The Old World Cut is a category that includes the older cuts of diamond shapes that preceded the brilliant cuts. These cuts produce many of the shapes that we now use as symbols for diamonds. They tend to have large facets on the crown, with long, deep facets on the pavilion.

Good examples of the Old World Cut of diamonds are the Old Miner Cut, European Cut and the Rose cut. This type of cut has gained a resurgence of popularity in recent years as people learn the history of the diamond. This type of cut often has a large culet allowing the bright light of modern lighting to create the look of a hole in the bottom where the light leaks out. Candlelight is the ideal lighting for such cuts.