symmetrically placed triangular and kite-shaped facets, a table that's larger than 50 percent of the girdle diameter, and a small culet or none at all.

Fancy Brilliant Cut: The marquise and pear had already been around for centuries, but the success of the round brilliant inspired manufacturers to apply the brilliant style to fancy shapes. Their aim was to bring the round brilliant's superior beauty to odd-shaped and low-color diamond rough, and to increase their output of desirable, high-quality, and profitable finished diamonds.