Guide To Gem Cutting Styles Shapes

2/11/2019 A Guide to Gem Cutting Styles - International Gem Society
A Guide to Gem Cu ng Styles

by Donald Clark, CSM IMG, Phoebe Shang, GG
Step 1: Introduc on to Gemology Back to syllabus
L E S S O N 2 3
SUMMARY
While some cut names may describe the face-‐up shape of the finished gem, others refer to the shape and arrangement of the gem
facets. These cuts are also known as gem cu ng styles. The three most basic cu ng styles are brilliant, step, and mixed. For
example, a “round brilliant diamond” has a round shape but a brilliant cu ng style. Faceters can combine these styles to create man
different gem designs.
READING TIME: 9 MIN 36 SEC
A trilliant-‐cut smoky quartz, 8.92 cts, 14.05 x 14.05 x 8.69mm. Gem cu ng and photo by Peter Torraca. Used with permission.
Table of Contents [hide]
Step 1: Introduc on to Gemology

The Three Basic Gem Cu ng Styles
Brilliant Cut
Step Cut
Mixed Cuts
Shape and Style Combina ons
Rose Cut
Briole e Cut
Ceylon Cut
Barion Cut
Modified Cuts
Cabochon Cuts
Named Cuts
Portuguese Cut
“No Name” and “New Name” Cuts
Curved Facets
Fantasy Cut
Concave Facets
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/gem-cutting-terms/ 1/13
(1) Round brilliant, top view (2) Oval brilliant, top view (3) Rose cut, top view (4) Round brilliant, side view (5) Cushion brilliant, top view (6)
Rose cut, side view (7) Step cut, octagon (8) Pear brilliant, top view (9) Step cut, oblong (10) High cabochon, side view (11) Cabochon, side
view (12) Len l-‐shaped, side view. Gemstone Cuts. No known copyright restric ons.
The Three Basic Gem Cu ng Styles

Brilliant Cut
Brilliant cuts consist of triangular and kite-‐shaped facets that spread outward from the center of the gem. As befits its name, the brilliant cut gives off the most
scin lla on of any cut.
Round brilliant facet chart. Image by Jasper Paulsen. Licensed under CC By-‐SA
3.0.
Step Cut
Step cuts consist of rectangular facets that ascend the crown and descend the pavilion in steps. Examples of step cuts include emerald and bague e cuts. Thes
are popular because they show off the stone’s color and clarity and produce a subtle gleam.
Emerald cut. Image by Ducky. Licensed under CC By-‐SA 3.0.
Mixed Cuts
Mixed cuts combine step cut and brilliant cut styles. They have brilliant facets on the crown and step facets on the pavilion, or vice versa. Mixed cuts may even
combine cabbing and face ng techniques.
Mixed-‐cut oval citrine. Photo by Wela49. Licensed under CC By-‐SA 3.0.
Shape and Style Combina ons

Faceters can combine the above cu ng styles with almost any shape. For example, a square modified brilliant is a princess cut. A square step cut with beveled
corners is an Asscher cut. A square mixed cut is a Barion cut.
Step and mixed cuts apply to fancy shapes only. No step-‐cut or mixed-‐cut rounds exist.
Of course, you can also find varia ons within all shapes. A triangular gem can have many or few facets, much or li le brilliance and scin lla on, etc.
Rose Cut
While brilliant and step cuts currently enjoy the most popularity, the rose cut is a unique style important to gem-‐cu ng history. Da ng back to the 16th centu
the rose cut has a round, cabbed flat base and a faceted top. (Occasionally, you’ll see a gem with a faceted pavilion and a domed crown. However, this isn’t a
standard cu ng method).
Rose cut
Triangular facets rise to form a shape like a faceted mound. While the number of facets on each rose cut varies, the face-‐up shape is almost always circular. For
16th-‐century cu ers, roses maximized the use of flat rough and created gems with more brilliance than previously seen.
Rose cut facet chart. Fig. 157-‐160 round rose, 161 oval rose, 162 drop rose, 164 side view of rose. No known copyright restric ons.
However, this cut gives li le fire. It’s not nearly as bright as a modern brilliant. Over subsequent centuries, many jewelry owners had their rose-‐cut diamonds re
into more fashionable shapes. Of course, fashions do turn. Rose cuts are now making a comeback due to their vintage appeal.
Ear climbers in 18K yellow gold with rose-‐cut diamonds (approx. 3.23-‐ctw) and white brilliant-‐cut diamonds (approx. 0.20-‐ctw). Photo courtesy of Todd Reed, Inc.
Briole e Cut
Another notable vintage cut, the briole e is a faceted teardrop. It also resembles a fully rounded pear or a double-‐rose cut. During Victorian mes, jewelers o
drilled these then-‐popular gems to use as beads for pendants and earrings.
1900s topaz and diamond necklace with topaz briole e pendant. Photo by Naomi King. Licensed
under CC By 2.0.
Ceylon Cut
The Ceylon cut has a step-‐cut pavilion and a brilliant-‐cut crown. This ancient technique is s ll used in Sri Lanka. Studies have shown that the reverse, a step-‐cu
crown over a brilliant-‐cut pavilion, will o en produce the greatest brilliance.
Barion Cut
While a mixed cut, the Barion cut also deserves a category of its own. Essen ally, it places a round brilliant pavilion into a fancy shaped gem. It usually has a ste
cut crown as well. This typically results in far greater brilliance than other methods. However, Barion cuts can come in almost any shape and vary widely in the
facet arrangements.
A commercially cut, triangle-‐cut green zircon is recut into a custom Barion triangle by Peter Torraca. Barion cut and before and a er photos by
Torraca. Used with permission.
Some have brilliant facets on both crown and pavilion, while others have step cuts on the crown and brilliant cuts on the pavilion. Their unify
feature, which separates the Barion from mixed cuts, is the quarter moon facets located directly beneath its girdle.
The arrangement of Barion-‐cut facets also creates a characteris c cross-‐shaped pa ern at the center of the stone. Barions eliminate the bow
ex nc on effect. Also, since they tend to be deeper than other cuts, they allow cu ers to maximize rough and concentrate on color.
Barions with round brilliant pavilions, compared to other pavilion shapes, offer greater light discipline inside the gem. Such a gem can display
striking “fountain of light” effect.
Modified Cuts
Gem cu ers can modify brilliant, step, and rose cuts to maximize use of rough or create interes ng effects. The shape and facet types remain the same, but the
number and arrangement of facets may differ.
If cut differently from the standard, gems have the term “modified” added to their names. For example, “modified round brilliant” or “modified emerald cut.” Th
Barion is an excep on to the “modified” rule, because its name already embraces a variety of facet placement styles.
Please note that gem cuts in the brilliant style are always called brilliant cuts (for example, “round brilliant”), while gem cuts in the step style generally have spe
names a ached to them (for example, Asscher or emerald cuts).
A modified princess cut (named PrincessPlus) compared to a standard princess

cut. Public Domain.
Cabochon Cuts
Gems polished into domes are called cabochons or cabs. These types of gems date back to ancient mes and have remained popular in the centuries since.
Lapidaries cab certain gem species, such as opal and moonstone, to be er display visual effects such as play of color, cat’s eye, and asterism. In faceted gems,
these effects would be less visible. Some stones may be cut into cabochons because they’re lower quality or too opaque for face ng. Cabbing these stones wo
emphasize their color and luster rather than brilliance. So er gem materials may also receive cabochon cuts, since cabs don’t show scratches as easily as facete
gems do.
Cabochons usually have circular or oval shapes. Some mes, gem cu ers may give them square or rectangular shapes. In those cases, they will show creases.
Cabochons can be single cabs or double cabs. Typically, natural stones are polished into double cabochons to maximize weight.
Lake Superior agate cabochon, Minnesota. Photo by Astynax. Public Domain.
Named Cuts
New gem cuts are created every day.
In a checkerboard cut, a faceter cuts the gem with square facets, so its crown and table resemble a checkerboard. This cut is o en used on translucent stones.
A colorless 1.41-‐ct Mexican opal with a checkerboard top displays its play of color effect when illuminated. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.
The divine cut, a round cu ng style, allegedly gives a gem more sparkle, a higher perceived color grade, and a larger face-‐up appearance than
round brilliants.
The snowflake cut is another refreshingly beau ful new design.
As a group, these crea ve but less frequently seen cuts are known as named cuts. As technology advances, the number of named cuts increa
Gem lovers will always drive innova on. However, not all named cuts are new.
Portuguese Cut
A tradi onal named cut, the Portuguese cut has several ers of facets, which create a wonderful display of light. It has more scin lla on than
almost any other cut. As you can see from the photo below, the Portuguese requires many facets and considerable labor. These factors, in
addi on to the fact that the rough must have greater than normal depth, ensure that you’ll only see this cut occasionally.
Diaspore, 5-‐star Portuguese round, 10.90 cts, faceted by Stephen Kotlowski. ©
All That Gli ers. Used with permission.
“No Name” and “New Name” Cuts

Some cuts have no name at all. Some mes, faceters simply use a cut that fits a piece of rough, something that just “works.” The red gem below is a good examp
of this. It’s a simple cut with a radiant pavilion.
When the GemCad program was released in the 1980s, people were able to test their gem cu ng designs on a computer before taking a stone to a lap. This m
it easy for people to create new cuts. Today, there are thousands of new designs. Many of these newly named cuts are simply a means to standardize common
techniques. For example, someone may “design” the cut used on this red gem and save it with a computer program. They then have an established method for
cu ng it that can be referenced and used again. What was once a “no name” cut that just worked for one stone can now become a “new name” cut that could
work with other stones.
While most newly named cuts are just varia ons on standard cuts, some are unique. Indeed, there seems to be no end to the imagina on of our lapidaries. The
no limit to shapes or the number and arrangements of facets. Some new cuts are merging a variety of techniques. Below is a Barion cut gem with a parallelogra
outline.
Curved Facets
Flat facets aren’t the only technique available to today’s gem cu ers.
Fantasy Cut
A fantasy cut is a popular style of face ng. This technique uses large pavilion facets. Some simple grooves are used, which are mirrored throughout the pavilion
This ametrine is an excellent example of a fantasy cut gem.
Fantasy Cut Ametrine
Concave Facets
Hand cu ng isn’t the only way to make precise, concave facets. There are now face ng machines that can accomplish this. The gems are first cut tradi onally
flat facets. Then, they’re transferred to another machine for an addi onal set of concave facets. However, the extra labor required for this is so considerable th
this technique is unlikely to see widespread use. Nevertheless, as you can see from the picture below, the results are nothing short of spectacular. The brillianc
and scin lla on exceeds anything that can be done with flat facets alone.
There is no end to what a lapidary can do with gemstones. Keep your eyes open and you’re sure to see cuts that are totally unique.
There are always new designs and unusual shapes for gem cu ng.
About the author

Donald Clark, CSM IMG
Donald Clark, CSM founded the Interna onal Gem Society in 1998. Donald started in the gem and jewelry industry in 1976. He received his
formal gemology training from the Gemological Ins tute of America (GIA) and the American Society of Gemcu ers (ASG). The le ers "CSM"
a er his name stood for Cer fied Supreme Master Gemcu er, a designa on of Wykoff's ASG which has o en been referred to as the
doctorate of gem cu ng. The American Society of Gemcu ers only had 54 people reach this level. Along with dozens of ar cles for leading trade magazines
Donald authored the book "Modern Face ng, the Easy Way."
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About the author

Phoebe Shang, GG
A gem lover and writer, Phoebe holds a graduate gemologist degree from the Gemological Ins tute of America and masters in wri ng from
Columbia University. She got her start in gemology transla ng and edi ng Colored Stone and Mineral Highlights for a professor based in Shangha
Whether in LA, Taipei, or New York, Phoebe spends her me searching for gems to design and being lost in good books.
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2/11/2019 A Guide to Gem Cutting Styles - International Gem Society

A Guide to Gem Cu ng Styles

Step 1: Introduc on to Gemology Back to syllabus

READING TIME: 9 MIN 36 SEC

Table of Contents [hide]

Step 1: Introduc on to Gemology

The Three Basic Gem Cu ng Styles

Shape and Style Combina ons

A modiﬁed princess cut (named PrincessPlus) compared to a standard princess

“No Name” and “New Name” Cuts

Fantasy Cut Ametrine

About the author

All ar cles by this author

About the author

All ar cles by this author

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