Old Mine Cut Diamond – Guide to Vintage Cushion Cut Rings

Different styles of Old Miner cut diamonds.

Old mine cut diamonds (OMC) date back to the early 18th century and are precursors of the modern round brilliant cut. They look somewhat reminiscent of the present-day cushion cut and take on a “stubby” appearance (see diamond on left).

In recent years, the timeless and romantic appeal of vintage style jewelry had been driving growing demand. More specifically, old world diamonds like the miner cut and European cut had experienced a strong revival of interest from consumers.

In today’s write up, I am going to address some commonly asked questions and problems that people run into when shopping for an old miner cut. I’m also going to reveal some insights to selecting vintage cushion cut diamonds with personality and charisma.

When it comes to buying vintage cut diamonds, Victor Canera is a vendor I recommend highly. His signature Antique Cushion and old European diamonds are crafted to a level of precision and optical performance like no other.

What is an Old Miner Cut Diamond – The Defining Characteristics

Like many antique diamonds, old miner diamonds were cut to maximize yield from the rough stone in a laborious process. At that time, the rough diamond would always dictate the final shape of the polished stone and had the following attributes:

The Importance Of Cut Quality in Old Cut Diamonds

Back then, candlelight was the most common form of lighting and diamonds were specifically cut to sparkle under dim lighting conditions. That’s the reason why most vintage diamond cuts had high crowns, deep pavilions and broad facet reflections.

And unlike modern day diamonds, old miner diamonds were polished by hand in an era where artisans only had basic tools to work with. This gave rise to diamonds with facets that lacked uniformity and had significant variations in symmetry.

So, if you are out in the market looking for an old miner cut diamond, it is very likely that you will find diamonds looking like this:

Do you notice the severely off-centered culet and heavily distorted outline?

Let’s be honest, do you really want a diamond that appears like this? Would you want to present this diamond in an engagement ring to your fiancee? If you do, you better think twice and be prepared for some bad news.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of these vintage cut diamonds receive some of the lowest ratings for Polish and Symmetry grades. Check out this GIA grading report of a typical “Old Mine Brilliant” which was sent to the lab on Feb 11th 2015…

Antique cut diamonds often receive a “Fair” or “Poor” ratings for Polish and Symmetry.

Now, I know some people may argue that it isn’t fair to judge a genuine antique cut diamond using modern day grading standards. There is also a small minority of people who love the unrefined and unsightly appearance of retro miner cut diamonds.

For the record, I respect every individual’s personal tastes and opinions. After all, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. However, if you are like most consumers, you are probably looking for diamonds that are cut for optimal beauty and sparkle.

Optical Performance – Why It Matters When Selecting an Old Mine Cut

Besides shape appeal, one of the things you should look out for when buying vintage cut diamonds is optical performance. And that’s where you will run into difficulties in finding well-cut old miner diamonds because they are super rare.

The fact is, most jewelers don’t carry OMC diamonds in stock. Even if they do, the vast majority of these antique cushion cuts do not exhibit decent light performance (sparkle!). Let me show you a couple of examples to illustrate this…

Both diamonds exhibit too much darkness in the center of the diamond caused by light obstruction. This creates a distracting appearance and makes the diamond unappealing to look at.

The diamond on the left exhibits extraneous light leakage through the middle of the diamond; giving it a slushy looking appearance and lackluster light return. On the other hand, the stone on the right has poor contrast patterning which gives it a gauche scintillation pattern.

If you are looking for an OMC diamond that sparkles with ideal light performance, you need to check out Victor Canera. His old world diamonds are handcrafted with a level of precision and performance that you can’t find anywhere else.

Now, there do exist old-miner cut diamonds which are cut to decent standards. However, these diamonds are extremely difficult to find and require prior knowledge of cut understanding. Personally, I had to sieve through about 90 stones to find a single stone that is purchase-worthy.

While this stone can be considered well-cut by antique diamond cutting standards, it does require a huge amount of effort and experience to weed out mediocre stones. Fortunately, there’s a shortcut to selecting old miner cut diamonds with ideal optics.

And what I’m going to show you next will knock your socks off!

Ideal Light Performance – Victor Canera’s Antique Cushion Cut Diamonds

Whether you are a first time shopper or a jewelry connoisseur, I’m sure your bottom line is a diamond that is beautiful and sparkly. With Victor Canera’s Antique Cushion Cut, you can take the guesswork out of your diamond selection.

Victor Canera’s Antique Cushion features ideal light performance and crisp contrast patterning.

The Canera Antique Cushion is a proprietary design inspired by old world diamonds. One of the things which set them apart from other vintage cushion cut diamonds is that they are optimized for light performance and cut precision.

And you know what’s the best part? The Canera Antique Cushion exudes the charm of an antique diamond even though it is crafted with modern day technologies and tools.

Review of Canera Antique Cushion Diamonds

For the purpose of this review, I randomly chosen a 1 carat antique cushion cut with F color and VS2 clarity from Victor Canera. To see the full listing, go to: https://www.victorcanera.com/diamonds/2l6xlc.

From the 10X magnified photograph, the diamond displays a beautiful patterning formed by chunky facets; which are characteristic of old miner cut diamonds.

More importantly, Victor Canera’s signature antique cushion cut diamonds have a visual performance that rival even the best modern round brilliant cut. Here’s the corresponding grading report for the above diamond:

Every single CAC is consistently cut to achieve the highest possible rating for light performance (AGS 0). And let me tell you this is no easy feat. If you don’t know yet, the American Gem Society (AGS) is one of the most reliable and consistent gemmological labs in the world.

In terms of clarity and color grading standards, they are on-par with GIA. However, when it comes to analyzing cut quality, AGS evaluates a diamond’s light performance using sophisticated ray tracing software. This scientific approach undertaken by AGS results in a more restrictive cut grading and is a notch higher than GIA’s cut grading methodology.

I want to bring your attention to the ASET and Idealscope images above. If you are looking for a diamond with ideal optics, this is exactly what you want to see! The red color indicates areas of intense light return and you can see that they cover significant sections of the stone. Basically, this means the diamond is going to be bright and brilliant.

The green color indicates areas with less intense light return and the blue represents contrast. Both of which are very important to a diamond’s appearance in the right amounts. And in the case of Canera’s Antique Cushion, the balance is perfect.

As a comparison, here’s how a generic OMC looks like beside a Canera Antique Cushion…

Blatant light leakage under the table facet of a generic OMC (left) compared to a CAC (right)

How Does All These Data And Information Translate to Real Life Viewing?

Well, here’s a video captured by a happy customer from Victor Canera who purchased a 2.041 ct F VS2 diamond. As they say, seeing is believing. The incredible amount of sparkle and life displayed by the ring is simply breathtaking.

I simply adore the broad flashes of sparkle and dispersion the diamond exhibits.

Designed for beauty, the Canera Antique Cushion is an exquisite work of art that is built upon scientific considerations of light performance. Click here to browse and select a beautiful diamond for yourself!

Old Miner Cut Diamond Ring Designs And Settings

While the center diamond is a critical element of an engagement ring, the choice of setting helps set your ring apart from others. In fact, it is also one of the first things people notice and compliment on.

And if you are looking for truly well-made settings, Victor Canera is one of the best in the craft. His unique hand-forging technique makes all the difference with quality in terms of beauty, touch and longevity.

Check out some of his designs below…

Antique Cushion Cut Engagement Ring With French Cut Channels

This majestic ring features graduated French-cut diamonds that are channel set along the shanks to create a gentle accent effect on the center stone. The double rows of milgrain finish add to the decorative elements of intricate craftsmanship and enhance the ring’s overall sparkle factor.

The Anne Marie Split Shank Halo

Featuring a halo made with U-cut pave set diamonds, this ring is embellished with white and glittering melee diamonds. The split shoulders provide a touch of visual interest to a viewer’s eye and draw their attention towards the gorgeous center stone.

The Anya Solitaire with French Cut Diamonds

Staring into the mesmerizing center of the ring will draw you into a vortex of brilliance. Hand-forged in precious platinum, this antique style ring is adorned with high crown french cut diamonds on its sides. The ring also features hand carved details on the bottom and side profile of the shanks.

The Emilya With Cathedral Shank And Old Miner Cut Diamond

An impressive ring design for all to envy, this setting features a cathedral shank and halo that surrounds the center stone in a sea of sparkling diamonds. The coppery pink color of rose color creates a striking contrast against the white diamonds.

On the right, the same design is shown with a setting made of different metals. A rose gold halo stands out magnificently from a white gold shank. This modern combination of colored metals gives the ring design a creative twist.

For more designs, click here to check out vintage rose gold diamond ring ideas.

Rose Gold Vintage Cushion Cut Engagement Ring With Pave Diamonds

Feminine in styling and delicate in appearance, this hand-forged 18k rose gold ring features a sturdy clawed prong solitaire mounting for the center stone. Flanking the sides of the main diamond are shanks with encrusted single-cut melees which shows a detailed level of craftsmanship like no other.

Victor Canera is the best jeweler to work with when it comes to bespoke ring design and finely crafted custom rings. Click here to start the process of turning your dream ring into reality!

Conclusion

The old miner cut diamond has a distinctive light play and exhibit elegance from a bygone era. They are perfect for people who are searching for a cosmopolitan yet traditional look in their jewelry.

If you are looking for some of the most beautiful vintage cushion cut diamonds, Victor Canera is a vendor you should check out. Their selection of ideal cut diamonds and transparent business practices makes the shopping experience really easy.

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