Old Mine Cut Diamonds: A Guide

The old mine cut is the diamond of the Georgian and Victorian eras: cushion-shaped, deep, and cut by hand to keep as much of the precious rough as possible. It sparkles differently from a modern diamond, with broad, flashing fire rather than a glitter, and many of our clients, once they have seen one, never look back.

What is an old mine cut diamond?

An old mine cut has a softly squared, cushion-shaped outline, a high crown, a small table on top and, usually, an open culet: a tiny flat facet at the base that looks like a small circle when you look down into the stone. It has roughly the same number of facets as a modern brilliant, but they are larger, less regular and arranged for a different effect.

Where the name comes from

For centuries almost all the world’s diamonds came from India, from the mines around Golconda. In the 1720s diamonds were found in Brazil, which became the main source for the rest of the eighteenth and much of the nineteenth century. When the great South African mines opened in the 1870s, the diamonds from the earlier sources became known as coming from the “old mines”, and the name stuck to the way they were cut.

Diamond miners at Golconda, India — Diamond miners at Golconda in India, for centuries the world's source of diamonds. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

How to recognise one

The outline. Squarish with rounded corners, rarely perfectly symmetrical.

The culet. Look straight down through the stone: a small visible circle at the centre is the open culet, a hallmark of old cutting.

The facets. Broad and chunky, giving flashes of colour rather than pinpoint sparkle, especially by candlelight.

The depth. Old mine cuts are deep stones, so they often look smaller from above than their weight suggests.

Old mine, old European and modern

From the late nineteenth century, cutters began to make diamonds round, and the old mine cut gradually gave way to the old European cut. The modern brilliant followed in the twentieth century. Each is lovely in its own way; our guide to antique diamond cuts explains the differences.

Where you will find them

Old mine cuts appear in Georgian closed-back settings, in Victorian cluster rings and carved half hoops, and in early Edwardian solitaires, like this Edwardian platinum solitaire.

I love an old mine cut that’s a little warm in colour. It’s the candlelight in it. Put it next to a modern white diamond and the modern one looks like it’s trying too hard.
Olly Gerrish, AJC Founder

What we look for

Life. A good old mine cut is bright across the whole stone, with no dead areas.

Colour. Many old mine cuts have a slightly warm tone. We don’t see that as a fault; it is part of their character, and it looks beautiful in gold.

Georgian 9ct Gold & Silver Cluster Ring set with Old Mine Cut Diamonds & a Rose Cut Diamond

Condition. Old stones often have small chips around the girdle from two centuries of wear. Minor ones are acceptable; larger ones affect value.

Recutting. Some old mine cuts have been recut to look more modern, losing much of what made them special. We would always choose an untouched stone.

Our view

An old mine cut is the most romantic diamond there is, and the most individual: no two are the same. We would choose one for its life and character rather than its grading report, and set in the style of its own period. See our antique diamond engagement rings.