Born into  a  Belgian  family  of  Diamond cutters  in  1899,  Marcel  Tolkowsky  was  surrounded by talk of the ‘perfect Diamond cut’.  He  studied  mathematics  and  engineering,  and  in 1919 wrote a thesis on the ideal proportions  for round brilliant cut Diamonds, and for the last  80 years many cutters have followed his exact  set  of  parameters. It  is  becoming  apparent,  however, that Tolkowsky detailed a whole range  of proportions, not limited to the ones depicted  in his original drawing. 

By  altering the relationship of the crown and  pavilion angles, Tolkowsky was one of the first  people to realise that there is a compromise to  be made between maximising the brilliance and  dispersion in a Diamond.

The  Tolkowsky  story  lives  on  today  through  Gabriel  Tolkowsky,  who  represents  the  sixth  generation of his family to be in the Diamond  cutting business. In 1985 Gabriel invented the  “flower cut” and in 1988 he was commissioned  by  “De  Beers”  to  cut  the  273ct  Centenary  Diamond,  which  is  reported  to  be  the  largest  flawless Diamond in the world. The delicate task  of cutting it took Tolkowsky over three years to  complete!