Diamonds have been set into jewellery since ancient times. The stones were probably worn as early as the sixth century BC, though the oldest extant examples date from Ancient Rome. During this period, however, the technology did not exist for cutting diamonds-the hardest substance on earth-and so the gems were set in their natural form, an octahedral crystal. Though not technically a cut since the diamond was largely unaltered from its natural state, these are now termed ‘point cut' diamonds.
Most old point cut diamonds were subsequently unset and re-cut, once technology advanced, over the following centuries, rendering any such jewel a remarkable survival.
It was not until the thirteenth century AD when the technology developed so that the first true diamond cut would be developed, known as the table cut.
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