Previous to the mid 14th century in europe diamonds were not used much in jewellery applications, naturally found diamonds have a very rough and unappealing surface, and tend to come in an octohedral shape. The first evolution was to simply polish these natural surfaces which resulted in what was known as the ‘point’ cut.
It wouldn’t be until the 17th century that the first ‘brilliant’ cut diamonds would appear. Known as Mazarin Cut, this new technique resulted in 17 facets along the crown and upper portions of the pavilion. Vincent Peruzzi, a Venetian gem cutter later upped the number of facets to 33, which at the time was an enormous step up in brilliance. When viewed today though Peruzzi cut diamonds look incredibly dull compared to the modern Brilliant Cut.
By 1900 the modern 58 facet brilliant cut had taken form and continues to be one of the most popular cuts produced today. Maximizing the amount of light reflected back at the viewer, this cut is known for its dazzling ‘fire’ and liveliness.
Today many round diamonds are cut to the ideals of the Brilliant Cut, though there are some variations in the exact layout and design of these cuts, the 58 facet version remains the most popular.
