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The August Vintage European Cut

The August Vintage European Cut

During the course of the past decade as we've watched demand for vintage cushions rising and the creation and success of the August Vintage Cushion, we were at the same time getting requests for a diamond that was even more popular than the Old Mine Cushions and that was for the Old European Cuts except scrutinizing buyers wanted something with repeatable, predictable and outstanding optics like we've created in the AVC except in a European Cut Round.

August Vintage Inc. brings you the August Vintage European Cut.

Interestingly the very first round brilliant cuts were in fact Old European Cuts (abbr. oec) and it was a gentleman by the name of Henry Morse who, with the crude hardware of his time, cut the most beautiful Old European cuts of his day. His work was later adopted by Tiffany and further refined by Marcel Tolkowsky as the Old European cuts changed in appearance, primarily by altering the lower half facet length thus creating a more splintery look in rounds as opposed to the softer broader facet pattern of the European Cuts.

Well ... the old is new again and demand for vintage cuts are in!  The August Vintage European cut is the first of it's kind as it was invented and developed around some of the most sophisticated optical technologies of the 21st century.

The Science behind the beauty of the August Vintage European Cut

When developing the August Vintage European cut my focus was on 3 things.

  • The most beautiful optics attainable within the OEC facet structure.

  • The best spread possible when coupled with this beauty.

  • A level of precision in the cutting that only the best cutters in the world could achieve.
     

In the heart and spirit of my predecessor Henry Morse, the inventory of the original American Ideal Cut, the finest Old European Cut the world has ever seen.   It is just this that we have accomplished in the August Vintage European Cut and confirmed by optical scientists in the worlds most prestigious labs.

The Most Beautiful Optics

Over the past years the American Gemological Society has been on the forefront in leading technologies for assessing diamond optics with the introduction of their Angular Spectrum Evaluation Tool (ASET) as well as their Light Performance Grading Software (AGS PGS).  These two technologies are the only vetted optical technologies on the market today which are backed by sound science and empirical data.  The August Vintage European Cut was developed and designed around their very technology.

In the below graphic is a sampling of what we would typically see when assessing various Old European Cuts under the AGS ASET.  

A brief explanation of what ASET results generally translate to are the following...

  •  Green = reflections entering from a 0-45 degree angular spectrum or simply reflections entering off the horizon.  Look around the room you're in as you're reading this.  Are the brightest sources of illumination coming off the walls? I didn't think so. :)  Green = dull reflections. Dull in = dull out. 

  • Red = reflections entering from a 45-75 degree angular spectrum or from above the horizon and around  your head. Look above the horizon and around your head.  Is your workplace and common surroundings illuminated from above? :) Red is good.  Red will be the primary color we see in the rarest diamonds regardless of cut/shape/faceting etc.  Red is the primary color we want to see in an ASET analysis.

  • Blue = reflections entering from a 75-90 degree angular spectrum or reflections entering from directly in front of the diamond.  This is generally representative of head and body shadow as you or your observer will be looking at the diamond and part of the environment as well. 

  • White = Light leakage. 

The key to this analysis then is that we want to see a primary saturation of reds.  Blue and green are ok but must be minimal and if present, properly distributed in the right places.  In essence ... over a decade of working with diamond measuring devices and optical technologies like Sarin, ASET, FireScope, Isee2, Gemex BrillianceScope etc. and working with these diamonds that have only grown in demand over the last decade I knew the OEC had not yet been perfected.  The closest it came was by the inventor of the original American Ideal back in the late 1800's.  A gentleman by the name of Henry Morse came out with the "American Ideal Cut" but back then they did not have the technologies nor the tools to cut what it is we have been able to refine and are producing today.

The August Vintage European Cut is without exception the most perfectly cut European Cut diamonds on the planet when it comes to optics and has the most perfect ASET possible and consistently scores the highest possible brilliance on the Isee2 machine which was later adopted by Sarine... outperforming even most Hearts & Arrows rounds. 

The Best Spread Possible within an OEC

People who are lovers of vintage diamonds do not necessarily purchase them for the reason of how much spread the diamond has on the finger.  Indeed diamonds in all varieties with the "best spread" generally have some of the worst optics. Instead, the August Vintage European Cut combines what is perhaps the absolute best balance of optics combined with proper spread in the OEC cut. 

Two of the key features of the August Vintage OEC is an aesthetic it's inherited from it's ancient counterpart.  Namely that of a tall regal crown combined with a smaller table.

The key was to find a way to maintain the regal presence of the tall crown and greater depth, yet provide a spread that would be comparable with today's ideal cut rounds.

Here are the more common results on most AVR's and all of those moving forward in the future.  Note the measurements on this 2.07ct August Vintage European cut is 8.12 x 8.17mm. Or an average diameter of 8.15mm.  This is coupled witha  depth % of 64.4%.

The key was to find a way to maintain the regal presence of the tall crown and greater depth, yet provide a spread that would be comparable with today's ideal cut rounds.

Here are the more common results on most AVR's and all of those moving forward in the future.  Note the measurements on this 2.07ct August Vintage European cut is 8.12 x 8.17mm. Or an average diameter of 8.15mm.  This is coupled witha  depth % of 64.4%.

Now take a look at a current query of GIA XXX diamonds with less depth.

The key thing I'd like to point out here.  The August Vintage European Cut, while having a 64.4% depth has an average diameter of 8.15mm.  The GIA XXX's in the query have 62.x% depths with an average diameter 8.10mm.  :) How can that be your ask?  You can call that a small proprietary miracle.

A level of precision attainable by only top craftsman in the diamond cutting world.

While Hearts & Arrows round brilliant cuts primarily achieved their reputation by the H&A pattern, what is often overlooked is the mathematical precision necessary to cut such a product and what the Hearts & Arrows pattern actually means. Below is photography under a Hearts & Arrows viewer & a Symmetry Report on a branded Hearts & Arrows diamond that exhibits the mathematical precision necessary to cut this product. The presence of photographic precision symmetry is a reflection of craftsmanship that represents less than 1% of diamonds cut in the world.  While the August Vintage European Cut wasn't or isn't meant to exhibit a Hearts & Arrows pattern, it's precision is no less demanding.

From left to right, top to bottom.  Image taken under a Hearts and Arrows viewer of the crown of the diamond first, then hte pavilion then the ASET image.  August Vintage Old European Cut on the bottom and cut equally as precise as the worlds rarest precision will allow.