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Discover how a group of enterprising Americans
made diamonds more beautiful.
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Table of Contents
Chapter I
Old World Roots of the American Cut
Chapter 2
Mechanization, Ingenuity and Henry Dutton Morse
Chapter 3
More Innovations and the Emergence of Optics
Chapter 4
Merchandising and the Early Years of the American Cut
Chapter 5
Tolkowsky, Shipley and GIA
Chapter 6
Putting It All Together
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In the book American Cut: The First 100 Years,
Al Gilbertson, G.G., chronicles the evolution of what is referred 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 soon sprang up in America, and, by 1900, Morse’s style of cutting was called the American Cut.
American Cut: The First 100 Years 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 Liddicoat.
This book will alter your understanding of how diamonds came to be cut the way they are today.
Paperback, 214 pp
$29.95
Order American Cut: The First 100 Years now!
“Bravo! I have heard references to Henry Morse and his cutting in Boston for years, but no one has written a scholarly study until now. Not only has this amazing story been written, but the historical record has been set straight. Thank you for this well-documented book.”
- Michael Goldstein, antique cut diamond dealer |
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About the Author
Al Gilbertson has had a notable career in the gem and jewelry industry for more than 30 years. He began cutting gemstones as a youngster in his father’s lapidary business in Tehachapi, California. He has worked as a custom gem cutter for a fine jewelry store, and operated a highly successful jewelry appraisal firm. He earned his Graduate Gemologist diploma (GIA) in 1979 and was one of the first to be given the title Independent Certified Gemologist Appraiser by the American Gem Society.
A member of the GIA Research Department, Gilbertson is part of the team that developed the GIA Cut Grading System for round brilliant diamonds introduced in 2006. He and his associates continue to research the visual aspects of diamond appearance and identify methods to quantify those aspects for other diamond shapes and cutting designs.
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