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Get to Know about ‘Ideal Cut’ Creator Marcel Tolkowsky


Sat 08 May 2021 | 04:28 PM
walid Farouk

Well-known mathematician Marcel Tolkowsky was able to scientifically establish the best formula to cut and polish a round brilliant diamond.

Tolkowsky was born on 25 December 1899 into a Jewish family of diamond cutters from Poland. His family moved and settled in Belgium.

Two of his family members became one of the best diamond cutters around the world, including his nephew, Gabi Tolkowsky, who created the 'Flower Cut' series, and Lazare Kaplan worked in the diamond industry in New York.

In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky developed the original round brilliant-cut which is considered one of the most popular diamonds in the world of jewelry.

His unique upbringing and PhD at the University of London helped him create the perfect formula for a diamond cut, as he concluded that in order to maximize a diamond’s brilliance, the rough stone needs to be cut into 58 perfectly proportioned facets.

Tolkowsky’s findings have been called the “American Ideal Cut” or “the Tolkowsky Brilliant” in the gemology industry.

According to Tolkowsky’s formula, the ideal cut consists of 58 perfectly proportioned diamond facets; 33 facets are on the crown or above the diamond’s girdle and the other 25 facets are located on the pavilion, known as the conical base of the diamond.

In 1940, he migrated to the United States where he worked in the diamond industry up until 1975 when he decided to retire. He died on February 10, 1991.

Up until today, diamond cutters around the world use his mathematical formula as guideline or reference when cutting a diamond.

In May 2019, the streets of the Belgian city of Antwerp celebrated the 100th anniversary of the great Tolkowski’s achievements.

Contributed by Omnia Ahmed