Old Mine Cut Diamonds - A Handcrafted Vintage Diamond Shapes
Table of contents
The vintage diamond refers not only to European-cut diamonds, but this label also goes to old mine-cut diamonds. These diamonds were prevalent during the 18th and 19th centuries and were famous in Victorian jewelry, especially engagement rings and pendants.
Usually, a cushion-shaped diamond with rounded corners and distinctive facet arrangements is the key aspect of an old mine-cut diamond. These antique diamonds are chosen for royal-looking jewelry designs, and they offer brilliance to the personality.
Suppose you're confused about the difference between traditional cushion diamonds and old mine cushion shapes. Then, their shape is the aspect that distinguishes a cushion diamond with a square and an elongated shape. Beside it, an old mine cushion contains only a long shape and high crown anatomy with a deep pavilion acceptable for solitaire engagement rings in cathedral settings.
In addition, you might not be familiar with the 4Cs diamonds chart for first-time shopping. Thus, don't understand that a diamond in an old mine cut has not 4Cs grades, but in reality, they have. Even with vivid color variation, these diamonds make every carat weight range, color grade, clarity scale, and cut possible.
The term "Old Mine Diamond" does not mean a diamond is mined from the mining zones, but it's a vintage cut diamond usually made with skilled craftsmanship that makes them distinctive from round brilliant and European cut diamonds. Thus, an old mine-cut diamond is eco-friendly and ethical to pick for a fancy jewelry style like a tennis bracelet or a promise ring.
Like to shop a old mine cut diamond and jewelry but not have any idea where to start then don't worry. In this article, you will understand everything about these vintage diamonds that are usually made in the laboratory as lab-grown diamonds. Also, you can know the majesty history of old mine diamonds and their jewelry appearance for better decision-making.
What is an Old Mine-cut Diamond?
The old mine cut diamond is the term used to define truly unique and hand-crafted gems made with skilled craftsmanship in the manufacturing cycle. The cutting to the polishing process of this diamond makes it an exclusive diamond piece that is complimentary and unique. These diamonds were popular as vintage diamonds during the 18th and 19th centuries and were chosen in jewelry styles like wedding rings for women.
The core benefit of old mine diamonds is they are not crafted using modern technology, but a total hand-crafting process is involved that assures the best color, clarity, carat weights, and cut grades as the brilliant round diamonds. That makes it preferable for the tennis bracelets.
The soft curving corner edges can be found on the mine cushion diamonds, which means they resemble oval or pear-shaped like reflections through surfaces. In these diamonds, 45° to 90° edges fill the elegance for a vintage and modern touch to the overall anatomy.
The elongated cushion shape is the core choice for old mine-cut diamonds where the smaller table, high crown, swallowed pavilion, and slight thin-to-thin girdle anatomy exist. The large culet is the identical mark of the old mine diamonds, representing the circle shape with 58 facets. These characteristics of this vintage-cut diamond make it different from other diamonds.
Aside from the natural diamonds in old mine cut type, a lab-grown diamond is preferable and acceptable. Lab diamonds are not mined but grown in the laboratory using recycled energy and resources, resulting in cheap costs and ethical manufacturing practices. Old mine lab diamonds features only two shapes a cushion and criss cut where the brilliance aren't compromised.
As you first purchase a diamond then, you might be wondering the question, why a diamond is called as an old mine diamond. What's the story behind it? Let's understand it.
The word "old mine diamond" came from the end of the 18th century when they were found in African, Indian, and Brazilian mines. In Indian and Brazilian mines, primarily, the diamonds were sourced from the dedicated zones. Some of those are brought out to make the square and elongated shape that releases versatile reflections.
The African-mined diamonds were found in a better color and rough quality, adding more interesting value to the jewelry piece after they were polished. At those times, diamond manufacturers preferred rough diamonds for a captivating and distinctive polished diamond. Some of them are interpreted as "blood diamonds" due to their illegal activities and funding of civil wars.
There's a belief that the old mine diamonds were usually found in the Indian Subcontinental mines and cut from single-handled diamond cutters. It's a real fact. India is the most eligible contender for exporting polished diamonds in the vintage cut diamonds.
History Of Old Mine Cut Diamonds
In the 1800s, old mine-cut diamonds were sourced from Africa, India, and Brazil's mines, and they identified a beautiful stone that contained unique faceting arrangements and expert handcrafting experience that seemed from its reflection and grades scoring.
In the 18th to 19th centuries, the old mine diamonds raised demands from across the world because of their vintage shape and their reflection ability to appear different from the round brilliant diamonds.
In the 1860s, the African mines started to grab beautiful natural diamonds apart from Indian and Brazilian mined diamonds.
In this tenure, the diamonds were cut, polished, and measured from the hands rather than using high-tech machinery and equipment. In that list, old mine cut and European cut diamonds were some of the most sought-after diamonds just after a brilliant round cut.
The skill and expertise of the diamond cutters were successfully crafted to design and make a distinctive piece with defined dimensions, proportions, and appearance. By using the hand-cutting method for diamonds, there was less chance of breaking the diamond's rough, which decreased the possibility of an ideal appearance.
Do you know why old mined diamonds successfully surge a spark in the demands?
Due to the Art Deco movement in the jewelry industry, these diamonds became famous in the Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian eras. In engagement rings for women, they are mostly used with prong settings and matching metal that offers a versatile appearance on the fingers.
Talking about where these diamonds were mined out as precious natural diamonds in India, it's a Golconda mine located in the Hyderabad city of Telangana state. The rough quality of these diamonds remained unique and pretty, and most of the foreign buyers were impressed with it. This is the result of India becoming the second country as an exporter of the most sought-after vintage diamonds.
These diamonds are used in unique engagement rings to make them a keen and perfect sign for a love commitment. In the ring designs, old mine diamonds appear to be the ideal choice as the two individuals fall in love.
Till today, India held the position in the Top 3 countries for exporting and polishing diamonds that are recognized worldwide. Most of the vintage engagement rings have Indian polished diamonds because of the promised quality and better standards that are sometimes missed in others diamonds.
Old Mine Diamonds Characteristics
As every diamond shape has its characteristics, old mine diamonds also contain those attributes that distinguish them from other diamonds. These characteristics are most helpful and work as the path indicator to give guidance to individuals on why to choose these diamonds by combining personal preference and offering the desired wearing appearance.
The characteristics of old mine diamonds are mentioned below; consider them whenever you prefer them for hoop earrings or tennis bracelets.
- Small table surface
- Big and high crown anatomy
- Short and lower facets
- Scintillation and fire reflections
- Asymmetrical facet arrangements
- Thin girdle and swallowed pavilion
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They have a small center table surface.
The table surface of an old mined diamond is small compared to modern radiant and cushion cut diamonds. The reason behind keeping a small table anatomy is to allocate a prominent space to the facets and a larger culet for a noticeable reflection to be retrieved back from pointing to the bottom.
If the table surface occupied more than 30% space on the anatomy, the facets could not be placed, and the overall look of the diamond was affected. That's why the small center table surfaces exist in old mined diamonds.
The core characteristic of mine diamonds is a curving edge with a softer round shape with a 45 to 90° dimension. In addition, the most important factor in keeping the table surface tiny in old mine diamonds is the "High Crown anatomy" for grabbing the light reflections for a longer time.
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Old mine diamonds have big and high crown surface.
The bigger crown surface is the most noticeable mark of the old mine diamonds. The crown is integral to any diamond because it is connected with the girdle and pavilion facets. So, with this, you can experience excellent light reflections, unlike with a flat and simple crown, and it's a better choice for a ring that is actually made with prong settings.
For example, take two diamonds in the hands. The first is an old mine cushion, and the second is the modern or rectified elongated radiant cut.
Did you see the difference?
The difference is the formation of crown anatomy. In radiant diamonds, the flat crown exists with the support of a table. At the same time, the old mine cushion cut has a variation on the crown that drives an elegant appearance.
Also, old mine diamonds have the 30° angled curving anatomy to connect with the table surface's faceting styles. That's why these diamonds are made with the high crown anatomy to match the table and girdle anatomy. The swallowed pavilion allows the lights to not exit from the bottom but revert back to the top of the diamond, which is the usual way for a reflection.
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The short and lower facets arrangements on anatomy.
The old mine-cut diamond no longer has facet arrangements on the anatomy, and the placement remains lower, not so high, as it affects the overall dimensions of the diamond. The hand-crafting process for polished diamonds caused the shorter facets, but the light reflections aren't affected anymore. That's why the vintage diamond pendant jewelry is made with old mine diamonds.
Every diamond shape is unique and contains different spaces, whereas sometimes, the facets remain short and longer. The cushion shape was the only solo option in old mine-cut diamonds for shorter facets, but now there are versatile choices such as pear, marquise, and modified emerald cut for longer facets that reflect the most elegant lights.
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The scintillation and fire effects for a better appearance.
The diamonds are known for their scintillation and fiery appearance through their reflection and brilliance. Old mine diamonds also have this characteristic for a better reflection that isn't ignored for modern and vintage-styled combination jewelry. For example, a 2 carat Art Deco ring in yellow gold looks prominent with its cushion shape, and when sunlight falls on it, the lights reflect very sharply.
Having a favorite reflection in a diamond is caused by the skilled cutting and polishing process that guarantees a fine look. The fire exits from every corner, and part of the diamond seems light yellow, and the scintillation appears silvery. To experience this kind of appearance, a diamond clarity should be chosen in the proper grade, even if you prefer a 1 carat diamond ring or an elongated 10 carat weight.
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The asymmetrical formation of facets.
Every diamond sparkle reflection depends on the symmetry that represents the faceting lines. Diamond Symmetry has five grades where an excellent grade remains most beneficial, and a poor grade is unacceptable. In old mine diamonds, asymmetrical facets are the common sign of the hand-crafting polishing process.
Having an asymmetrical shape doesn't mean the light reflection is decreased or affected. But it shows the distinctive appearance sometimes absent in the brilliant diamonds. Due to their unique hand-crafting cutting process, the elongated and square fancy shapes could be the finest pick in old mine diamonds.
Thus, if you want to buy diamonds in an old mine cut variation, consider the characteristics of small table surfaces with short and lower facet placements. In addition, the scintillation and fire reflection are no longer affected, but the condition is to choose the best 4Cs grade. The asymmetrical shape is the old mine diamonds' most complementary and identical mark. Thus, consider these for defining a old mine cut diamonds.
Why Choose Old Mine Lab-grown Diamonds?
The selection behind old mine lab-grown diamonds there are five core benefits are exists, as mentioned below:
- These diamonds are available at cheap costs.
- The quality of old mine lab-grown diamonds remains the highest.
- Eco-friendliness is an attribute identical to old mine lab diamonds.
- These diamonds are versatile for every jewelry design.
- For a vintage appearance, old mine cut diamonds are the ideal selection.
In addition, with lab-grown diamonds, you can leverage the vivid color options, modified diamond shape variations, and favorite 4Cs grades, which are available at low prices without affecting the original quality. That's why whenever you want to give your love partner the best jewelry gift, you can do it without exceeding the budget and compromising the quality.
Old Mine V/s. Old European Cut Diamonds: The Comparison
Now, let's see the difference between old mine and European cut diamonds so you can understand what qualities are available in these two diamonds.
Differentiate points |
Old Mine Cut Diamond |
Old European Cut Diamond |
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Appearance |
Better sparkling appearance than an old European cut diamonds. |
Less sparkle reflections due to milky and white surfaces. |
Origin |
India, Africa, and Brazil. Also, found in laboratories as lab-grown diamonds. |
Made in the laboratories as lab-grown diamonds. |
Faceting Styles |
Step cuts and shorter facets compared to European cut. But it offers a good sparkle reflection. |
Brilliant cut and flower shaped facets. |
Shape Of Facets |
Triangle and square shape that appears as an elegant lights reflections throughout the symmetry. |
Sunflower shaped and long facets as brilliant cut diamond. |
Price |
For 1 carat cushion old mine cut lab-grown diamond cost is $1200 with VVS clarity and EF color grade. |
1 carat old European cut diamond with VVS clarity and EF color grade price is $1400. |
Symbolism | Loyalty, Dedication, and Love. | Romance, Commitment, Connection. |
Shape | Elongated cushion and oval shape. | Always round shape with 360° surfaces. |
Symmetry | Mostly featured asymmetrical formation. | Proper alignment of the symmetrical structure. |
4cs | Old mine diamonds have variations in color, clarity, carat and cut grades. | In old European cut diamonds, there is a choice to pick a favorite color, clarity, carat, and cut grades. They have more variations over a mine cut diamond. |
Old Mine Cut Diamonds Jewelry
The old mine-cut diamond jewelry refers to vintage jewelry because of its connection with the 18th century. Offer a beautiful and elegant appearance with the mine-cut diamond jewelry as a sign of your loyal emotions towards the spouse and relationship.
If you wish to shop for an engagement ring, then there is an option to choose a solitaire setting with prongs and a gold combination. While it needs more versatility then vivid colors, a halo ring setting can be a great option. In addition, a three-stone or Toi et Moi ring allows you to experience a beautiful appearance on the finger.
In bangles and bracelets jewelry, there is a choice to pick a gold chain that appears most ideal as a love gift, especially for an engagement and wedding. Also, the earrings jewelry with mine-cut diamonds offers a keen look on the personality, and it counts as pretty for a wedding gown matching jewelry.
For instance, a 1 carat old mine diamond engagement ring is available for $1500, and for a 2 carat diamond ring, the price reaches $2500 for an old mine diamond. The price depends on the color, clarity, cut, and carat weights. Also, the jewelry styles affect the prices. Thus, stick with your budget and balance it with the quality and cost preferences that help craft beautiful jewelry in mine cut diamonds.
Make sure your bought old mine diamond jewelry is ethically sourced and made with the least blemishes and scratches. Insist the diamond certification from your jeweler to inspect the stone's color, clarity, and other details. It will make your purchase experience trustworthy and authenticated.
Here, some of the precious-looking old mine diamond jewelry is described with its visual appearance for your convenience to make a decision that can match your expectations.
1. Old Mine Cut Lab Diamond Engagement Ring
As your love partner prefers to wear only vintage-designed rings, then it's not okay to select brilliant diamonds, but old mine diamonds are the ideal choice for it. These diamonds usually have only cushion shapes in elongated format, but other shapes like pear, oval, and Asscher cut also look proper.
You can pick a traditional solitaire ring style or a minimalist modern halo style with pave engraving in engagement rings. With lab-grown diamonds, your old mine cut stone features cheap cost but high quality. Having the correct ring settings and presenting it at the right moment will add a memory page to your love journey with your love partner. Considering to measuring ring size at home helps to know accurate finger size.
The price for an old mine diamond ring can be anything from $1500 to $15K depending on which material is used and which ring settings appear ideal and keen on the finger. The correct carat weight choice ranges from 1 to 5 carats, color grade as D to J, and clarity scale from IF to VVS with the consideration of a cut, allowing one to experience such a kind of appearance.
The best metal for old mine-cut diamond engagement rings ranges from white gold and platinum. These two metals look prominent with the colorless mine-cut diamonds, but with the vivid color options, they look more gorgeous on the finger. Brown diamonds are the most beautiful option for the old mine cut variety in at least 3.00-carat weights.
2. Old Mine Cut Stud Earrings For Women
Old mine diamond earrings are good choice to offer a vintage jewelry-wearing experience with settings like a hoop, stud, dangle, and halo designs. With 1 to 4 carat weight diamonds, earrings appear more beautiful and ideal and can be suitable for everyday and occasional wearing, too. White gold is the most common choice for the earrings selection due to its matching appearance with the colorless diamonds.
The ear back style should be considered when choosing the old mine diamond earrings, and it ranges from push back, screw back, and secure lock back with a better appearance. Choosing yellow gold or rose gold also appears most efficient with the earring settings that can gifted as the love present.
The cost for old mine diamond earrings ranges from $1500 to $2500, where it can opt for the better 4C grades like ideal carat weights, color, clarity, and cut grades. In addition, the customization delivers a personalization feature in the earring designs. Thus prioritizing the quality and budget preference.
3. Solitaire Pendant in Mine Cut Diamond
Diamond pendant is the jewelry that is worn around the neck and provides a pretty appearance with the gold chain. A 2 carat old mine oval diamond could be the best choice for a gold pendant that you can gift it to your love partner on the occasions. A yellow gold and rose gold is the ideal option for the pendant jewelry that usually has been worn daily.
With old mine cut diamonds not only cushion shape you have, but pear, marquise, oval and other shapes also available as a customized and modified diamonds. Pick the one diamond shape according to your choice and for a better looks a vivid colors are good options without compromising the quality and budget. In searching for a better appearance, the ideal carat weights, clarity, cut and color should be picked from the available variations.
When selecting a solitaire pendant, consider choosing the carat weights that look still larger when worn in the gold chain. We recommended selecting atleast 1 to 3-carat old mine cut diamonds that look gorgeous, and the clarity grade should be VVS to VS. Also, pay attention to choosing a diamond fluorescence in none to faint grade, which means your stone reflects a natural light without any UV rays.
An old mine solitaire pendant costs $1000 with VS clarity and EF color grade oval shape lab-grown diamond. Within this price range, you can purchase 16 inches pendant chain in yellow gold, rose gold, white gold, and platinum.
So, are you ready to offer such a luxurious gift to your love? Then choose this mine lab diamond pendant for your love partner's Birthday or Anniversary gift. In addition, a tennis bracelet or an eternity wedding band has also been chosen with the old mine-cut diamond in accordance with the proper balancing between quality and presence.
Want to make your old mine diamond jewelry within the described cost and quality, then click on the Contact Us button.
Conclusion
The old mine cut diamond is an elegant and vintage choice to engrave these gems in your engagement or wedding jewelry. These stones have a small table, high crown, asymmetrical shape, and thin girdle surfaces. Still carrying a unique shape, the mine-cut diamonds are selected to make a jewelry appearance fine.
These diamonds have journeyed far from at least 300 years from the Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian eras. They first appeared in India and Brazil as mined diamonds. Meanwhile, South Africa found these stones to be in better quality.
You can find the same durability and hardness in old mine-cut diamonds as in the brilliant cut, even cut and polished with the hands. So, if your spouse likes to wear handmade diamond jewelry, you can select the best quality diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are the ideal choice for these diamonds, with the same quality available at the proper price.
You can offer the old mine cut lab diamond jewelry as anniversary presents, birthday gifts, and Valentine's Day occasions. With atleast $1500, you can get beautiful old mine diamond jewelry. Ensure that you buy mine-cut diamond jewelry with the certifications.
The old mine lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds with identical quality, likes durability, carat weights, color variations, clarity grades, and cuts that allow one to experience beautiful and keen reflections on the anatomy. The vintage jewelry appears more precious with the old mine-cut diamond as it looks more gorgeous on the personality. Old mine cut diamonds are available with versatile reflections and quality; pick the one according to your choices.
Question Window
Let's revision some knowledge.
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Why loose old mines diamonds valuable today?
The distinctive light reflections and the part of the historical events, old mine cut diamonds are more worthy than a modern brilliant cut. These diamonds were popularized in the era of Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian times. In addition, the rarity attribute makes the old mine diamonds more proper with the 4Cs grades, which adds more value to their actual costs.
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Why choose old mine cut diamond?
Old mine cut diamond has an asymmetrical shape with the best hand-crafting process that allows one to experience ideal light reflection on the jewelry styles. Most importantly, these diamonds are available in lab-grown, cost-friendly, and ethically made in the laboratories. Also, these diamonds are versatile for every occasion, such as an engagement ring or a wedding band.
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Why are old mine-cut lab diamonds not valuable?
Due to unmatched symmetry, few sparkle reflections, and less demand, the old mine cut lab diamonds are not as valuable as round brilliant or modern radiant cut diamonds. Instead of their rarity, old mine diamonds have an asymmetrical shape and uncompleted facets on the anatomy, affecting the retention of the price for the long term, but moving with the ideal appearance, vintage old mine diamonds are a proper choice.
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Is an old mine diamond certified?
The old mine diamond is certified by reputed and authenticated institutions like GIA and IGI for measuring and evaluating the best color, clarity, carat weights, and cut grades. Even in lab-grown diamonds, certifications can be offered with expert and skillful analysis of the dimensions and quality of the diamonds. As you purchased any old mine diamonds, consider taking the certificate for a better understanding.
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How to shop a old mine cut diamond jewelry with perfection?
There are four core ways and facts to consider when shopping for old mine-cut diamonds and jewelry.
- Consider the authenticated certificates like GIA and IGI.
- Pay attention to the cost-friendly clarity grades as VVS to VS.
- Choosing the D to H color grade for an ideal appearance.
- See the variations in gold and platinum metal.
- Pick a reputable jeweler.
Paying more attention to these facts allows one to choose a correct and keen mine diamond jewelry.
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How Much Old Mine Cut Diamond Cost?
The 1-carat old mine cut lab-grown diamond cost should be $1500 to $2000 in VVS to VS clarity and Colorless grade. On the other hand, a 2 carat diamond costs $3000 for containing more carat weights. Thus, if you insist on getting higher-quality diamonds, you must pay more.
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When old mine diamonds invented?
During the 18th century, India and Brazil mines found old mine diamonds different from brilliant-cut rough diamonds. The distinctive appearance and hand-crafting process make these diamonds proper for the selection in every jewelry style, ranging from an engagement ring to a wedding necklace. The Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian eras were fulfilled with mined-cut diamonds as a proper allotment of jewelry.
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Are old mine-cut diamonds cheaper?
Compared to brilliant cut diamonds, old mine diamonds are 20-30% cheaper because of less demand and their asymmetrical shape. Also, the low cost of mine-cut diamonds is that they have few choices or variations in color, clarity, and customization as modern stones. The 1 carat old mine diamond price ranges from $1500 to $2500 per the chosen clarity, color, and clarity grade.
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Does an old mine-cut diamond have sparkle reflections??
The old mine-cut diamonds have brilliant sparkle reflections, even made with unmatched facet patterns and symmetrical structure. The lights are distributed differently and released optimally. Also, these stones carry sparkle reflections due to improper dimensions and proportions in every diamond shape, like elongated to round curved shapes.
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How old mine diamonds looks ideal in the jewelry designs?
The old mine diamonds look ideal in jewelry designs for their elongated shapes, which are considered to have the best color, clarity, carat weights, and cut grades. Paying attention to a selection between quality and price will allow you to experience a wonderful appearance on the personality. These diamonds are interpreted as vintage diamonds because of their appearance throughout the anatomy.
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