Round Cut Engagement Rings

The first brilliant cuts were introduced in the middle of the 17th century. Known as Mazarins, they had 17 facets on the crown (upper half). 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 cut. Because the practice of bruting had not yet been developed, these early brilliants were all rounded squares or rectangles in cross-section. Given the general name of cushion—what are known today as old mine cuts—these were common by the early 18th century.With the invention of the bruting machine in the late 1800s, diamonds were finally allowed to be cut in a circular shape rather than a cushion cut. The first known round diamonds were called old European cut diamonds and were the forerunners of modern brilliants. Though they were technically circular, they were much different from the round brilliant diamond cuts we see today.For over a century, diamond cutters have used advanced scientific theories of light reflection and precise mathematical calculations to optimize its fire and brilliance. It was not until 1919 that the early round brilliant was created. At the time it was referred to as the Tolkowsky cut named after its creator, Russian mathematician and diamond enthusiast Marcel Tolkowsky.The diamond industry uses Tolkowsky’s model as a guide for the “ideal cut” which maximizes the brilliance of the stone due to the optimal light return this cut produces. It has 58 facets divided amongst its crown, girdle and pavilion and a typical ratio between 1.00 and 1.02.