All About Old Mine Cut Diamonds
The hottest diamond cut right now was trending 300 years ago. The old mine cut diamond was first introduced in 1714 and remained the dominant cut until 1901, making it the defining style of the Georgian and Victorian eras.
It's an antique cousin of the cushion cut, known for chunky facets, a small table, a steep crown angle, and the presence of a culet, all hand cut in an era before electricity, when diamonds were meant to catch candlelight in ballrooms lit by fire. Learn all about antique diamonds.
The old mine cut was one of the first real attempts at a brilliant faceting pattern. It wasn't cut to preserve carat weight the way many older styles were. It was cut to maximize light return, which was a genuinely new idea at the time. When old mine cuts fell out of fashion, many were recut into modern cushion shapes, which is part of why true antique old mine cuts are so rare today.
Most that still exist now fall into lower color grades, but that works in their favor. Old mine cuts mask color exceptionally well, and their unique faceting pattern tends to make them face up brighter and whiter than their actual grade would suggest.
Their recent resurgence comes down to what people are searching for in a natural diamond right now: character, history, and a sense that no two are exactly alike. Taylor Swift's engagement ring, set with an elongated old mine cut, brought a lot of renewed attention to the style.
Beyond the moment, people are drawn to old mine cuts because they've stood the test of time for over three centuries, and because every single one is hand cut, which means true uniqueness in a way modern, machine-precise cuts simply can't replicate. If you're looking for a diamond that feels timeless but still entirely your own, an old mine cut might be exactly that.
Book a call with our gemologists to start your old mind cut diamond ring!