Old European Cut Amethyst: the antique round, a quarter lighter in weight than diamond

Brilliance 59 · Fire 37 · Scintillation 81 · in our census, where the T73 scores 72 · 36 · 80 in amethyst

The antique round that nearly matches a modern one in diamond falls well behind in quartz: two-fifths of its light leaks.

See it in the simulatorGet the files
The Old European Cut in amethyst, rendered at an angle in our 3D Gemstone Simulator under studio light
Rendered in our 3D Gemstone Simulator from the Old European Cut model, 1.00 ct, studio light.

Old European Cut Amethyst

The Old European cut put the old mine's facets on a round outline once bruting became mechanical, from the 1870s onward. Our model has 74 facets, a small 45.0% table, a tall 35.0° crown and a 41.5° pavilion, 64.7% deep.

In diamond it comes within a few points of the T73. In amethyst it does not: Brilliance 59 against 72, and 41% of the light leaking against 28%. Its pavilion is above the guide minimum of 40.4°, so a shallow pavilion is not the reason.

It keeps all of its face-up light when tipped, Tilt 100, but a steady share of a smaller amount does not count as a pro.

Is the Old European a good cut for amethyst? Pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst and with the Old European Cut in diamond. A difference counts from 3 points (Brilliance, Fire, Tilt, Leakage), 5 (Scintillation, Symmetry), 2 (Spread) or 5% (weight); Tilt counts as a pro only for a stone within 5 points of the brilliance it is compared with. How we measure.

All eight scores against the T73

At a glance: the Old European Cut in amethyst (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

Performance wheel: Old European Cut in amethyst, against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst as an outline. Solid white marks where it reaches further, hatching where it falls short. The scores are listed below.50100Global−3Brilliance−13Fire+1Scintillation+1Spread−2Symmetry0Shape-norm+15Tilt+20

Against the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: ahead on 4, level on 1, behind on 3.

  • Global67, the comparison 70, difference −3
  • Brilliance59, the comparison 72, difference −13
  • Fire37, the comparison 36, difference +1
  • Scintillation81, the comparison 80, difference +1
  • Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
  • Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
  • Shape-norm92, the comparison 77, difference +15
  • Tilt100, the comparison 80, difference +20
Face-up light census, a different measure from the Cut Grading Tool; Spread and Shape-norm above 100 sit on the ring.
Open it in the Cut Performance Wheel

What amethyst gains in an Old European cut

Lighter than the diamond version

0.82 ct at 6.5 mm, against 1.09 ct for the same cut in diamond (−25%)

The Old European is deep, 64.7%, so it is a heavy round for its width: 0.82 ct at 6.5 mm in amethyst, 1.09 ct in diamond.

Amethyst0.82 ctDiamond1.09 ct
A Old European Cut 6.5 mm across, weighed from the model's measured volume and each stone's specific gravity.

Try it yourself: Weights in all seven gemstones on the Old European Cut page

Where the Old European falls short in amethyst

Half the fire of the diamond version

Fire 37 against 74 for the Old European Cut in diamond: 37 points lower

The tall crown and small table give the diamond version strong colour. Quartz, dispersing under a third as strongly, keeps about half of it.

Old european cut in amethyst face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 37)

Old European Cut in amethyst · Fire 37

Old european cut in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 74)

Old European Cut in diamond · Fire 74

Look at the coloured flashes: those are fire. Same light, same size, same face-up angle; rendered by our 3D Gemstone Simulator from each cut's own model.

What helps: An antique round cannot fix this; for colour, the Oval Cut Amethyst scores 69 in quartz.

Try it yourself: See the fire in the 3D Gemstone Simulator

Two-fifths of the light leaks

Leakage 41 against 5 for the Old European Cut in diamond: 36 points higher

In amethyst 41% of the light in our census leaves through the pavilion; the diamond version loses 5%. The diamond's strip shows its own small leak growing as it tips.

Old European Cut in amethyst · Leakage 41

Old european cut in amethyst tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 38% of the face leaking0° · 38% leak
Old european cut in amethyst tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 43% of the face leaking10° · 43% leak
Old european cut in amethyst tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 36% of the face leaking20° · 36% leak
Old european cut in amethyst tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 47% of the face leaking30° · 47% leak

Old European Cut in diamond · Leakage 5

Old european cut in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 3% of the face leaking0° · 3% leak
Old european cut in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 7% of the face leaking10° · 7% leak
Old european cut in diamond tilted 20 degrees: Light Return map, 10% of the face leaking20° · 10% leak
Old european cut in diamond tilted 30 degrees: Light Return map, 17% of the face leaking30° · 17% leak
Each frame is the Light Return map with the stone tilted away from you by the angle shown; grey is light leaving through the pavilion. The share under each frame is that picture's own.

What helps: Not by steepening: the pavilion is at 41.5°, above the 40.4° guide minimum. The T73 Round Brilliant Amethyst leaks 28% in amethyst; size changes neither share.

Try it yourself: Tilt it yourself in the simulator's light map

Far less light than the diamond version

Brilliance 59 against 90 for the Old European Cut in diamond: 31 points lower

Diamond's index of 2.417 holds the light this cut sends down. Quartz's 1.55 lets much of it through the back, and that is where the brilliance goes.

Old european cut in amethyst face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 59)

Old European Cut in amethyst · Brilliance 59

Old european cut in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 90)

Old European Cut in diamond · Brilliance 90

Red, green and blue = light returning to the eye; grey = light leaving through the pavilion. This is the head-on view; the Brilliance score averages a wider cone of light, so the score can differ from what one picture shows.

What helps: For a round with more light in amethyst, the T73 Round Brilliant Amethyst at 72 or DG-M5 Amethyst at 85.

Try it yourself: Open this Light Return map in the simulator

Marginally smaller for its weight

Spread 98 against 100 for the T73 Round Brilliant in amethyst: 2 points lower

At 64.7% deep it is a little narrower than the T73 at the same carat weight.

Old European Cut · 6.94 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 98

T73 Round Brilliant · 7.12 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in amethyst and are drawn to the same scale, from each cut's own model. Spread is face-up size per carat: a deeper stone carries more weight below the girdle and looks smaller for its weight.

What helps: Choose by millimetres: a 6.5 mm Old European is 0.82 ct in amethyst.

Try it yourself: Compare the Spread spoke in the Cut Performance Wheel

Who an Old European amethyst suits

Choose the Old European in amethyst for the antique look in a period-style ring, and expect a darker face than a modern round.

Of the antique cuts we measure in amethyst it is still the brightest: the Old Mine returns 38, the Mazarin 43. Its small table and tall crown also keep more depth of colour above the girdle, which suits a pale stone.

For more light in a round, the T73 Round Brilliant Amethyst or DG-M5 Amethyst. For the oldest plan that keeps the T73's light, the T57 Round Brilliant Amethyst.

Old European Cut Amethyst: questions

Is the Old European a good cut for amethyst?

The best antique cut we measure in amethyst, but behind a modern round: Brilliance 59 against 72, with 41% leakage.

Old European or Old Mine for amethyst?

In quartz the Old European wins clearly, returning 59 to the Old Mine's 38 and leaking 41% to its 62%.

What does a 6.5 mm Old European amethyst weigh?

0.82 ct; the same size in diamond is 1.09 ct.

Get the Old European Cut files

6 formatsMillimetresWatertight

Old European Cut 3D files

The Old European Cut as exact geometry: 74 planar facets, real-world scale, ready for CAD, rendering, printing and casting.

  • STEPExact faceted solid for CAD
  • 3DMRhino, closed mesh on its own layer
  • STLWatertight mesh for printing and casting
  • OBJMesh for modelling and rendering
  • FBXBlender, 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Unity, Unreal
  • GLBWeb, AR and quick previews
€9.99 · Personal useBuy the 3D files
GemCad96 index

Old European Cut cutting files

The Old European Cut as a faceting design: 58 + 16 girdles = 74 facets, 96 index, 8-fold mirror-image symmetry, ready for the machine.

  • .ascGemCad design file, 96 index gear
  • .csvTier table: angles, indices and cutting order
  • DiagramPrintable faceting diagram
€9.99 · Personal useBuy the cutting files

Questions before you buy? Email us.

More gemstones and cuts

Amethyst: optical properties and the top ten cuts · The Old European Cut: specifications, model and files

Other cuts in amethyst

The Old European Cut in other gemstones