Buying Guide
Old Mine Cut Diamonds: The Antique Cut, Grown Today
The old mine cut is the candlelit ancestor of the modern cushion — a hand-cut shape with a high crown, a small table, and a large open culet that gives it a soft, warm flash instead of sharp sparkle. This guide covers what an old mine cut diamond actually is, how it differs from the old European cut and a modern cushion, and how to buy one lab-grown without the antique price or the antique guesswork.
By the Sula Bridal team · Updated June 22, 2026
What is an old mine cut diamond?
An old mine cut diamond is a hand-cut antique diamond shape from the 1700s to the early 1900s, with a soft cushion outline — squarish, rounded corners — a high crown, a small table near 40%, and a large open culet that shows as a small window at the dead center of the stone when you look straight down.
Because it was cut by eye and meant to be seen by candlelight, an old mine cut returns light in broad, warm flashes rather than the fine, sharp sparkle of a modern brilliant. Sula’s old mine cuts are lab-grown and cut in this antique manner — the look of a candle-era stone, IGI certified and grown, not a salvaged antique.
Old mine cut vs old European vs modern cushion
The three are easy to confuse. The fastest tell is the outline and the center of the stone: an old mine cut is cushion-shaped with a big open culet; an old European is the round version of the same antique faceting; a modern cushion is square-ish but cut for maximum sparkle with no visible culet.
| Old Mine Cut | Old European Cut | Modern Cushion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outline | Soft cushion (squarish) | Round | Cushion (squarish) |
| Culet | Large, open — visible window | Large, open — visible window | Closed — none visible |
| Table | Small (~40%) | Small (~40%) | Larger |
| Facets | Few, chunky | Few, chunky | Many, fine |
| Light return | Broad, warm flashes | Broad, warm flashes | Bright, sharp sparkle |
| Era | c. 1700s–1900s | c. late 1800s–1930s | Modern |
The antique look, grown in a lab
An original old mine cut is a natural diamond cut a century or more ago, and genuine ones are scarce and inconsistent. Sula’s are different in one important way: they are lab-grown diamonds cut in the old mine style. You get the antique character — the open culet, the high crown, the warm candlelit flash — in a stone that is IGI certified, D–F color, VVS clarity, and priced like the rest of our lab-grown range. It is the look of a candle-era diamond without the estate-market guesswork, and with none of the antique premium.
We are specific about this because it matters: these are new diamonds, honestly described. We never present a lab-grown stone as a salvaged or period antique.
Old mine cut variants
Cushion — the classic old mine outline: a soft square with rounded corners. The most recognizable antique silhouette and the truest old mine cut — the old mine cushion cut diamond most people picture.
Elongated cushion — the same faceting drawn slightly long, for a finger-lengthening shape that keeps the antique culet and warmth.
Round — a rounded old mine cut; a round outline carrying the chunky antique faceting and open culet. (A purely round antique cut is also called an old European cut.)
Three-stone — an old mine cut center flanked by tapered baguettes, pairing antique warmth at the center with clean step-cut shoulders.
How to choose: metal and setting
Metal. Old cuts were designed for warm metals. Yellow and rose gold flatter the stone’s warm flash; white gold reads cooler and more contemporary. Sula cuts every old mine ring in 14K or 18K gold across yellow, white, and rose.
Setting. A four-prong solitaire keeps the focus on the antique geometry. A bezel — full or half — protects the girdle and suits the low-profile, vintage register the cut is known for. A three-stone setting frames the center with baguettes for a more decorated, period look.
Shop old mine & old European cut rings
Every stone below is lab-grown, IGI certified, and made to order in 14K or 18K gold. Prices start at $1,700.
Old mine cut: common questions
What is an old mine cut diamond?
A hand-cut antique shape from roughly the 1700s–1900s: a soft cushion outline with a high crown, a small table, and a large open culet visible at the center. It returns light in broad, warm flashes rather than sharp modern sparkle.
What is the difference between an old mine cut and an old European cut?
Outline. An old mine cut is cushion-shaped (squarish); an old European cut is round. Both share the high crown, small table, and large open culet of antique cutting.
Are old mine cut diamonds more expensive?
Natural antique ones can be. Sula’s are lab-grown and cut in the old mine style, priced like the rest of our range with no antique premium — from $1,700 in 14K gold.
Is a lab-grown old mine cut a real diamond?
Yes — crystallized carbon, IGI certified, D–F color and VVS clarity, grown in a lab and cut in the antique manner. It is a new diamond, not a salvaged antique.
Not sure which antique cut is yours?
Compare old mine, old European, and modern cuts side by side, or talk it through with us.