The Hortensia

(via Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry:1381-1910) Herbert Tillander writes:

The Hortensia, which was not actually given this name until the reign of Napoleon I, was initially mentioned in the French Crown inventory as being pink and pentagonal and weighing 21ct, but it is far more interesting than this bald description implies. IN 1787, Brisson described its outline as ‘a square with one corner off’, which was taken to mean that the rough from which it was originally fashioned was an octahedral crystal.

However, judging from the sixfold symmetry, it is quite obvious that the rough was dodecahedral. In fact, after a close inspection of the crown facets, I am now almost certain that the Hortensia Brilliant is a refashioned Naville Cut. This conviction is strenghthened by the knowledge that Parisian diamond cutters at the end of the seventeenth century specialized in refashioning obsolete cuts, in particular Tailles en Seize and larger Navilles, which is why these two cuts disappeared so rapidly.

The master cutter Alvarez may well have been responsible for recutting the Hortensia in 1678. With its dimensions of 19.5 x 21.6 x 8.7 mm, the stone was far too shallow to reflect light properly. By adding two rows of starlike facets round the culet, the cutter conjured beautiful reflections from the pavilion. The Polar Star, so highly praised for its magnificent reflections, is similarly fashioned.