Solitaire rings · By shape
Old mine cut solitaire rings
The old mine cut is what a diamond looked like before the round brilliant existed: a soft, slightly squarish cushion outline, a small table, a high crown, and a culet open wide enough to see as a small dot through the top. It was cut by hand for candlelight, and it returns light in slow, broad flashes rather than glitter. For a century it was what people traded in. In the last few years it has become the most searched antique cut in the United States and the United Kingdom, after being seen on some very photographed hands, and we cut it to order.
Quoted on the stone · No list price · Last updated 2026-10-05
What an old mine cut is, and why it looks the way it does
Fifty-eight facets, like a modern brilliant, but arranged for a different light. The crown is tall and the table is small, so more of the light enters through the sides of the stone and comes back in large, distinct flashes with dark gaps between them. That checkerboard of light and shadow is the look, and it is the opposite of the even, fine sparkle of a modern round. The open culet, which modern cutting closed to a point, reads as a tiny window in the centre.
Genuine antique stones were cut by eye, so no two are symmetrical and the outline wanders a little. A modern old mine brilliant is cut to the same proportions with modern precision, which gives the glow without the wobble. Both are old mine cuts; the certificate says which. Neither is a cushion in the modern sense: a modern cushion is cut for electric light and sparkles, where an old mine glows.
- Natural antique
- Stones a century old, recovered from old jewellery. Rare, usually warm in colour, J to M, and wanted for exactly that. Sourced on commission, IGI certified.
- Modern old mine brilliant
- Newly cut natural rough to the antique pattern. Precise, available in white colours, and the usual route for a natural old mine today.
- Lab-grown old mine
- Now cut widely and the affordable way to a large one. Same glow, GIA certified, and the colour can be chosen warm or white.
Colour, carat and setting
An old mine wears warmth well. Because the facets hold colour, a J or K stone reads as a soft candlelight glow rather than as tinted, and many people choose that deliberately, especially in yellow gold. In platinum, G to I keeps it white without losing the character. Clarity is forgiving: the broad facets hide inclusions that an emerald cut would shout about, so VS2 and often SI1 are clean to the eye.
Old mines carry weight in their crown, so they read smaller than a modern cushion of the same carat, a little under the cushion column in the table. A one carat old mine is around 5.5 millimetres across. Set it low, in a bezel or a collet, or in six claws on a plain band, and in yellow gold if you want it to look as though it has always existed. Rose gold suits a warm stone; platinum makes a white one read crisp and modern.
| Carat | Round | Oval | Cushion | Emerald | Pear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50 ct | 5.1 | 6.0 x 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.5 x 3.5 | 7.0 x 4.5 |
| 0.75 ct | 5.8 | 7.0 x 5.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 x 4.5 | 7.5 x 5.0 |
| 1.00 ct | 6.5 | 7.7 x 5.7 | 5.5 | 7.0 x 5.0 | 8.5 x 5.5 |
| 1.50 ct | 7.4 | 8.5 x 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 x 5.5 | 9.5 x 6.5 |
| 2.00 ct | 8.2 | 9.5 x 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 x 6.5 | 10.5 x 7.0 |
| 2.50 ct | 8.8 | 10.0 x 7.5 | 7.5 | 9.0 x 7.0 | 11.0 x 7.5 |
| 3.00 ct | 9.4 | 11.0 x 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 x 7.5 | 12.0 x 8.0 |
| 4.00 ct | 10.4 | 12.0 x 9.0 | 9.0 | 10.5 x 8.0 | 13.0 x 9.0 |
| 5.00 ct | 11.0 | 13.0 x 9.5 | 9.5 | 11.5 x 8.5 | 14.0 x 9.5 |
How a ring is made here
The process is the same for every ring. We talk, by video or in person in Bengaluru. We source the stone for you and send its certificate. A designer draws the ring and you approve the renders before any metal is poured. The makers we work with cut and set it in 18k gold or 950 platinum. You see photographs of the finished ring before it ships, insured and tracked, with an insurance valuation in the box.
Every stone comes with its certificate: GIA for lab-grown diamonds, IGI for natural diamonds and GRA for moissanite. The report number is yours to look up on the lab's own site before the ring is made.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an old mine cut and an old European cut?
Outline. The old mine is cushion shaped, slightly square with soft corners; the old European is round. Both have the small table, high crown and open culet. The old mine came first, roughly 1700s to 1890s, and the old European followed as cutting tools improved.
Does an old mine cut sparkle?
It glows rather than glitters: broad, slow flashes with dark between them, designed for candlelight. Under electric light it is still lively, but in a different way from a modern brilliant. If you want fine, even sparkle, choose a modern cushion or a round.
Can I have an old mine cut in lab-grown?
Yes, and it is the affordable route to a large one. Lab-grown old mine cuts are now cut in every size, GIA certified, with the colour chosen warm or white. The glow is the same because the proportions are the same.
What colour should an old mine cut be?
Warmer than you would choose for a round. J to M in yellow gold gives the candlelight look most people want from the cut. G to I in platinum keeps it white with the same character. We show you both on video.
Does an old mine cut look smaller than a cushion?
A little, for the same carat, because the tall crown carries weight. A low setting and a plain band bring it back. Choose by the millimetres on the certificate rather than the carat.
Start with the old mine
Tell us natural antique, modern old mine brilliant or lab-grown, the size and the colour you want, and we will send real stones to compare on video in daylight, each with its certificate and a quote. Renders of the ring follow before anything is made.