Marcel Tolkowsky
Encyclopedia
Marcel Tolkowsky was a member of a Belgian
family of diamond cutter
s and an engineer by education. He is generally acknowledged as the father of the modern round brilliant diamond cut
. Many of his family have gone on to become noted diamond cutters, including his cousin Lazare Kaplan
and his great nephew Gabi Tolkowsky
.
In 1919, he developed the American Standard (also known as the American Ideal Cut, Tolkowsky cut, and Tolkowsky Brilliant), which is the diamond
-cutting benchmark in North America
. It was derived from mathematical calculations that considered both brilliance and fire of the stone. Marcel Tolkowsky found that if a diamond
was cut too deep or shallow then light would escape out the sides or bottom of the diamond resulting in a loss of brilliance (white light reflected up through the top of a diamond), fire (colored light reflected from within a diamond), and sparkle (combination of fire and brilliance). The design was published in 1919 by Tolkowsky in his book Diamond Design. The original model was intended to be a set of general guidelines; several aspects of a diamond's cut had not been accounted for or explored. Later modifications of round brilliants differ in minor ways.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
family of diamond cutter
Diamond cutting
Diamond cutting is the art, skill and, increasingly, science of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. Cutting diamond requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques because of its extreme difficulty....
s and an engineer by education. He is generally acknowledged as the father of the modern round brilliant diamond cut
Diamond cut
A diamond cut is a style or design guide used when shaping a diamond for polishing such as the brilliant cut. Cut does not refer to shape , but the symmetry, proportioning and polish of a diamond...
. Many of his family have gone on to become noted diamond cutters, including his cousin Lazare Kaplan
Lazare Kaplan International
Lazare Kaplan International Inc. is a diamond manufacturing and distribution company based in New York City. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is Maurice Tempelsman.- Business activities :...
and his great nephew Gabi Tolkowsky
Gabi Tolkowsky
Gabriel S. "Gabi" Tolkowsky is one of the world's most renowned diamond cutters, the sixth generation of the Tolkowsky family to make his name in the trade. He is the great nephew of Marcel Tolkowsky, the father of the modern round brilliant diamond cut.-Family history:In the 1800s Abraham...
.
In 1919, he developed the American Standard (also known as the American Ideal Cut, Tolkowsky cut, and Tolkowsky Brilliant), which is the diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
-cutting benchmark in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It was derived from mathematical calculations that considered both brilliance and fire of the stone. Marcel Tolkowsky found that if a diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
was cut too deep or shallow then light would escape out the sides or bottom of the diamond resulting in a loss of brilliance (white light reflected up through the top of a diamond), fire (colored light reflected from within a diamond), and sparkle (combination of fire and brilliance). The design was published in 1919 by Tolkowsky in his book Diamond Design. The original model was intended to be a set of general guidelines; several aspects of a diamond's cut had not been accounted for or explored. Later modifications of round brilliants differ in minor ways.