Exquisite craftsmanship and understated elegance have given this ancient cut a new lease on life, especially among ring designers.
With its origins in ancient Indian jewelry-making, the portrait-cut diamond resembles a thin sheet of glass with delicate facets surrounding a large, open table, consuming almost the entirety of the crown. The result is a very shallow, step-cut stone — one historically used to visually enhance and protect miniature paintings, acting as a window to the image below.
Celebrity rings are a sure-fire signal of a new trend, with modern interpretations of the portrait-cut diamond becoming ever more visible. One such example can be seen in actress Rooney Mara’s hexagonal, portrait-cut diamond engagement ring, while Los Angeles-based jeweler Single Stone features similar pieces in its Wyler range, each displaying the beauty of its eponymous single stone designs.
Often at the forefront of trends in diamond jewelry, celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz has also got in on the act. Her specialty is gargantuan, headline-worthy gemstones, and the examples of her portrait-cut diamond rings are no exception. In May last year, media personality Kendall Jenner showcased one of her designs at the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) gala reception during the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. But this wasn’t a first outing for Schwartz’s designs; a whole three years earlier, she’d flaunted one of the jeweler’s eye-catching portrait-cut rings over Instagram, garnering more than 1.2 million likes.
Universal appeal
Established by New York designer Eva Zuckerman and her business partner and long-time friend, Ann Gorga, the Eva Fehren fine jewelry collection’s modus operandi is to create chic, contemporary pieces, inspired by urban patterns. The portrait-cut diamonds the brand employs complement this minimalist aesthetic perfectly, with examples evident in several of its designs. These include its Undercover range, which features portrait-cut diamonds set in both rose and blackened white gold rings.
Paradoxically, the cut also hits the mark for rare and unique antique diamond jewelers such as Grace Lavarro of Los Angeles-based Jewels by Grace.
Why do portrait-cut diamonds excite her? “I have always found [them] to be incredibly unique and beautiful in their own way — like looking down on a limpid body of water. And, while I am a lover and collector of more traditional [cuts], I can’t overlook the sheer beauty of these flat, almost glass-like diamonds, and the technical prowess that must go into cutting and faceting these gems,” she says.
Understated beauty
The lack of brilliance this cut offers can appeal to those who want to avoid conveying any sense of high expense. Truly, the value of a portrait-cut stone is in its exquisite craftsmanship, rather than carat weight; it’s also the perfect way to present extraordinary diamond clarity. The appeal is timeless, with the cut looking both ancient and modern simultaneously.
Beverly Hills jeweler Anup Jogani certainly buys in to the allure. “Our aesthetic has always been a homage to the past — particularly a nuanced take on the rings of the renaissance era. We love the simplicity and elegance of…portrait cuts emblazoned with barely-there metal and a supporting structure that is geometric and designed to be an extension of the gem,” he says.
Simply designed, large solitaire rings showcase this cut best, and to its greatest potential. Rarely used in earrings, bracelets or necklaces, these diamonds are genuinely worn for the pleasure of the wearer rather than to be noticed by others.
Main image: Jewels by Grace ring set with a portrait-cut diamond.
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