Old European Cut Diamond: Pros & Cons

The Old European cut of the late 1800s put the old mine's facets on a round outline. Our model has 74 facets, a small 45.0% table, a 35.0° crown and a 41.5° pavilion.

Of the antique cuts we measure, it is the one closest to the T73 in diamond. None of its differences is large; we list them because they are real, not because they are big.

Is an Old European cut diamond as good as a round brilliant?

Pros

None by our margins: scintillation and tilt are level with the T73.

Cons

Slightly less fire 74 vs 78
Slightly less light 90 vs 93
A little more leakage once tilted 5 vs 2
Marginally smaller for its weight 98 vs 100

Compared with the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond 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 diamond (white) against the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond (dashed): solid white where it reaches further, hatched where it falls short. Each pro and con is explained, with pictures, below.

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

Global88, the comparison 90, difference −2
Brilliance90, the comparison 93, difference −3
Fire74, the comparison 78, difference −4
Scintillation81, the comparison 80, difference +1
Spread98, the comparison 100, difference −2
Symmetry100, the comparison 100, difference 0
Shape-norm125, the comparison 100, difference +25
Tilt93, the comparison 92, difference +1

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 diamond gains in an Old European cut

No score beats the T73 by our margins. Scintillation (81 against 80) and Tilt (93 against 92) are level, which for an 1800s plan is the point: it behaves almost like a modern round. In the face-up render, the dark spot at the centre is its open culet.

Where the Old European trails the modern round

Slightly less fire

Fire 74 against 78 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 4 points lower

Fire 74 against 78. The smaller table and different crown give a little less colour.

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) — 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.

T73 round brilliant in diamond face-up under a single bright light: a render from our simulator, its coloured flashes are the fire (score 78) — 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: The T73 Round Brilliant gives 78; in the antique rounds, the Old Single Cut Diamond gives 84.

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

Slightly less light

Brilliance 90 against 93 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 3 points lower

Three points. Both face-up maps are almost entirely colour; the patterns differ, the amount of grey barely does, which is the honest picture of so small a gap.

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) — 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.

T73 round brilliant in diamond face-up Light Return map: red, green and blue show where the light returns from, grey shows where it leaks (Brilliance 93) — 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: If the last few points matter, the T73 Round Brilliant.

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

A little more leakage once tilted

Leakage 5 against 2 for the T73 Round Brilliant in diamond: 3 points higher

5% against 2%. Face-up both hold their light; the strip shows the Old European starting to leak a little earlier as it tips.

Old european cut in diamond tilted 0 degrees: Light Return map, 3% of the face leaking — 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.

Old european cut in diamond tilted 10 degrees: Light Return map, 7% of the face leaking — 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: Set it where it is seen face-up; the difference is smallest there.

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

Marginally smaller for its weight

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

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

Old European Cut · 6.32 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 98

T73 Round Brilliant · 6.48 mm at 1.00 ct · Spread 100

Both stones weigh 1.00 ct in diamond 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: Buy by millimetres: a 6.5 mm Old European weighs 1.09 ct in diamond.

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

Who an Old European cut diamond suits

This is the antique cut to choose in diamond if you want the look without giving up much light. It suits engagement rings in period style and anyone who finds a modern round too busy.

If you want every point of light and fire, choose the T73 Round Brilliant. For an antique cushion, the brightest we measure is the Peruzzi Cut Diamond.

Old European Cut Diamond: questions

Is an Old European cut diamond less sparkly than a modern round?

Not in our census: scintillation 81 against 80 for the T73. It has slightly less fire (74 against 78) and light (90 against 93).

Does an Old European cut diamond look smaller?

Barely. At 64.7% deep its spread is 98 against 100; a 6.5 mm stone weighs about 1.09 ct.

Old European or Old Mine cut diamond?

The Old European, clearly: Brilliance 90 against 59, leakage 5% against 32%.

Does an Old European cut diamond show its culet?

Our face-up render shows a small dark spot at the centre, where an open culet sits. We do not score culet visibility, so we cannot put a number on how much it shows.

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

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

Old European Cut Diamond: within a few points of the modern round