Antique Old Mine Brilliant Cut Diamond 2.63 ct | H/I SI1

Why we chose this stone

Before the modern round brilliant existed, there was the Old Mine Cut — a cushion-shaped, deep-bodied style born from an era when diamonds were shaped by hand and eye, not lasers and algorithms. This 2.63 carat example is a genuine survivor of that craft: hand-cut at least 80 years ago, with the slightly irregular facets and high crown that give Old Mine stones their distinctive warmth and depth, quite unlike anything cut today.

Sourced through Antwerp — the city that's anchored the diamond trade for generations — this stone was rescued from a piece of antique jewellery rather than mined and cut new. It carries an H/I colour grade, sitting comfortably in the near-colourless range, paired with SI1 clarity for a stone with genuine, easily visible character rather than clinical perfection.

For collectors who appreciate the story behind a stone as much as the sparkle, an Old Mine Cut like this one offers something a modern diamond never can: proof of the hands that shaped it.