Down the Rabbit Hole: Rare Diamond Cuts You've Probably Never Heard Of
Today I was writing about three new rings from Omi Privé that recently arrived at G Marie. We met Niveet Nagpal, President and Chief Gemmolier of Omi Privé, at Couture in Las Vegas and were inspired by his designs and passion for rare gemstones.
The Cut That Started It All
As I began to write about one of the rings, I noticed that it featured "Cadillac cut" diamonds and I started reading about them. It is a five sided, shield-shape diamond named for its resemblance to the classic car company's logo. It features a broad, flat top with sharply angled sides that taper to a single apex. They are prized in three stone rings as they sit beautifully next to a variety of center stone cuts because they extend the focus outward and make the ring appear bolder and more distinctive.
A Little More on the Cadillac Cut
The more I read, the more I fell for this one. It's technically a step cut, which means instead of the sparkly, fire-and-brilliance faceting you'd see on a round or cushion, it's cut with broad, flat planes that create a cooler, more architectural kind of sparkle...think hall-of-mirrors rather than fireworks. That's the same family of cutting used on emerald and Asscher cuts, so it makes sense that Cadillac cuts pair so effortlessly with those shapes as center stones.
Despite the name, there's no actual relationship between the diamond cut and the car company. Nobody at Cadillac is licensing the shape or getting a cut of the sale. It's simply an industry nickname, jeweler shorthand for a stone that looks like it belongs on the hood of something luxurious. And because it's historically been such a rare and specialty cut, it's the kind of detail that only the most discerning eye tends to notice...which, of course, is exactly why I couldn't stop reading about it.
While it's most at home as a side stone, flanking a bolder center stone in a three-stone setting, I'm seeing more of it stepping into the spotlight, too...as a statement stud, or the star of a pendant all on its own. Wherever it lands, it's a cut for someone who wants their ring to feel a little unexpected, a little architectural, and completely their own.
Then I Found the Ashoka Diamond
After the education about Cadillac cuts, I went down the rabbit hole of different and unusual cuts. My next stop was the Ashoka Diamond.
The Ashoka diamond is a patented, trademarked diamond cut created by the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation in 1999. It features 62 uniquely arranged facets, has exceptional, prismatic flash and brilliance and is famous for its elongated shape and softly rounded corners. It appears 50% larger than an emerald cut diamond of the same carat weight. Wait, what??? And less than 1% of rough diamonds are large or long enough to qualify for the cut.
So, About Those Three Rings...
Each of these three rings is crafted in platinum and features a unique cut and colored gemstone…a 3.4 carat oval Pariaba-type tourmaline with Cadillac cuts on the side, a 12.42 carat emerald cut bi-color tourmaline and a 1.26 carat cushion cut demantoid garnet.
The "Duet" with the Cadillac Cuts
This is the ring that started this whole rabbit hole. A 3.40 carat oval Paraiba-type tourmaline in that brilliant turquoise, slightly neon blue that Paraiba tourmalines are known for...and I promise you, the color is not enhanced. What you see is what nature gave us. It's surrounded by a halo of round Paraiba tourmalines, embraced by round brilliant cut diamonds, and then flanked by those shield-shaped Cadillac diamonds I couldn't stop reading about. It's called "Duet," and once you see the way the Cadillac cuts echo the shape of the center stone, you'll understand why.
The One-of-a-Kind Bi-Color Tourmaline
This one is a showstopper in the truest sense...a 12.42 carat emerald cut bi-color tourmaline, pink on one side and green on the other, set as the centerpiece of a completely one-of-a-kind platinum ring. What I love most is the intentionality here: the halo spinels shift color to match whichever side of the tourmaline they sit beside, pink spinels on the pink half, green demantoid garnets on the green half, and that same color story carries all the way down the shank. White diamonds tie it all together and make every colored stone pop that much harder. It's the kind of ring that dazzles from literally every angle you turn it.
The Demantoid Garnet "Duet"
Demantoid garnets are already one of the rarest and most valuable garnets you'll find, and finding one over a carat is rarer still. This one is a 1.26 carat cushion shaped demantoid, lush and verdant green, set in platinum with black rhodium and surrounded by a demantoid garnet halo. The undergallery features round brilliant diamonds for a little extra sparkle where you'd least expect to find it. She is, in every sense, a stunner.
Each is exceptional, and I could describe them with all kinds of flowery fluff and adjectives, but, at the end of the day…you just have to see them in person…try them on…feel the weight and witness the depth and sparkle of the stones…and THAT is when you will be left lacking words as well.
Worth the Detour
I started this post trying to write about three rings, and I ended up down a rabbit hole of diamond history I never expected to fall into...Cadillac cuts, the Ashoka, and a design philosophy so precise it color-matches spinels to opposite sides of a single tourmaline. But maybe that's the whole point. Every cut, every stone, every ring in this trio has a story behind it, whether it's a shape borrowed from a car logo or a century of craftsmanship distilled into 62 perfectly placed facets.
That's the thing about rare gemstones and rare cuts...the more you learn, the more there is to fall in love with.
So come sit with us, try them on, and let the light do what no amount of writing ever could. Explore our Omi Privé collection or other rare gemstone jewelry we carry at G Marie Luxuries.
