A Visual Guide to Gem Cuts

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” and a beautiful gemstone keeps true to this timeless verse. The history of gemstones is rich and is an intrinsic part of the history of mankind too. The process from mining to wearing a gemstone is quite elaborate and requires some skilled craftsmanship before that twinkling diamond adorns your hand.

Gemstones, or gems, are products of the Earth and sea. Thus, they are almost always too crude and need refining to make a beautiful specimen. This process of cutting, shaping, polishing, and related procedures employed to bring out the intrinsic beauty of a raw gemstone is known as "Lapidary," and the people who cut and shape gemstones are called Lapidarists.

What Lapidary does

The essential principle of Lapidary is to beautify a gem. Skilled Lapidaries will determine the best way to cut and shape a crude gemstone to impart maximum brilliance and beauty. This is done in two ways:

• Bring out the intrinsic beauty of the gem.
• Reduce the inherent flaws of the gem.

The cut is made in such a way that evens out the color, removes inclusions, and imparts maximum brilliance to the gem as possible. Perfection isn't attainable, but the extent to which it is achieved determines the excellence of a Lapidarist. Every gem has distinctive physical properties like original size, hardness, cleavage, refractive index, etc., which are the primary constraints in the cutting process. The gem cannot be fashioned into a particular shape if not supported by these properties.

A few prominent Gem Cut styles

The Brilliant Cut

The name is an explicit giveaway of what this cut comprises, i.e., brilliance. A brilliant cut is given whenever the primary motive is to make the gem shine as loud as possible. This is achieved by sculpting either triangle or kite-shaped facets to maximize internal reflection and collect and send all the light through the table surface. A Facet is a flat surface that is made on a gem, and a geometrical arrangement of such facets placed expertly produces the brilliance and scintillation of a brilliant cut. A round shaped brilliant cut is the most popular cut adopted by many gem cutters for high quality gems.

• The brilliant cut is most favoured for the diamond, which helps the gem’s natural high fire to sparkle further.

The Step Cut

The defining feature of a step cut is the presence of rectilinear facets running parallel to the girdle of the gemstone. These facets meet at the bottom of the gem to form a straight line, termed a keel, rather than a culet. The keel may be preferably faceted for durability.

Step Cut is best for producing a subtle gleam in the gemstone that shows off its actual color. A basic step-cut gemstone has a rectangular shape when viewed from the top, but a few other versions also exist. The corners may be rounded, or the shape may entirely be an oval instead of a rectangle. Click here to find natural Step Cut gemstones online at affordable prices online from GemPundit.

• A Step Cut Transparent Zircon stone in an Octagon Shape. Notice the gleam in the gem body.

The same Zircon gemstone as above. The picture on the left shows the crown, while the pavilion is seen on the right. Notice the parallel rectilinear facets.

The Mixed Cut

A brilliant-cut maximizes the brilliance, while a step cut brings out the best color. These two styles are mixed by giving the crown a brilliant cut, and the pavilion can be step-cut or vice versa.

• A Ruby specimen with a mixed cut.

The Ruby gemstone from above. This Ruby has a brilliant cut on the crown (left), and has a step-cut pavilion (right). Notice the difference in the shapes of the facets.

The Baguette Cut

A baguette-cut gemstone is perfectly rectangular, with sharp edges and two edges much longer than the other two. Being one of Hollywood’s favorites, one can frequently find celebrities adorning Baguette-shaped jewelry over the red carpets.

• A favourite of the Hollywood, the baguette cut is a rectangle shaped, step cutting style. The Diamond above has been Baguette-cut.

The Emerald Cut

A classic style, the name is derived from the preference of Emerald lovers to carve their stones in this shape. An Emerald cut has a rectangular shape, but the corners are clipped giving the gemstone 8 edges when looked from the top.

• The emerald cut got its name due to the massive popularity of Emerald gems which were cut using this style.

• Notice the two edges being lengthier than the other pair.

The Asscher Cut

Asscher cut gemstones are square shaped but have clipped corners like an emerald cut. The clipped corners are due to extra facets at the corners, and a distinctive “hall of mirrors” effect results from this arrangement.

An Emerald style cut on a diamond. The rectilinear facets are step-cut, running parallel to each other. The Diamond has equally lengthed edges, but the corners are clipped giving it 8 edges. The facets along the corners are also modified accordingly.

• An exquisite Asscher cut Diamond in its complete glory.

The Princess Cut

A variation of the brilliant cut, this version is perfectly square-shaped when viewed from the top with sharp edges. Combining the perfect square shape with brilliant cutting style lends a gemstone with incredible sparkle and shine, while also utilising the maximum amount of raw gemstone.

A Princess Cut Diamond. While Asscher Cut and the Carre Cut employ the step-cutting style for a sublte shine, the princess cut uses the brilliant cutting method to magnify a Diamond’s fire.

The Ceylon Cut

This cutting style is a mixed-cut, with a brilliant cut for the crown and a step cut for the pavilion. This style deepens the gem's color and makes it look more luxurious.

• A Ceylon Cut Blue Sapphire.

The Blue Sapphire has been cut in the Ceylon style. The Shape is Oval, with a Brilliant cut (left) for the crown of the sapphire, and an oval step cut pavilion (right) with curved facets which still are parallel to each other.

The Cabochon Cut

The Cabochon cut has a polished, domed top without any facets over a flat bottom. This cut is preferred for gemstones with Chatoyancy or Asterism features. Opaque gemstones are also cut in Cabochon style, which gives them a fuller look.

• A Star Ruby cut in Cabochon style. The six ray asterism on a star Ruby is distinctly visible due to the Cabochon cut.

Which gem cut is the best?

Each of the Cuts was created and evolved because of some distinct characteristics. There is no particular “best” out of the lot, and one can use a cutting style depending upon the requirements and the properties of a gemstone. For example, one can use a brilliant cut for the better scintillation and brilliance, or a barion cut if the raw gem is of a good size and has imperfections.

Celebs flaunting gemstones

• Kate Middleton wearing the precious Blue sapphire ring once adorned by Princess Diana. The Central Blue Sapphire is Oval Cut and surrounded by priceless diamonds, making it a timeless piece of art. Image Credits: Daily Express

• Elizabeth Hurley sporting her Blue Sapphire ring. The gorgeous lady has an equally beautiful blue sapphire ring, with the central stone styled in an Asscher Cut. Notice the perfect square shape with clipped corners, with diamond side stones. Image credits: Pop Sugar

• A still from the American fantasy Television series Lucifer. The lead, Tom Ellis, can be seen portraying the character of Lucifer while sporting a Black Onyx signet ring fashioned in a Step Cut style. Image credits: Imdb

The Art of Lapidary

Lapidary is among humanity's oldest disciplines, with an incredible story of evolution to reach its modern form. Advancement in science has led to numerous fancy-cutting styles. Today, digital machines help Lapidarists plan and perform complex gem cuts that can transform a raw, dull gem into one of Earth's most scintillating gifts. The skill this process demands indeed qualifies Lapidary as a true art form.

Find Exquisitely cut gemstones at your doorstep

Skilled gem cutters are often hard to find, but GemPundit provides gemstones beautifully cut and shaped with the highest precision and quality, that too at one’s doorstep. Explore an online range of natural gemstones fashioned by skilled craftsmen, which are sure to leave one spellbound by their beauty and mystical properties. Be it Ruby, Sapphire, emerald, or healing gemstones, one can buy certified natural gemstones from anywhere in the world at affordable prices.

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