Gemstone Cuts & Shapes

Antique Cushion Cut Diamond Ring.

A History Of Diamond Cutting

This article gives an overview of the history of diamond cutting. For detailed descriptions of the different diamond cuts see ...
Read More
6.79 Carat French-Cut Diamond, Angeled View.

Adamantine Luster

Adamantine is the term used to describe the luster exhibited by diamonds and gems with a Refractive Index of 1.9 - 2.5. The root word adamant ...
Read More
3.30 ct. Asscher-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring.

Asscher Cut

In 1902 the Dutch diamond cutter Joseph Asscher developed the cut that would carry his name on into the future ...
Read More
Art Deco Baguette Diamond Ring.

Baguette Cut

The baguette cut represents an elongated, rectangular table cut. The modern version, as in the ring on the right, was (re)introduced ...
Read More
Jadeite Bi Earrings with Chinese Character Center.

Bi

 A bi (from Chinese) is jadeite discoid with a central hole. These doughnut-shaped gem disks are used for pendants, bracelets and earrings ...
Read More
Brilliant-Cut Diamond Ring.

Brilliant Cut

Diamonds as We Know Them When we think of a diamond, most of us will form an image in our ...
Read More
Mid-Nineteenth Century Fuschia Design Diamond Brooch with en Tremblant Stems Suspending Detachable Briolette Cut Diamonds. Photo Courtesy of Christie's.

Briolette Cut

Edwardian Garland Motif Pendant Suspending a Briolette Cut Diamond. Briolettes are drop shaped, multi faceted stones. They are unique in ...
Read More
Diamond Bruting Machine - Rounding 2 Diamonds by Grinding them Together as They Spin.

Bruting

Bruting is a process in diamond cutting that establishes the girdle outline. Once the height and width of the diamond are determined, it is ...
Read More
Edwardian Rose Cut Diamond Natural Pearl Calibre Ruby Ring Circa 1900.

Calibré

Calibré refers to gemstones cut precisely to fit a specific design. Usually, calibré cut stones are rectangular or square but can be ...
Read More
Victorian Shell Cameo Depicting Archangel Michael Slaying Satan.

Cameo

A cameo is a glyptograph or bas-relief carving, (the opposite of the technique used in intaglios) usually depicting a scene or portrait, for ...
Read More
Victorian Garnet and Diamond Pendant.

Carbuncle

A large almandine garnet that is cut en cabochon. These deep purplish-red garnets were popular in Victorian jewelry. Victorian Garnet and Diamond Pendant ...
Read More
The Cleaving Directions in an Octahedral (left) and Dodecahedral (right) Diamond Crystal.

Cleavage

DefinitionThe ability of a material to split along a certain plane or planes with weak atomic bonding. A crystal structure ...
Read More
Crown, Girdle, Pavilion

Crown-Gemstone

Crown, Girdle, Pavilion.The crown of a gemstone refers to the part above the girdle ...
Read More
Antique Cushion-Cut Diamond Ring.

Cushion Cut

Cushion cut is a sexy and romantic name for a squarish ("cushionesque") antique brilliant-cut diamond, sometimes referred to as an ...
Read More
6 Loose Diamonds in Different Cuts.

Diamond Cutting & Grading

Diamond CutsMain Article  Gems & Gemology: The Quarterly Journal of the Gemological Institute of America Diamond Cutting & Grading: Summer 1936, ...
Read More
Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring

Emerald Cut

The Emerald Cut is a rectangular step cut design which means it has horizontal facets which differ in angles of ...
Read More
Sapphire Cabochon Ring.

En Cabochon

Imperial Jadeite and Diamond Art Deco-Style Ring.The phrase en cabochon (from French: knob) is the term applied to a gemstone ...
Read More
7.41 Carat European-Cut Diamond Drop Earrings

European Cut

Diamonds cut in the later 19th and early 20th-century cutting houses are called 'Old European Cuts', a term which indicates ...
Read More
The Crown is Comprised of the Table, Main, Star and Girdle Facets.

Facet

Definition A facet is a flat, planar surface ground onto a gemstone or diamond. Facets can be produced in many shapes and sizes ...
Read More
Four C's

Four C’s

Diamonds, by nature of their unique characteristics, can be evaluated much more precisely than other gems. Their extreme hardness allows ...
Read More
6.79 Carat French-Cut Diamond, Top View.

French Cut

Art Deco French-Cut Diamond Straightline Bracelet.The term "French Cut" does not refer to the country of origin, rather It refers ...
Read More
Crown, Girdle, Pavilion

Girdle

Crown, Girdle, PavilionThe band on a faceted stone, around the widest circumference, which creates the separation of the crown and ...
Read More
Glyptography

Glyptography

Cross Inscribed on Steatite c. 2300-1950 BC. © Trustees of the British Museum. Glyptography comes from the Greek word glyptos which means ...
Read More
Shell Cameo Habille with Earring, Necklace and Diadem, Set with Diamonds. Circa 1920's.

Habille

A habillé is a cameo in which jewelry, earrings, for instance, is incorporated in the portrait. These highly collectible cameos came in ...
Read More
Swedish Heart-Shaped Diamond Ring.

Heart Shape

Heart-Shaped Diamonds.Main Article   ...
Read More
Jade Hololith Ring. Image Courtesy of Christie's.

Hololith Ring

A hololith ring is a ring which is cut from a single, solid mineral. Many jade and chalcedony rings are cut this way. Jade Hololith Ring.Image Courtesy ...
Read More
Victorian Onyx Intaglio Ring.

Intaglio

Intaglio is a technique which dates back to antiquity and is still in use at present. Patterns, designs or - ...
Read More
Hardstone Cameo Brooch made in Sweden.

Lapidary

A lapidary is a person who cuts or carves and polishes gemstones, stone, minerals and other hard materials excluding diamonds. Lapidaries render decorative ...
Read More

Laser

Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. A powerful, coherent, straight-line beam of light, very ...
Read More
Art Deco Lozenge Shape Diamond and Sapphire Ring.

Lozenge Shape

A lozenge-shaped diamond is one that is rhomboid in outline. This geometric outline is also known as "diamond" shaped, but ...
Read More
Natural Diamond Macle, by Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Macle

Diamond Macle.Macle is a gemological term referring to triangular shaped twinned crystals of diamond rough. Macles are usually quite flat but are ...
Read More
Marquise-Cut Diamond.

Marquise Cut

The Marquise Cut (a.k.a. the Navette Cut after the Latin 'navalis', meaning boat-shaped) can be traced back to Paris around ...
Read More
Pink, Yellow and Light Brown Diamond Melée. Photo Courtesy of Bonhams.

Melée

The term melée is used to indicate very small cut stones, usually used as side stones around a bigger center ...
Read More
Around the Same Time Diamond Cutting Began in Europe the Indians Started Fashioning Diamonds. Who Influenced Who Here Isn't Clear but it is a Fact that the Designs Produced Differ a Lot From Each Other. The Best Known Indian Cut is the Mughal Cut, Accurately Described by J.B. Tavernier in his Book 'Six Voyages'.

Mughal Cut

Around the Same Time, Diamond Cutting Began in Europe the Indians Started Fashioning Diamonds. Who Influenced Who Here Isn't Clear ...
Read More
1,109-Carat Diamond, Lesedi La Rona, from the Lucara Mine, Botswana. Photo Courtesy of the New York Times.

Naif

A Naif is the outer surface of an unpolished and uncut diamond. When cutting a diamond a small bit of this ...
Read More
Victorian Navette Shaped Pearl and Diamond Ring.

Navette

Navette is another term to describe a marquise shaped gemstone or jewelry contour. Pointed at both ends with equally curved sides, the ...
Read More
Intaglio Coat-of-Arms.

Nicolo

Egyptian Nicolo Intaglio, Second Century AD.The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nicolo is a cameo or intaglio that is carved in onyx in such a way that ...
Read More
Opus Sectile (Marble Floor Inlay) from the Hadrian's Villa (Piccole Terme) Near Tivoli in Italy.

Opus Sectile

Opus Sectile is a mosaic style where slabs of stone are shaped and fitted together as a jigsaw puzzle. It ...
Read More
Oval Fancy Deep Brownish Yellowish Orange. Diamond with Two Pair of Marquise-Cut Side Stones.

Oval Shape

Oval Diamond Three Stone Ring.Main Article   ...
Read More
Crown, Girdle, Pavilion

Pavilion

Crown, Girdle, Pavilion.The pavilion is the part of a gemstone below the girdle ...
Read More
Pear-Shaped Diamond.

Pear Shape

Pear-shape refers to the shape of a faceted gemstone that comes to a point at one end and is rounded at the opposite ...
Read More
3rd Century, Roman "Pointed" Diamond Ring. © The Trustees of the British Museum.

Point Cut

Natural PointsA Natural Octahedronby Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0 Diamonds crystallize in various forms of which the octahedral and dodecahedral ...
Read More
Princess Cut

Princess Cut

Being one of the more modern diamond cuts the Princess Cut is often indicated as being a square brilliant but this is ...
Read More
Radiant-Cut Diamond.

Radiant Cut

Radiant-Cut Diamond.Main Article   ...
Read More
Georgian Floral Motif Diamond Engagement Ring.

Rose Cut

Rose-Cut Diamonds: Their Beauty and AllureEarly "diamond cuts" were essentially diamonds altered with only minor changes and a light polishing before being ...
Read More
5 Petal Rosette Composed of Diamonds Cut to Form this Shape.

Rosettes

Rosettes are floral depictions built up out of several diamonds. They were used to make the most out of small ...
Read More
Victorian Egyptian Revival Scarab Ring.

Scarab

A scarab is a beetle and was a recurring motif in Ancient Egypt. Ancient, as well as contemporary renditions in ...
Read More
Round Brilliant-Cut Exhibiting Scintillation.

Scintillation

Scintillation is the term that describes the flashes of light reflected off the facets of a gemstone as it moves. Victorian Cluster Ring with ...
Read More