At Thomas Glover, we have a beautiful selection of rare and unusual antique and vintage diamond jewellery. Featuring diamonds cut by hand long before modern cutting techniques, each stone is beautiful and has its own character.
Diamond is the most celebrated gemstone in the world. Prized for its rarity and sparkle, the diamond has an exceptional ability to reflect light, producing a brilliance and fire unlike any other gemstone. It has a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, making it the hardest naturally occurring material known. The name diamond derives from the Greek adamas, meaning 'untameable' or 'invincible', a term used in antiquity to describe the hardest substance known to humankind, and which eventually became synonymous with the gemstone itself.
Art Deco Diamond 2 Stone Ring c.1925
Diamonds are composed of pure carbon, formed deep within the earth under extreme heat and pressure over billions of years. Though most commonly associated with colourless stones, diamonds occur naturally in a remarkable range of hues, including yellow, brown, pink, blue and green, and rarely even red. Their colour is influenced by trace elements or structural irregularities within the crystal lattice: nitrogen produces yellow tones, boron creates blue diamonds, while radiation can result in green hues. Pink and red diamonds owe their colour to rare distortions in the crystal structure during formation.
Until the early eighteenth century, India was the world’s only significant supplier of diamonds. The most highly prized stones came from the Golconda region, where diamonds were of exceptional whiteness and purity. Such stones were likened to water for their transparent appearance, a quality that distinguished them from later diamond supplies and contributed to their continued prestige.
Edwardian Diamond Drop Earrings c.1920
The Romans were known to have worn diamond rings, with a small number of examples containing uncut gemstones surviving today in the British Museum collection. Early circulation of diamonds in Europe depended on long-distance trade networks linking India with the Mediterranean world, with their movement facilitated by global exchanges involving Persian and Arab merchants. From the sixteenth century onwards, European intermediaries began to operate within expanding imperial systems, increasingly trading directly in India and bringing larger supplies of diamonds to Europe.
European diamond cutting originated in Venice around 1330. Cutting techniques were basic and early stones were minimally worked, retaining much of their natural crystal form. Early cuts include the table cut, followed by the rose cut. The rose cut was introduced in the 16th century and remained popular for over three hundred years. It featured a flat base and a domed top with triangular facets. It was followed by the old mine cut, the forerunner of the modern brilliant cut. The old mine cut was the dominant cut during the Georgian and Victorian eras, featuring a rounded square shape, a high crown, a deep pavilion, and a small table, designed to maximise brilliance in candlelight. This developed into the old European cut and then the modern round brilliant cut.
Victorian Diamond Gypsy Rings
The discovery of new diamond sources in Brazil in the eighteenth century, followed by major finds in South Africa in the late nineteenth century, fundamentally transformed the availability of diamonds. These developments marked a shift away from the long-standing Indian monopoly, reshaping global trade networks and making diamonds increasingly accessible within the European market. In the twentieth century, further significant deposits were found in Russia, Botswana, and Canada, each producing diamonds with different geological and optical characteristics. Greater availability broadened access to diamonds, allowing them to circulate among an increasingly wide range of consumers.
Among the world’s most famous diamonds is the Cullinan Diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905. At 3,106 carats in its rough form, it remains the largest gem-quality diamond ever found. It was cut into several stones, many of which now form part of the British Crown Jewels. Another legendary diamond is the Koh-i-Noor, believed to have originated in India and now set in the Queen Mother's Crown.
Victorian Champagne Diamond Pendant c.1890
Diamonds’ association with love and fidelity has made them the ultimate stone for engagements and marriage. The earliest written record of the use of a diamond in an engagement ring was in 1477 by a Dr. Moroltinger, who advised the future Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian to have a ring set with a diamond for his betrothal to Mary of Burgundy. This set an early precedent for the association between diamonds and betrothal, one that De Beers used in its 1947 'A Diamond Is Forever' marketing campaign, which transformed this practice into a widely accepted cultural belief.
Across the centuries, diamond jewellery has evolved alongside advances in cutting and setting techniques. Georgian diamonds were typically rose-cut and set in closed-back silver or gold mounts with foil to enhance their sparkle. Victorian pieces used old mine and old European cuts, paired with pearls or coloured gemstones. The Edwardian period introduced platinum, allowing for lace-like designs that showcased diamonds’ brilliance, set against pastel-coloured gemstones such as pink topaz and peridot. The Art Deco era favoured geometry, with diamonds cut into baguette or calibre shapes, and set against bold gemstones such as emeralds and zircon.
Vintage Oscar Heyman Diamond Eternity Band
At Thomas Glover, we are fortunate to offer antique and vintage diamond jewellery spanning these periods, with examples ranging from Victorian clusters to Edwardian eternity rings. If you would like guidance on selecting the right antique diamond, or wish to learn more about the history and characteristics of a particular piece, drop us a message and we would be very happy to help.
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