I have been collecting and sourcing antique diamonds since the very beginning of my career, so watching the rest of the world fall in love with them has been particularly exciting for me!

Old mine cuts, old European cuts, antique cushions - I cannot tell you how many clients are coming to us specifically asking for these stones. And while Taylor Swift’s engagement ring certainly sent interest into overdrive (more on that later!), my love affair with antique diamonds started long before that.

So what exactly makes these diamonds so special? And why are collectors increasingly seeking them out? Let me fill you in.

First, Let’s Talk About Those Facets!

If you’ve ever seen a beautiful old mine cut next to a modern brilliant cut, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The sparkle is completely different!

What I love about antique diamonds is that they were cut by hand, long before electric lighting became the norm. Their smaller tables, higher crowns, and those big, chunky facets produce broad, distinct flashes of light rather than the more uniform sparkle you see in modern brilliant cuts. You can actually pick out the individual facets as the stone moves, and to me, that’s a huge part of their appeal.

Modern brilliant cuts are designed to maximize light return, often producing a faster, more intense sparkle. Antique cuts tend to have a slower, more dramatic play of light. Neither is better, but if you love those big, distinct flashes, there is nothing quite like a beautiful antique diamond!

They’re Not All Created Equal (And That’s the Best Part!)

These stones were cut by hand, often with the goal of preserving as much of the original rough diamond as possible. You’ll find old mine cuts with wonderfully pillowy outlines, old European cuts with beautiful flower-like facet patterns, and all sorts of unusual proportions that you would rarely encounter in modern cutting.

I’m incredibly particular about facet patterns, light performance, proportions, and overall shape. Some antique diamonds are absolute showstoppers, while others simply don’t perform as well. Finding the exceptional ones is where having a trained eye really matters.

A Little Warmth Can Be a Very Good Thing

I am a huge advocate for looking beyond the color grade on a diamond’s certificate, particularly when it comes to antique stones, and some of my favorite antique diamonds have a little warmth to them. Of course, I also love a super-white antique diamond, and those can be particularly exciting finds! My point is that antique diamonds really need to be evaluated individually. A letter on a grading report tells you very little about how beautiful one of these stones can be in person.

Let’s Talk About Value

Antique diamonds can offer tremendous value, especially if you’re open to a little warmth or an unconventional shape. In certain cases, you can get significantly more carat weight for your budget than you might with a comparable high-color modern brilliant. And because antique diamonds weren’t cut to today’s standardized proportions, you can find some incredibly rare silhouettes and face-up appearances.

That said, exceptional antique diamonds are increasingly sought after, and the very best examples can command serious premiums. Rarity, beautiful faceting, and desirable proportions absolutely matter.

And Then Taylor Swift Happened…

I have to give Taylor some credit here because her engagement ring introduced an entirely new audience to the world of antique diamonds!

When her elongated antique-style diamond engagement ring made its debut, the interest was immediate. We had clients asking about old mine cuts, elongated antique cushions, and those wonderfully chunky facet patterns. And I LOVE that!

But what excites me most is that people are starting to understand that there is an entire world of diamond cutting beyond the modern round brilliant and oval. There are so many extraordinary stones out there if you’re willing to look beyond the usual suspects.

So, Are Antique Diamonds Here to Stay?

Absolutely, and I would argue that for serious jewelry collectors, they never went anywhere.

These diamonds have survived generations of changing tastes, and the most exceptional examples are becoming increasingly desirable.

I love that every antique diamond requires a little detective work. You have to study the faceting, understand the proportions, and really spend time with the stone. There is no formula for finding a great one, which is exactly why I enjoy sourcing them so much.

And the idea that a diamond was cut by hand more than a century ago, has already lived an entire life, and is now being chosen for someone’s engagement ring or a special piece of jewelry? I find that incredibly exciting!