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With the renewed things in all things vintage, antique diamond cuts are back in the limelight. One cut that’s been garnering a lot of interest is the rose cut.
The rose cut is simple yet unique and really catches the eye by emphasising the clarity and beauty of the diamond. When set into a stylish engagement ring, it has a vintage, non-traditional look that stands out.
If you’re considering something unique for your jewelry, the rose cut might be what you’re after. Here’s our buying guide for the rose cut diamond.
How Old is the Rose Cut?
Modern take on an antique cut.
Rose cut diamond ring by Envero Jewelry.
The rose cut is one of the earliest diamond cuts and was invented around the mid-16th century. There’s some suggestion that the cut originated in India and then travelled to Europe where it continued to be tweaked into different versions. The cut was called the rose or the rosette because of its resemblance to the rose flower.
The rose cut was a major innovation in the history of diamond cutting because it was one fo the first to have facets. It became very popular during the Georgian and Victorian eras. However, it fell out of fashion when more advanced diamond cutting technology resulted in complex diamond cuts being available.
You won’t find a lot of authentic antique rose cuts today as many of these were recut into modern shapes but with the rose cut becoming fashionable again, you’ll find many new rose cuts and replica vintage pieces on the market.
Features of the Rose Cut
So what makes the rose cut different to other diamond cuts? If you take a rose cut and flip it onto its side, you’ll notice that it’s unlike most other diamond cuts available.
The rose cut features a flat bottom and a high-rising faceted dome. It’s basically a diamond with just the crown (top part of the diamond) and no pavilion (bottom side of the diamond).
It can contain anywhere from 3 to 24 triangular shaped facets that are arranged around the dome of the diamond. The facets are arranged in such a way that they reach a peak at the top of the diamond, ending in a point.
Rose cut diamond viewed from the side
Compare the rose cut with the round brilliant and you’ll see that it’s almost the opposite. With the rose cut, all the bulk of the diamond is on the top, visible to the eye when mounted in its setting. This results in a larger looking diamond but one with low light performance. The rose cut has very good fire (flashes of light that disperse from a diamond) which makes it perfect under candlelight.
Side view of a round brilliant cut diamond
With the round brilliant, a large portion of the diamond remains hidden out of sight, under the jewelry setting. This results in a more brilliant diamond with excellent light performance, as light travels deeper and refracts better. The round cut also has a fixed number of specifically arranged facets, which are 57 or 58. The rose cuts wide range of possible facets means that the cut comes in a lot of variations.
Pros and Cons of the Rose Cut
If you’re unsure whether the rose cut is for you, let’s take a quick look at its pros and cons to help you decide.
Rose cut moonstone in a rose gold setting by HK Fine Jewelry.
Rose Cut Pros:
- Possibly the best thing about the rose cut is that it makes the diamond appear larger than most modern cuts of similar carat weight. You’ve probably guessed why – with the rose cut, we can see all the diamond on the surface. There’s no diamond hidden under the jewelry setting.
- The rose cut comes in a range of shapes, meaning that you don’t have to stick with just a round diamond. You can find rose cuts fashioned into hexagon, squares, kites and ovals among others.
- Rose cuts look amazing on gemstone jewelry and not just diamonds. Because of the cut’s typical clear and large facets, it tends to emphasise the color of the gemstone, making it perfect for emeralds, sapphires, morganites, moonstone, rubies, citrines and others.
- The rose cut suits a range of jewelry styles. While it’s most associated with vintage designs, it complements bohemian and rustic jewelry as well as high-end, expensive looking contemporary designs. This makes it a highly versatile cut that spans the past and the present.
- If you like a clean, clear looking diamond, the rose cut will give you that. It’s not busy-looking and doesn’t have a complex faceting structure. It’s ideal for minimalist styled jewelry.
- The rose cut has exceptional fire and dispersion. This cut was created to glimmer under candlelight and dim light conditions, and this is when it looks its best.
Rose Cut Cons:
- It’s easy to see the diamond’s flaws with the rose cut. The open, clear facets of the rose cut means that any impurities or imperfections of the diamond can be seen easily. For the best look, opt for a high clarity stone or one that may have a low clarity grade but is eye clean, especially when set in jewelry.
- Rose cuts show diamond color. Again, because of the stone’s clarity, any tints in the diamond is easy to see. This is good news for colored diamonds and gemstones but bad news for colorless diamonds. For the best look, you would need to purchase a higher color grade to ensure that the stone is colorless.
- The rose cut isn’t brilliant and won’t be the flashy gemstone you’re hoping for. It can’t compare to the round cut in terms of sparkle because of its large facets and minimized light performance.
- Rose cuts are extremely rare and only about 1 in every 10,000 of all diamonds are cut into this shape. This means limited choice when searching for diamond jewelry with rose cuts.
Rose Cut Engagement Rings
Rose cuts are trending as engagement ring center stones because of their unique look. Many brides-to-be are opting for something different and trying out non-conventional looks. If you get a rose cut engagement ring, you know that the chances of someone else you know having a similar ring is very low. Compare that to round brilliant cuts – over 75% of all diamonds are cut into this shape.
Rose cut engagement rings often get surprised reactions and your friends and family will be calling yours unusual, unique, dainty, beautiful, gorgeous and will say that they’ve ‘never seen anything like it’!
Here are some rose cut engagement ring designs to inspire you:
Unique, hexagon shaped rose cut diamond featuring a salt and pepper color. The diamond’s hue matches perfectly with the two side rose cut colorless diamonds and the silver-hue of the metal.
Rustic cut salt and pepper diamond by Aurora Designer.
Dainty rose quartz gemstone cut into a pear-shaped rose cut. The ring is flanked by a semi-circle of diamond melees and has a delicate balance between clarity and sparkle.
Rose quartz rose cut ring by Hello Ring.
Why not go antique and choose a rose cut from yesteryear? This three stone rose cut diamond ring mounted in a simple gold band is the epitome of simplicity, minimalism and understated beauty.
Antique Victorian rose cut ring by LOPRE.
Moonstone’s milky look is enhanced by the gentle faceting of the rose cut. This vintage inspired stylish ring features a large center moonstone with a diamond halo for added sparkle.
Vintage inspired rose cut moonstone engagement ring by GemsOdes.
The rose cut works well for semi-precious gemstones as it enhances the color and texture over the sparkle of the stone. Labradorite is one such gemstone, celebrated here with a simple rose cut and a dainty golden ring setting.
Rose cut labradorite ring by Gardenring.
Sometimes simple is the best. This gold ring features a rose cut solitaire ring – a minimalist’s dream.
Minimalist solitaire rose cut diamond ring by Khim Jewelry.
Where to Find Rose Cut Diamonds and Jewelry
At the time of this writing, there were no rose cut diamonds offered on any of the popular online retail stores. Taking your search to either shops that deal with vintage and estate jewelry or onto online marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon will offer you the most choice.
