Understanding Gemstone Cuts and Shapes

One of the most important considerations when buying a new piece of jewelry that incorporates gemstones is the cute and style of the stone. While the quality of the stone makes a difference, the cut and shape make an arguably even more noticeable difference. If you choose the right cut you end up with a stunning piece of jewelry, but go with the wrong one and you’ll have a piece that you might not care for as much, or that won’t look as good as it could. 

Deciding on a Cut Technique

There are five different cut techniques that determine what a gemstone will look like in the end. It’s up to you to decide on the one that is going to look best for your needs. Below is an overview of the different cuts out there and which makes the most sense for your uses.

Fancy

This is actually a combination cut that relies on a few different cut types to create a specific shape in the stone. All those heart stones, princess cuts and the other specialty cuts are fancy cuts. They’re made to get rid of imperfections and typically remove sections of a stone that don’t look as nice as the rest does. 

Brilliant

A brilliant cut is designed to make a gemstone sparkle. It’s used most often on diamonds to give them that brilliant sparkle they are known for. It comes in a range of shapes, but generally has at least 17 facets on it. It’s possible to get a brilliant cut with as many as 58 facets though, and that will create even more shine and sparkle. This is the type of cut that you want on clear gemstones, and doesn’t look at nice on colored ones. 

Cabochon

A cabochon is a nice strong dome shape that’s cut into stones like opals that don’t benefit from facets. It makes the stone easier to maintain and create a beautiful dome look to it. This is a good option for darker stones. 

Mixed Cut

Mixed cuts are used to make popular specialty cuts as well, but they generally are a mixture of step and brilliant cuts to create things like pear shaped gems, or the cushion cut. 

There are a great deal of cut options to choose from, but it’s important to get one that’s going to match the gemstone that you want. That’s why you should consult with us here at Draper's Jewelry to learn more about your cut options and which type you like the best, before making that type of decision.