American Cut: The First 100 Years

This book chronicles the evolution of what we refer to as the Ideal Cut from its earliest beginnings. It was known as the American Cut because of Henry Morse, a diamond cutter in Boston, who by 1873, with the help of his shop manager, built the first bruting machine to make a diamond perfectly round. Prior to this, diamonds were rarely cut as round shapes. Morse also made the first gauge to measure the angles of diamonds and through repeated experiments decided which angles were the best for the crown and pavilion. Cutting factories copying his methods soon sprang up in America, and, by 1900, Morse s style of cutting was called the American Cut. This book carefully documents others who also influenced the development and perceptions about the Ideal Cut, including Frank Wade, Herbert Whitlock, Marcel Tolkowsky, Robert Shipley and Richard T. Liddicoat.