The first emerald cut stones date back pretty far into the history of diamond cutting. The term “emerald cut” wasn’t first officially used until the Art Deco era and the cut wasn’t standardized until 1940, but the emerald cut goes way farther back than that. Sometime in the 1500s, cutters evolved the table cut into an early version of what we know as the emerald cut. It was first established as a way of cutting actual emerald stones with less pressure, but the technique was quickly applied to all gemstones. Emerald cuts are rectangular or square, with a large table and deep pavilion. Facets run parallel to the girdle and create the classic step cut illusion and draw the eye inward.