BEST OLD EUROPEAN CUT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING IDEAS

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An old European cut diamond is a perfect fit in any engagement ring. This diamond cut appears even better in a vintage setting.

Another fact about the old European cut is that it is the predecessor of the modern round brilliant cut. Hence the exceptional brilliance of the old European cut. For a vintage diamond cut, the old European cut is rather brilliant. On the bright side, this gives it a great and striking appearance.

TIP: We mostly advise you to buy diamonds from reliable vendors like Raymond Lee Jewelers. And, for a relic diamond cut like the old European cut, our advice still stands. However, we recommend you buy both your diamond and the entire setting from this same vendor. They specialize in antique diamond jewels.

From our experience, Raymond Lee Jewelers parades the best collection of old European cut diamonds out there. All of their products come with outstanding quality and highly competitive pricing. For any help in selecting an old European cut diamond, this guide is for you.

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Introducing The Old European Cut Diamond

If you are a lover of anything antique diamonds, chances are that you have learned of the old European cut.

The old European cut diamonds were famous between 1890 and 1930. The old European cut diamonds take the sweet, definitive look of antique diamonds. Then, blends it with various basic traits related to the modern round brilliant cut.

When considering antique diamond cuts, the old European cut ranks top as one of the most popular of them all.

So, are you searching for an antique diamond cut?

We recommend one that connects the space between classic cuts (e.g. old mine cut) and more recent diamond cuts. You should consider the old European cut.

In this text, you will get to know your options as regards the best old European cuts out there. But, before then, grab a good understanding of what the old European cut is.

Likewise, understand how it influences the image of a diamond. Also, get a feel of the pros and cons of the old European cut, the pricing, and many more.

Dive in!

The Old European Cut Diamond Engagement Rings

As you must know by now, the old European cut is an antique diamond cut. This cut became famous from the close of the 19th century to the mid-20th century.

This cut came after the old mine-cut diamond. The old European cut kept the small table and the large culet but came in a rounder structure.

To know what sets the old European cut apart from other modern diamonds needs an apt background touch. This background will majorly stress the process of cutting, scaling, and refining diamonds over the centuries.

Backstory

Presently, the cutting process of diamonds begins by employing an intricate, technology-heavy technique.

The process begins with a scan with the aid of a laser scanner. With that, they work out cutting the rough diamond into a refined diamond. We must do as seamlessly this as possible.

Then, the rough diamonds becomes girdled, cleaved, polished, and well-scrutinized. This is to confirm that they’re cut properly.

The ability of the diamond cutter and a variety of contemporary, highly technical diamond cutting and polishing machines are important. They go a long way in determining the outcome of the process.

Prior to modern technology making its way into the diamond cutting procedure, diamond cutting was more stressful- manually. Also, old European cut diamonds came into limelight (cut and refined) manually. All needed then was the cutter’s eye, instead of modern technology. The cutter’s eye helps to measure symmetry and accuracy.

This reliance on human ability and reasoning in place of technology left an impact. Due to this, old European cut diamonds came with a lovely organic, handcrafted appearance. Meanwhile, there were still all the flaws and compositions that only something manually made can have.

Considering the beauty, the old European cut is somewhat comparable to the round brilliant cut. These two diamond cuts are round and come with 58 facets. In some ways, an old European cut diamond appears just like a delicate version of the contemporary round brilliant cut.

Nevertheless, the old European cut again comes with a range of distinct features. You cannot find these features on a typical modern diamond cut. Moreover, it has a unique image. What you get is a blend of softness and innate brilliance. These are features you don’t always see on modern brilliant-cut diamonds.

Old European Cut Diamonds: Graphic Features

Old European cut diamonds come with numerous distinctive graphic features. These graphic features set them apart from the other old diamonds. These features are:

A Somewhat Small Table.

Old European cut diamonds come with a little table appearing on the top part of the diamond. GIA gave some specifications in this regard. An old European cut diamond’s table must be lower than or equal to 53% of its entire diameter.

A Huge, Striking Culet

Old European cuts possess a huge culet when compared to the whole size of the diamond.

In bigger old European cut diamonds, you can occasionally see the culet from the table of the diamond. You can do this with the naked eye.

A Brute Girdle

Old European cut diamonds come with a frosted or brute girdle. This is like a tiny, round rim that bunds the diamond’s pavilion and crown together.

This produces the opaque appearance you see on the girdle of the diamond. This is contrary to what you see on the faceted girdles of several modern diamonds.

An Elevated Crown, With Extended Rear Facets

Compared to other modern diamond cuts, the old European cut diamonds are more elevated. They come with a crown angle of a minimum of 40 degrees.

The length of their facets is below the girdle that accounts for a minimum of 60 percent of the entire diamond’s thickness.

58 facets

Similar to the contemporary round brilliant cut, old European cut diamonds come with 58 facets. But, these facets are normally bigger and bulkier than the kinds on a modern round brilliant cut diamond.

Deficient symmetry

Due to the cutting process of most old European cut diamonds, without the use of recent diamond cutting techniques they may possess little deficiencies as regards their symmetry and shape.

Pros And Cons Of The Old European Cut Diamond Engagement Rings

Similar to other diamond cuts, the old European cut comes with its own range of distinct pros and cons. Check out the pros and cons below.

Pros Of The Old European Cut Diamond Engagement Rings

Distinct And One-of-a-kind

Due to the process involved in cutting, scaling and refining European cut diamonds manually, every one of them is totally distinct in its features. This produces old European cut diamonds with an outstanding trait that is highly sought-after by most ring lovers.

Stunning Innate Brilliance

Truly, old European cut diamonds do not give as much brightness as other modern diamond cuts. But, they possess something that ancient diamond lovers know as “inner fire.”

The Inner fire is the brilliant and opaque, checkerboard-like twinkles of light. You can catch this view from an old European cut diamond when you view it from above.

It is not as sharp as the fire seen in recent diamonds. It is a distinctive quality that lovers of old diamonds relish.

Satisfactory Quality For The Price

You can get old European cut diamond rings and other vintage diamonds at a lower cost compared to modern cuts. This makes them a great and valuable choice if you’re a lover of the appearance of relic diamonds.

Eco-friendly Jewels

Due to how antique diamonds came to exist, they don’t have such an influence on the environment as a new diamond.

Ideal For Vintage Engagement Rings

Being an antique cut, the old European cut is a terrific mate for vintage engagement rings. Recently, these vintage engagement rings are undergoing something like a rebirth.

Getting Rarer By The Day

As a relic cut, old European cut diamonds are a limited type of diamond. In the last few decades, several old European cut diamonds were re-cut into modern cuts. Therefore, the number of stones left in the market is fewer than before

In certain ways, this adds to their allure. For most jewelry fans or those who just need a diamond, a rare and limited one is a no-brainer.

Cons Of The Old European Cut Diamond Engagement Rings

Insufficient Alternatives And Availability

This is due to how rare they have become compared to other modern diamond cuts. These cuts only provide restricted options of old European cut diamonds out there. This goes on to affect your preference for cut, carat weight, clarity, and color.

Defective Cut Quality

We started earlier that old European cut diamonds come from a time before the modern diamond cutting techniques. Because of this, these diamonds aren’t the most precise cuts compared to a modern round brilliant.

What this suggests is that you’ll constantly come across diamonds with defective facets. Again, you will see those that aren’t as round as they should be.

Eventually, these flaws are an aspect of the allure of a hand-cut stone. More reason this cut type stood the test of time.

The GIA Cut Grades Are Absent

Because of the cut quality of old European cut diamonds, they vary a lot. Thus, GIA doesn’t provide a cut grade for this kind of diamond.

Therefore, you’ll have to concentrate more on how the diamond appears to your naked eye. You cannot rely on any GIA certificate. Nonetheless, the GIA certificate still helps to rate the diamond’s clarity and color.

Tips For Purchasing Old European Cut Diamond Engagement Rings

When you set out to get yourself an old European cut diamond engagement ring, pay attention to the following tips. With these tips, you can easily get the best out of whatever product you buy.

Concentrate on your personal preference, not only the certificate
Pay attention to diamonds that appear attractive to your eye
Pair your diamond with a vintage setting
Try out either a yellow or a rose gold setting.
Follow our earlier recommendation for the best vendor