Diamond flanked solitaire, circa 1935.

This piece is in excellent condition.

The emerald-cut is a type of step cut, similar to the baguette, with a rectangular or square outline, truncated corners and stepped facets. A classic cut with a subtle beauty and elegance, emerald-cut diamonds display less fire than round brilliant cut diamonds but tend to have more dramatic flashes of light. This cut is reserved for stones of a very high quality and value, as low clarity and colour appear far more noticeable to the eye.

Although the style of cut was widely used for coloured stones throughout the Victorian period, it was only in the 1920s with the beginning of the new Art Deco style that the emerald-cut began to be used for diamonds. With the new fashion for clean lines and dramatic geometric shapes, jewellery designers required a corresponding style of diamond cut. Emerald-cut diamonds became very popular for engagement rings, particularly in solitaire diamond rings as they provide an effortless art deco look with minimal embellishment.