Culture & Style
What’s Old is New Again: The Rise of Vintage Diamond Cuts
By Jill Newman, July 8, 2025
Old world diamonds are experiencing a modern revival, prized for their soft sparkle and individuality. From red carpet moments to everyday jewelry, these stones offer a uniquely romantic—and often more affordable—way to shine.
Selim Mouzannar Beirut Rosaces Diamond Ring, $7,760, selimmouzannar.com
When Mikey Madison accepted the Best Actress honor at the Academy Awards for her role in Anora, the young star also got accolades for her jewels. She wore a vintage diamond Tiffany & Co. necklace from the early 1900s with a stunning old European cut diamond drop. It was a defining jewel, one that showed her sophisticated style and individuality.
That red carpet moment reflects the growing desire for unique, old diamond cuts, stones that exude a softer shimmer compared to the super sparkle of most modern cuts. It’s not just vintage diamond cuts in the spotlight but also new diamonds cut in the style of the old.
Meet the Experts
Elie Top is a Paris-based jewelry designer known for his celestial, architectural creations featuring antique and bespoke diamonds. He launched his brand in 2015 after training under Yves Saint Laurent and Alber Elbaz.
Jean Prounis founded her eponymous jewelry brand in New York in 2017, drawing on her Greek heritage and family legacy. She collaborates with master artisans in the city’s Jewelry District to handcraft vintage-inspired diamond rings
The Romance Behind Vintage Diamond Cuts
Vintage stones are often referred to as “diamonds cut by candlelight”, which sounds incredibly romantic. That’s because in the 18th and 19th centuries, before the invention of electricity, artisan cutters faceted stones by candlelight. The diamond’s wider, less precise facets often portrayed a subdued sparkle, a twinkle.
As technology and science evolved, diamonds were cut to precise specifications to maximize their sparkle.
The Contemporary Take on Vintage Diamond Cuts
While there’s always been an interest in vintage diamond cuts, they’re now being shown in distinctly contemporary ways. One reason for the growing desire is that consumers want unique diamonds, even with slight imperfections, that express their individuality and are clearly natural. What’s more, it appeals to shoppers who want upcycled jewelry (what’s better than vintage?), and oftentimes, quirky old stones are less expensive than modern diamonds of similar size.
It’s a matter of style. No doubt, many still prefer a diamond’s radiant sparkle over the more subdued twinkle. But now, there are more options for every taste and budget.
How Designers Embrace Vintage Diamond Cuts
Let’s be clear: Old-style diamond cuts don’t mean old-style jewels. Parisian designer Elie Top, a favorite of style icons like Marisa Berenson and Inès de La Fressange, unveiled his lavish “Liaisons Dangereuses” collection at Christie’s Paris in January, featuring gorgeous old stones in innovative statement-making pieces.
The collection’s theme is an 18th-century salon illuminated with candlelit chandeliers. “Vintage diamonds were exactly the type of feeling and sparkle for this aesthetic,” Top tells Only Natural Diamonds. He set old cushion and European-cut diamonds on shapely mirror-finish gold designs with his signature distressed silver accents. While he favors the stones for their imperfections and warm sparkle, he adds, “I love the idea of upcycling diamonds.”
Jewelers such as Jessica McCormack, Jean Prounis, and Single Stone use old diamonds (or new diamonds cut with old characteristics) in contemporary, everyday pieces. The London-based McCormack, who opened her first U.S. location on Madison Avenue in May, is known for her bezel-set juicy old pear-shaped diamond pendants hanging from long ball chain necklaces or set askew on a gold band. She also works with clients to transform their family heirlooms, taking old diamonds and giving them a new life in modern jewelry designs.
The softer glow of old diamonds is aligned with New York-based Jean Prounis’ aesthetic. She works in handwrought 22-karat gold with a matte finish that is the perfect complement to what she calls “quirky” diamonds with larger facets and sometimes slightly misshapen. The interest in these diamonds inspired Prounis to create the new Vow ring collection, showcasing a range of diamond rings for all types of modern-day commitments, from same-sex unions to friendship rings. The bottom line, she says, is people want diamond ring options.
While older diamonds are in high demand today, the husband-and-wife team Ari and Corina Madilian have always believed they were the most beautiful. Since establishing their company Single Stone in Los Angeles in 1988, they have sourced antique diamonds for their contemporary designs. Some pieces are finely detailed and appear as though they might be family heirlooms, other diamonds are set in modern minimalist pendants, bracelets, and earrings. Everything starts with the stone: For more than 40 years, Ari has sourced vintage diamonds from a network of international suppliers. The jewelry designs are created the uniqueness of each stone.
The Budget-Friendly Appeal of Vintage Diamond Cuts
The bonus: old style diamonds, both vintage and new, can be far more affordable than new diamond jewelry.
New diamonds are priced based on the 4C’s—color, clarity, cut, carat—but those rules generally don’t apply to vintage diamonds. They are valued for overall beauty and carat weight, but are typically slightly off on color, clarity and cut. Not long ago, an off-color diamond wasn’t so desirable, but today that style is exactly what some people want.
Vintage Diamond Cuts for the Modern Lifestyle
Beyond engagement rings, more designers are featuring these style stones in stylish new designs. The trend is aligned with today’s more relaxed lifestyle; clothing is pared down and less fussy, and so are the jewels.
It’s a trend that’s here to stay. It offers versatility in design and price, and can make a bigger diamond appear more subdued. Because while some people prefer a discreet look, nobody is giving up diamonds.
Shop Jewelry with Vintage Diamond Cuts
Get inspired by styles from some of our favorite designers.
Boghossian Merveilles Bridal Diamond Ring Featuring a Round-Shaped Old European-Cut Diamond 6.17 Carats, Price Upon Request, boghossianjewels.com
Brent Neale One-of-a-Kind Wildflower Earrings with Old-Mine Diamonds, Price Upon Request, brentneale.com
Dezso East-West Set Marquise-Cut Diamond Ring, Price Upon Request, dezsosara.com
Elie Top Cécile Earrings, Price Upon Request, elietop.com
Selim Mouzannar Beirut Rosaces Diamond Ring, $7,760, selimmouzannar.com
KWIAT Collet Round-Cut Diamond Necklace, $11,400, brokenenglishjewelry.com
Kelty Pelechytik 2.08-carat Diamond Beth Ring, $19,200, keltypelechytik.com
Lauren Addison Diamond Ring, Price Upon Request, laurenaddison.com
Marlo Laz Natasha Diamond Bracelet, $24,400, marlolaz.com
Rahaminov Diamonds Fancy Brown Diamond Ring, Price Upon Request, rahaminov.com
(Bottom) White Space Jewelry Touch Diamond Stack Ring, Pavé, $2,965, whitespacejewelry.com. (TOP) Diamond Nesting Cuff Ring, $1,760, whitespacejewelry.com
