The story of diamond cutting is a captivating journey through centuries of innovation, artistry, and resilience. From ancient practices to modern techniques, the evolution of diamond cuts has been shaped by cultural shifts, technological advancements, and the pursuit of unparalleled brilliance. This journey takes an unexpected turn to South Africa, a land whose diamond discoveries would forever transform the industry.
Evolution of Diamond Cuts
Early Diamond Cutting Techniques
Diamonds, prized for their strength, were initially valued more than their appearance. Diamond cutting began in the Indian subcontinent around the 6th century, with European practices emerging in the 14th century. Early techniques involved simply polishing the crystal's natural facets to enhance its octahedral design, known as a point cut.
The next evolution was the table cut, where one of the points would be ground off, creating the table facet. This was followed by the development of the step cut, a precursor to the emerald cut. By the 17th century, diamond cutters were faceting thin pieces of rough material, leading to the earliest form of the rose cut, featuring triangular facets covering the crown and meeting at a point in the center.
With just 24 facets, the subtle beauty of rose cut diamonds is that they impart a soft diffused light rather then the bright light of the modern brilliant cut. The most significant trait of rose cut diamonds is that they are flat at the bottom and dome shaped at the top.
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Pre-Brilliant Styles
- Point Cut
- Table Cut
- Rose Cut
Brilliance like this in diamonds had never been experienced before, and, aligning with advancements in candle making during the Georgian era, rose cut diamonds glimmered into popularity among noble classes of Europe. Helped along by an influx of diamonds into the market from new mine discoveries in Brazil in the early 18th century, demand for sparkling diamond jewelry had never been greater.
The Emergence of Brilliant Cuts
The 17th century brought a new vision for diamonds. The demand for more brilliance led to the development of the brilliant cut. Early brilliant cuts varied in outline depending on the rough from which they were fashioned. Most importantly, these brilliant cuts were characterized by a pavilion-based design, where the bulk of the weight was in the lower part of the stone, allowing more light to return to the top and giving the diamond the signature sparkle we know today.
The Mazarin cut, invented by French Cardinal Mazarin in the mid-1600s, was the first true brilliant cut featuring 17 crown facets. The Peruzzi Cut, developed in the 1700s, improved upon the Mazarin cut with 33 crown facets and was known as the triple-cut brilliant. King Louis XV of France commissioned the marquise cut in the mid-18th century to reflect the shape of his mistress, Marquise de Pompadour’s mouth. This cut and others represented variations of the brilliant design suited to different rough shapes.
An early example of a brilliant cut, c. 1600s.
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The South African Diamond Rush
All good things must come to an end, and eventually, what was considered to be the only source of diamonds in the world for over two thousand years slowly stopped unveiling beautiful gems. The discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1867 marked a pivotal moment for the diamond industry. These new diamonds were found not in any particularly beautiful or mystical setting, but in the fields of a poor Boer farmer named Daniel Jacobs. He lived with wife and son on a farming settlement in Hopetown, which was an isolated community on the Orange River in the Cape of Good Hope Colony.
Jacobs, like his neighbors, was a European settler who’d moved his family from the coast to the fertile lands of Africa in the hopes of raising livestock. As a matter of fact, no one around Erasmus thought much of it, save for his mother who mused that it was rather pretty for a pebble. She showed it in passing to a neighbor, Schalk van Niekerk, who liked it so much he even offered to pay for it. He started showing it off to anyone he could in Hopetown, wondering if someone could tell him what it was. No one cared, so Niekerk went to the next city over in Colesberg and managed to snag the attention of the civil commissioner named Lorenzo Boyes.
Boyes and Niekerk, sensing they were on the verge of discovering something enticing, sent the shiny little pebble to a Dr. W.G. Atherstone, a geologist living in Grahamstown. Atherstone examined the pebble, noted its physical properties, and then let Niekerk and Boyes know they’d sent him a 21.25 carat diamond. The governor of Cape Colony, a Sir Phillip Wodehouse, was happy enough to buy that cherry-sized diamond from Jacobs for a whopping £500.
The History of Diamonds In South Africa - Injibs Network
Technological Advancements and New Cuts
Shortly after the discovery of diamonds in South Africa, an American inventor and lapidary named Henry D Morse patented the world’s first steam powered bruting machine, which allowed for much more precise fashioning in regards to the shape of a diamond. Suddenly diamonds, were beginning to become more circular and it didn’t take nearly as much time and manpower to shape out the sides.
Because of the close proximity to the invention of the steam powered bruting machine and the discovery of the abundant diamond supplies in South Africa, the rounded and precisely polished diamonds became associated with the new mines and the more square stones with the high tables and large open culets became associated with the old mines. This period also saw the rise of the Old Mine Cut, popular from the mid-18th century to the 19th century. These diamonds, also known as cushion cuts, had a squarish or cushion shape, high crown, small table, deep pavilion, and large culet.
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By the late 19th century to early 20th century, the Old European Cut emerged, characterized by a round outline, a small table, shallower pavilion, and a smaller open culet. The cutting process for mine cut diamonds was labor-intensive and required a high level of skill. Diamond cutters used simple tools, such as bow drills and hand-held cutting wheels, to shape and facet the rough stones.
The development of the mine cut represented a significant advancement in diamond cutting techniques. The name "mine cut" is believed to be derived from the Brazilian diamond mines that were the primary source of diamonds during this period.
Diamonds and Confederation in South Africa
South Africa experienced a transformation between 1870, when the diamond rush to Kimberley began, and 1902, when the South African War ended. Midway between these dates, in 1886, the world’s largest goldfields were discovered on the Witwatersrand. As the predominantly agrarian societies of European South Africa began to urbanize and industrialize, the region evolved into a major supplier of precious minerals to the world economy; gold especially was urgently needed to back national currencies and ensure the continued flow of expanding international trade.
British colonies, Boer republics, and African kingdoms all came under British control. A chance find in 1867 had drawn several thousand fortune seekers to alluvial diamond diggings along the Orange, Vaal, and Harts rivers. Richer finds in “dry diggings” in 1870 led to a large-scale rush. By the end of 1871 nearly 50,000 people lived in a sprawling polyglot mining camp that was later named Kimberley.
Initially, individual diggers, Black and white, worked small claims by hand. As production rapidly centralized and mechanized, however, ownership and labor patterns were divided more starkly along racial lines. A new class of mining capitalists oversaw the transition from diamond digging to mining industry as joint-stock companies bought out diggers. The industry became a monopoly by 1889 when De Beers Consolidated Mines (controlled by Cecil Rhodes) became the sole producer.
Although some white diggers continued to work as overseers or skilled laborers, from the mid-1880s the workforce consisted mainly of Black migrant workers housed in closed compounds by the companies (a method that had previously been used in Brazil). The diamond zone was simultaneously claimed by the Orange Free State, the South African Republic, the western Griqua under Nicolaas Waterboer, and southern Tswana chiefs.
Afrikaner and African Politics in the Cape
The white population in the Cape numbered 240,000 by the mid-1870s and constituted about one-third of the colony’s population. Cape revenues accounted for three-fourths of the total income in the region’s four settler states in 1870, as the diamond discoveries created more revenue that could be used to build railways and public works. Although by this time some two-thirds of the settler population spoke Dutch or Afrikaans, political power rested largely with an English-speaking elite of merchants, lawyers, and landholders. The conflict between Afrikaners and English speakers led to the establishment of the Afrikaner Bond in 1879.
The Bond initially represented poorer farmers and espoused an anti-British Pan-Afrikanerism in the Cape and beyond, but, after its reorganization a few years later under Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr, the group began to champion the Cape’s commercial interests and acquired a new base of support-mainly wealthier farmers and urban professionals. When Hofmeyr threw his support behind Cecil Rhodes in 1890, he enabled Rhodes to become prime minister of the Cape; their alliance stemmed from a mutual desire for northward economic expansion.
A major cleavage, however, opened up between Bond politicians and the English-speaking voters loosely defined as Cape liberals. The latter, particularly those in constituencies in the eastern Cape that had a significant percentage of Black male voters, were tactically friendly to the small enfranchised stratum of fairly prosperous Black peasants, whereas the Bond and most English-speaking white voters were hostile toward the Black farmers growing cash crops and pursued more-restrictive franchise qualifications.
The number of Blacks in the colony greatly increased between 1872 and 1894 as heretofore independent territories were annexed to the Cape. As Black farmers became more prosperous and as more Blacks became literate clerks and teachers, many individuals qualified to vote. The rise of the Afrikaner Bond and new laws affecting franchise qualifications and taxes also stimulated more-vigorous Black participation in electoral politics after 1884.
New political and educational bodies came into existence in the eastern Cape, as did the first Black newspapers and Black-controlled churches. The period also witnessed the first political organizations among Coloureds in the Cape and Indians in Natal and the Transvaal.
The Cullinan Diamond
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106 carats (621.20 g), discovered at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine. In April 1905, it was put on sale in London, but despite considerable interest, it was still unsold after two years. In 1907, the Transvaal Colony government bought the Cullinan and Prime Minister Louis Botha presented it to Edward VII.
It was then cut by Joseph Asscher & Co. Cullinan produced stones of various cuts and sizes, the largest of which is named Cullinan I, and named the Great Star of Africa by Edward VII, and at 530.4 carats (106.08 g) it is the largest clear cut diamond in the world. The stone is mounted in the head of the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross. The second-largest is Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, weighing 317.4 carats (63.48 g), mounted in the Imperial State Crown.
| Diamond | Cut | Weight | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cullinan I (Great Star of Africa) | Pendeloque Cut Brilliant | 530.2 carats | Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross |
| Cullinan II (Second Star of Africa) | Cushion-Cut Brilliant | 317.4 carats | Imperial State Crown |
| Cullinan III (Lesser Star of Africa) | Pear-Cut | 94.4 carats | Queen Mary's Crown (1911) |
| Cullinan IV (Lesser Star of Africa) | Square-Cut | 63.6 carats | Queen Mary's Crown (1911) |
Cullinan I and II
The Enduring Appeal of Mine Cut Diamonds
Mine cut diamonds hold a unique place in jewelry history, beloved for their antique charm and distinctive characteristics. These diamonds, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, have seen a resurgence in popularity as vintage and antique jewelry becomes highly sought after.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of mine cut diamonds. Vintage and antique jewelry has become highly sought after, and many people are drawn to the unique characteristics and historical charm of mine cut diamonds. Jewelers and designers are also incorporating mine cut diamonds into contemporary designs, blending old-world elegance with modern aesthetics.
The unique aesthetic of mine cut diamonds sets them apart from modern diamond cuts. The irregular facets, large culet, and distinctive shape give mine cut diamonds a romantic and nostalgic appeal. Contemporary jewelers are increasingly incorporating mine cut diamonds into new designs, blending old-world charm with modern craftsmanship. This trend allows consumers to enjoy the best of both worlds: the unique beauty of antique diamonds combined with the durability and precision of modern settings.
Ultimately your personal style and preference will largely impact how your old cut diamond is set, but whether you prefer a classic, vintage look or a modern, customized design, mine cut diamonds offer versatility and timeless appeal. We suggest that you take the time to explore different options and find a piece that resonates with you.
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