1300s

In 1375, the first guild of diamond cutters and polishers (diamantaire) was formed in Nürnberg, Germany. The "Point Cut" was a major advancement during the latter half of the 14th century. The Point Cut follows the natural shape of an octahedron shaped raw diamond, eliminating waste in the cutting process.

During the mid 14th century improvements where made to the Point Cut by cutting off some of the octahedron's top half to create a "Table Cut." During this period, the culet was added to the pavillion of the Table Cut.

By the end of the 14th century, the addition of four corner facets created the "Old Single Cut" (aka Old Eight Cut). None of these early cuts showed a diamond's true brilliance or fire by taking advantage of the stone's high dispersion, and the cut stone would appear dark to the naked eye. It was for this reason the colored gemstones maintained their popularity over diamonds throughout this period.