Multifaceted
It is the cut that fi rst brings a stone to life. An overview of the most common shapes.
BRILLIANT CUT
It is undisputedly the king of cuts and is what makes a rough diamond into a brilliant: the 56 intersecting facets on the round basic shape split white light into all colours of the spectrum (termed “fire”) and chase them to and fro through the stone until they are catapulted out of the carousel and delight our eyes. The Cut Scale of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ranges from “excellent” to “poor”. If the cut grade, symmetry and polish are of the highest quality, one speaks of “triple excellent”. At Beyer, only brilliant-cut diamonds with this rating are used.
EMERALD CUT
Like the baguette cut, the emerald cut is known as a step cut, in which parallel facets frame the stone. In the emerald cut, they are “broken” at the corners, which leads to the special octagonal stone shape.
CUSHION CUT
The cushion cut is recognisable by its antique-oval shape with rounded corners and the large facets that make for additional brilliance. Thanks to its bulbous character, it also reveals much of the stone itself. Or as we goldsmiths like to say: you can look deep.
BAGUETTESCHLIFF
Puristen mögen ihn, denn bei diesem Schliff geht es ganz und gar um die Ausstrahlung des Steins selbst. Ohne einander zu überschneiden und dadurch funkelnd um Aufmerksamkeit zu buhlen, bilden die Facetten lediglich einen Rahmen.
PRINCESS CUT
Multiple trapezoidal facets extend from the corners into the centre, creating a fanned-out X pattern. With its 57 cut surfaces, the princess cut is sometimes referred to as a square modified brilliant cut. And is considered the most modern and sporty-looking cut – it was only invented in its current form in 1979.
HEART, OVAL, NAVETTE AND PEAR CUT
They are often referred to as fancy cuts, though not in a pejorative sense: the modified brilliant cuts have established themselves as interesting alternatives to the classic brilliant cut and even make certain gemstones appear larger than they actually are.
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