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The very first diamonds were found in India and kept in their rough form. They were considered talismans: it was believed that they protected their owner and that they would lose their powers if cut.
The true diamond cutting began in the Middle Ages, in the 14th century: it involved a very superficial polishing of the stone to give it some sparkle. The "cut" followed the natural shape of the diamond: the faces were flattened. It was called "point cut".
It was then in the 15th century that it was discovered that diamonds could be cut with their own dust: the thick table cut became the first true diamond cut. The top of the rough diamond "pyramid" disappeared, and the edges began to be faceted. This was the "French or Table cut".
In 1477, Mary of Burgundy was the first woman to receive a diamond engagement ring, given by Archduke Maximilian of Austria. It is likely that the tradition of the diamond engagement ring began with this event.
A new cut developed in the 16th and 17th centuries. This was the "eight-eight" cut: 1 table and 8 facets.
Then, in the 1650s, Cardinal Mazarin improved the cut by adding 9 facets to the "crown" of the diamond: the part between the "table" and the "culet" of the diamond. With the Mazarin cut, diamonds began to sparkle.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the rose cut, a dome adorned with 24 facets, was also developed by Indians, who, even today, are the only ones in the world to master this know-how and offer this type of cut. The rose cut is fashionable today and often used by designers.
Around 1700, the "Peruzzi cut" appeared: it is the ancestor of the modern brilliant cut, but it still follows the natural shape of the rough diamond; it is more square, or "cushion," than round.
Around 1750, King Louis XV commissioned his jeweler to create a diamond cut in the shape of his mistress Madame de Pompadour's mouth: the "marquise" or "navette" cut was born!
Then, the Peruzzi cut evolved to include 58 facets, like modern cuts; it was in vogue from 1825 to 1900. The Anglo-Saxon world calls it the "old mine" cut, while French speakers refer to the "cushion cut".
The invention of two key machines at the end of the 1800s revolutionized diamond cutting: they became rounder and more brilliant.
These new techniques then gave birth to the old European cuts, the "European old cut" diamonds.
In 1919, the round brilliant cut, the "modern" cut, was invented by a mathematician, Marcel Tolkowsky. He published the ideal proportions of a diamond. This cut had 58 facets: the table, 32 facets between the table and the girdle, and 24 facets between the girdle and the culet. This cut is considered the basis of the "modern cut" which would be progressively optimized in the following decades, notably with the advent of laser cutting, popular since the 1980s.
Modern round cut
At Héloïse & Abélard, our mission is to breathe new life into rare and eternal materials. We use recycled antique diamonds that we pair with recycled gold.
Our "antique cut" diamonds were extracted and hand-cut in the 18th and 19th centuries. We use "old mine" and "old European cut" diamonds. We also use "eight-eight" diamonds for very small stones.
These little-known diamonds with incredible charm, often overlooked, also follow the same quality criteria as modern-cut diamonds: the "4Cs"; Color, Carat, Clarity, and Cut.
We find them in France on antique jewelry that we dismantle, or from antique dealers, private individuals, or traditional jewelry workshops. We then select them one by one for their G, H, or I color and their Vs1 or Vs2 clarity.
Our approach is unique and original in the sector. Unlike "antique cut" diamonds, modern "brilliant cut" diamonds commonly used in the jewelry market are laser-cut: with equal dimensions and quality, all diamonds are identical. It is therefore easy to mass-produce and replicate a piece of jewelry with the same aesthetic.
Conversely, our sourcing of "antique cut" diamonds is limited by its research process as well as by our stringent selection criteria. With the manual "antique cut," which is inherently more random, none of our diamonds, with equal proportions, are perfectly similar to another: we select them one by one, and our designs adapt to their irregularities.
It is therefore impossible for us to reproduce our jewelry in a standardized way: each of our Héloïse & Abélard pieces is unique, or its production is limited to a few copies at most.
We thus offer authentic and ethical circular jewelry.
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