ometimes, all it takes is a picture to revive a centuries-old story. When in August 2025 Taylor Swift posted images of herself and her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, one detail immediately caught the eye of Swifties and jewellery enthusiasts alike: the elongated antique cushion-cut diamond on her finger. Within days, online searches for old cut diamonds had soared 10,000 per cent, propelling this ancient style into the spotlight.
Interviewed on London-based Heart Radio’s breakfast show in October 2025, Swift explained the story behind the ring: “He [Kelce] designed it with this amazing jeweller. Kindred Lubeck is her name. She does all of her gold engraving by hand. (…) I just thought her stuff was so cool. So I had shown him a video like a year and a half ago, and he was just paying attention to everything, it turns out, because when I saw the ring, I was like, ‘I know who made this, I know who made this’ and also, ‘you listen to me!’”.
Since being revealed as the designer of the singer’s engagement ring, interest in the goldsmith, hand-engraver and antique jewellery collector has skyrocketed (Europa Star Jewellery wasn’t able to get an interview). Born and raised in the coastal community of Neptune Beach, Florida, Lubeck—who has the Venetian blonde locks of a Simonetta Vespucci, allegedly the sitter for several Botticelli portraits—learned goldsmithing from her father. The geometric and floral patterns she hand-engraves in gold and platinum quickly earned her an audience on social media. By the time she moved to New York in 2024, Lubeck was at the head of her own jewellery studio, Artifex Fine, and had built up a loyal following, seduced by her antique-inspired aesthetic and choice of gemstones.
Modern diamonds, old cut
The “Taylor Effect” hasn’t been lost on Ravi Bhansali, CEO and Managing Director of Rosy Blue NV (see page 22). “She is an icon for Gen Z and for subsequent generations who are reaching an age for getting engaged,” he remarked. “Swift’s ring, with its elongated old cut diamond, prompted huge demand for engagement rings in that style. We’ve also observed increased interest in old cut contemporary diamonds, among American customers in particular, which I believe is part of this Taylor Swift effect, along with a rise in demand for oval and elongated cushion cuts.”
A cut perfected over centuries
Behind this latest trend is a cut that can trace its origins to a distant past. For thousands of years, men have sought to master one of the hardest natural substances: diamond. Until the eighteenth century, India was the only diamond-producing country, but Europe is where the art of diamond-cutting truly emerged. A diamond-cutters guild was established in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1357. A century later, in 1456, Lodewyk van Bercken of Bruges came up with a revolutionary innovation: a polishing wheel infused with a mixture of oil and diamond dust. Thanks to van Bercken’s invention, diamonds could now be sculpted into facets that would maximise the stone’s reflective properties.
This revolution gave rise to new shapes, including the celebrated rose cut. Composed of between three and twenty-four triangular facets arranged in a dome on a flat base, the rose cut would prove popular for centuries. In the nineteenth century, rose-cut stones were sometimes mounted on a foil: a thin layer of metal that reflected light back through the stone, thereby increasing its sparkle.
Over time, cutters looked for ways to optimise this reflection of light. The Mazarin cut appeared circa 1650. Widely considered the first brilliant cut, it was refined circa 1700 by the Venetian gem-cutter Vincenzo Peruzzi. However, the pivotal moment came in 1919, when the Belgian jeweller and mathematician Marcel Tolkowsky published his research into the ideal proportions for a diamond. Tolkowsky demonstrated that light reflection was optimal in a diamond with 57 facets (58 including the culet, the pointed facet at the base of the pavilion). The modern brilliant was born. By definition, any diamond that was cut before these standard parameters were established comes under the heading “old cut”.
Beyond trends that come and go, certain diamond and jewellery dealers have always recognised the beauty of an old cut gem, the Faerbers among them. “I’ve been in this business for thirty years and we have always sold old cuts,” said Ida Faerber, director of the Faerber Collection and a member of the GemGenève Board of Directors. “The antique style had been back in fashion for a couple of years already, and more customers were asking for cushion-cut diamonds for engagement rings, but Taylor Swift has sent demand sky-high.”
Stones with a history
Much of these stones’ appeal lies with their unique nature. Unlike their modern counterparts, whose cuts are calculated with mathematical precision, antique diamonds were cut by hand and eye. “Genuine old cuts are rarely perfect. They each have something that’s unique to them,” Ida Faerber continued. “Customers are also drawn to the idea of a stone with a history. One that perhaps comes from a piece of jewellery or a ring worn by another fiancée, in a different century.”
Not only does this “perfect imperfection” seduce a generation in search of authenticity; choosing an antique stone reflects a contemporary concern for sustainability. Unlike a new diamond, an antique diamond does not require the mining of additional resources. For many customers, choosing an antique stone is a form of recycling, giving new life to something that already exists. Alongside aesthetic and ethical choices, practicality is another reason behind old cuts’ renewed popularity. “Most of the people who come to me ask for a flat stone,” Ida Faerber continued. “It used to be that we would mount diamonds in a claw setting, but when you’re working, or travelling, or leading a busy life, a ring that protrudes and can perhaps get snagged isn’t always practical.”
Old cuts also display a softer glow than the intense sparkle of a modern brilliant, as Faerber confirmed: “An old cut isn’t as showy as a brilliant. It tends to be more discreet, even larger stones. Certain old European cuts can resemble a brilliant, although we’re more likely to set them in a signet ring.”
Though often described as a cushion cut, particularly since Swift’s ring, historically, many old cuts have an asymmetrical shape. “Before Christmas, I sold a few flat stones that were neither really pears, nor cushions, nor ovals,” said Ida Faerber. “People were delighted. They felt they were buying something special, something they wouldn’t see on anyone else.”
The current craze for old cuts is taking place at a time when a massive influx of lab-grown diamonds has transformed the market for stones between 0.1 and 5 carats. Given the choice, certain customers are turning away from synthetic stones in favour of gems with a history. Among these, a beautiful old cut remains rare.
Paradoxically it is this rarity that is bringing new actors into the market. “When I started in the early 2000s,” Ida Faerber remarked, “we were maybe four or five dealers selling old cuts. Now everyone’s joining in. A lot of diamantaires, especially in India, are cutting modern stones in an old style, with lovely results.”
In a market where fashions are constantly changing, the old cut is a heritage from the past, rediscovered by a digital generation. All thanks to a photo online…
