A Brief History of Cut Diamonds

Diamonds, known for over 3000 years, were probably first found in India as loose stones associated with the sand and gravel of riverbeds (alluvial deposits). For centuries they were thought to posses magical powers, no doubt because of their hardness and luster, and were kept, uncut, as sacred objects or important treasures of state by the religious and political leaders of the day. Being regarded as talismans, it was thought that they would lose their powers if they were altered in any way.

It wasn't until the 11th century that diamonds were first worn, in their uncut form, as adornments. However, with the use of diamonds in jewelry, sometime in the 13th century it became known that a diamond's appearance could be enhanced by grinding and polishing [later by cleavage (below)] along the four octahedral faces (below) of the rough crystal. This was achieved by polishing with diamond dust at angles varying slightly from those of the original octahedral faces to form a point cut (below). (It had been discovered early on that the planes parallel to these faces are the hardest and can't be polished.) Point cuts were seen from the Middle Ages until the Renaissance period.