The Shapes Of Your Gem Stone Jewelry

From: brilliant round diamond engagement rings. Diamonds in the rough are as ordinary as any regular stone, sometimes uglier. But once these are cut into shapes into the gem jewelry that we are familiar with, the transformation is simply magical. 

Gem Stones are usually cut to accentuate their brilliance, fire and color.

Cuts 

diamonds are mostly cut into familiar round shapes (round brilliant cut). Those that are not are known as ‘fancy cuts’.

Fancy cuts are the baguette (like the French loaf of bread), the marquise, the princess (square), briolette (rose cut), and the pear cut.

Today, newer cuts are introduced into the industry, perhaps to liven it up. These include the ‘cushion’, the ‘radiant’ (like princess cuts, only with rounded edges), and the ‘Asscher’ cut (square emerald cut).

Fancy-colored diamonds are mostly cut in these new styles. However, these fancy cuts are not held to the strict standards of diamond cuts. 

These precise standards were set by mathematician and gem enthusiast Marcel Tolkowsky. He calculated the exact angles and dimensions of the gem stone’s facets (surfaces) to reflect the most light and gives the diamond its famed brilliance.   

Fashion 

Like any other man-made ornament, diamond cuts are also heavily influenced by the fashion of the day. In the Art Deco period, the baguette (it accentuates a gem stone’s luster but plays down the fire) was the favorite.

Today, the princess cut is gaining popularity, mostly among younger women. It is a favorite among gem stone cutters because it uses most of the crystal in the original stone.

Since the past decades, there had been modifications of gem cuts. These new cuts are seen to be more on trying to adapt a brand differentiation rather than actual improvements.

Shapes