The old single cut, or eight cut, has 8 facets above the girdle and 18 in all. They are a table, 8 crown facets, 8 pavilion facets and a culet.
In more detail
It dates from the 1400s. Then the only way to shape diamond was to grind it with diamond powder on a wheel. Few facets give few sparkles. Cutters still use the plan for very small stones.
Related terms
- Mazarin cut: The Mazarin, or double cut, is the first brilliant, from the mid-1600s. It has 34 facets in all, on a cushion outline with a wide, open culet.
- Rose cut: A rose cut is a dome of triangular facets on a flat base: all crown and no pavilion.
- Round brilliant: A round brilliant is a round diamond with the brilliant facet plan. It has 33 crown and 24 pavilion facets: 57 in all, or 58 with a culet.
- Facet: A facet is one flat, polished face of a cut gemstone. Its angle and its direction around the stone decide where it sends light.