French Cut Jewelry

Unlike the popular German Cut, which signifies that the diamonds were actually cut in Germany, the term French cut doesn't quite mean the same thing!

French cut refers to a particular shape and design of a gemstone. French cut stones are rectangular or square in shape with multiple facets. They are easily distinguishable by the cross that the facets in the crown characterize.

This style dates back to the early 1400's, but they didn't begin to establish roots in the fashion scene until the 1700's when European royals and aristocrats adorned the French Cut, up until the Brilliant Cut entered the fine jewelry scene.

French Cut diamonds derived from making optimal use of dodecahedral diamond crystals. When cutting the crown of a French cut diamond, the table is produced by grinding the top stone. When grinding to create the table, the diamond cutter must take into consideration the proximity of the table to the sides of the stone in order that the table is diagonal to the sides of the stone. When this is accomplished, the remaining stone faces will become facets. The outline forms a square with the pavilion being cut into four facets while observing the angle of the initial faces to allot a greater light reflection.

And obviously, due to this cuts' great popularity in France, the name French Cut was given!