Making the Cut in Gemstones
The beauty of a gemstone is often directly proportional to the cut of the stone. A quality cut accentuates a gemstone’s beauty. But how do you know whether a gemstone has been cut to the highest quality?
Here’s what to look for:
- A quality cut highlights a gemstone’s color, reduces the appearance of inclusions and has good symmetry and proportion to it. With a lot of variance in color, it’s difficult to set precise standards on how to get the most brilliance or color in a gemstone. Rare gemstones can be cut to a particular size without consideration of its color. Corundum varieties such as sapphires and rubies, for example, are cut for the optimum weight rather than strictly for beauty. As a result, such cuts may reveal banded colors or streaks.
- A quality cut has facets that are symmetrical and reflect light evenly across the surface. In addition, the polish of the gemstone is smooth and has no scratches or nicks. Low-quality gemstones have asymmetrically-cut crowns.
- A quality cut in a gemstone with more saturated color may be shallower than average. That allows more light to penetrate the stone. A gemstone with less saturated color may be enhanced by a deeper cut.
- A quality cut in quality color gems, as in diamonds, generally has a crown, table, pavilion, girdle and cutlet. The one exception is an iridescent opal, which usually has a rounded cabochon cut.
Gemstones are found in their rough state in the earth and are then cut to enhance the naturally existing properties and to bring out their exquisite beauty.
