These two ‘facts’ have been repeated ad nauseam in articles discussing the history of the Brilliant and have consequently become widely accepted. The first having been a Venetian diamond cutter credited with the first true brilliant design and the second with similar credits. Most often the names of Vicenzio Peruzzi and Cardinal Jules Mazarin are encountered in these writings. Since the beginning of the 19th century, various historians have published views on the birth of the Brilliant. The First BrilliantsĪ lot has been written about how the Brilliant came into being. The now so-popular Rose Cut stones with their numerous little facets reflecting the candlelight in all directions needed to be complemented by something new, something bright and shiny. Diamond cutters in Europe had seen their arsenal of fashioning techniques evolve and their customers, the Baroque nobility, developed a taste for gems that sparkled in all colors of the rainbow and appeared brighter than ever before. Something changed during the 17th century. The other popular cut attempted to resemble the natural ideal: a crystal point that shows very limited brightness and was loved because of its shape and, when polished, surface reflection. Table Cuts showed some brightness but nothing like what we are so used to today. At the end of the Middle Ages, when diamond fashioning started, they weren’t cut to achieve spectacular light effects.
In fact, in the early days diamonds weren’t that pretty at all when looked upon with a modern eye. Their beauty was a secondary feature at best. They symbolized invincibility and were worn by rulers who saw their status reflected by this superior stone. In the ancient world, diamonds were coveted for their supreme hardness.
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