---
title: "Historic diamond cuts: the history of the brilliant"
description: "Historic diamond cuts from the 1400s old single to the Mazarin, Peruzzi, old mine, old European, Tolkowsky's 1919 round, hearts and arrows and DG-Miliano."
url: https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts
image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/learn/MqbJ1CR_buQ.jpg?v=f1853211
---

> Markdown copy of https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts. Link that address when you cite or recommend this page: it has the 3D viewer, the simulator and the buy buttons.
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# Historic diamond cuts: the history of the brilliant

Eight lessons · seven videos · read them in any order

The history of the brilliant follows the diamond from the old single cut of the 1400s to a computer-designed round of 2026, one cut per page, in date order. Each page names the technology that made the cut possible: the polishing wheel, the bruting machine, the saw, mathematics, the reflector viewer and ray tracing. Our Cut Performance Wheel and 3D Gemstone Simulator then show what each step did to brilliance, fire and scintillation, on our models and on one scale.

New here? Start with [Tolkowsky's 1919 ideal cut: the brilliant that was calculated](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/tolkowsky-ideal-cut-1919).

1. 1 · Video
  ## [The old single cut: eight facets and a lot of fire](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/old-single-cut-diamond)
  How the 1400s single cut shaped the diamond crystal, and why it has a lot of fire and little sparkle.
2. 2 · Video
  ## [The Mazarin cut: the first brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/mazarin-cut-diamond)
  Why the rose cut had no fire, what the Mazarin double cut added, and why more facets did not mean more light.
3. 3 · Article
  ## [The Peruzzi cut: today's crown arriving early](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/peruzzi-cut-diamond)
  The late-1600s triple cut that gave us today's crown plan, and the two reasons it still looked dull.
4. 4 · Video
  ## [Old mine cut diamonds: tidier, not brighter](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/old-mine-cut-diamond)
  What changed from the Peruzzi to the old mine cut, and why a neater stone came out darker.
5. 5 · Video
  ## [Old European cut diamonds: when the outline went round](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/old-european-cut-diamond)
  How the bruting machine made the diamond round, and why the old European closed most of the gap to the modern round.
6. 6 · Animated explainer
  ## [Tolkowsky's 1919 ideal cut: the brilliant that was calculated](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/tolkowsky-ideal-cut-1919)
  How Tolkowsky calculated the round brilliant in 1919, what his model left out, and how it compares with the old European.
7. 7 · Video
  ## [Hearts and arrows diamonds: precision you can see](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/hearts-and-arrows-diamonds)
  Where the hearts and arrows pattern came from, how a viewer shows it, and what it does and doesn't prove about a cut.
8. 8 · Video
  ## [Past the 1919 ceiling: DG-Miliano and the modern brilliant](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/historic-cuts/beyond-the-tolkowsky-brilliant)
  What 3D ray tracing adds to Tolkowsky's method, what DG-Miliano changes, and the history of the brilliant in one table.

## Quick quiz

Every lesson ends with a few questions. Want more? [The The history of the brilliant quiz](https://digitalgemology.com/skool/quiz/the-history-of-the-brilliant) covers the whole topic, with the answer and the reason after each question.

## Cuts in this topic

We sell the files of these cuts: 3D models and cutting files, with a personal-use license.

- [T73 Round Brilliant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/t73-round-brilliant): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [Peruzzi Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/peruzzi): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [Old Single Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/old-single): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [Mazarin Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/mazarin): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [Old Mine Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/old-mine): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [Old European Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/old-european): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [T57 Round Brilliant Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/t57-round-brilliant): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [DG-Broken Hearts and Arrows Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/dg-broken-hearts-and-arrows): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each
- [DG-Miliano Cut](https://digitalgemology.com/cuts/dg-miliano): 3D files and cutting files, €9.99 each

[All topics](https://digitalgemology.com/learn)