Types of gem stones: description, features and reviews

Jewelers are skilled craftsmen who can see a beautiful precious stone in a muddy fragment of a mineral and give it an excellent shape. Types of classical faceting of precious stones today are used by many masters of stone business and include three main types of cut - cabochon, circle and facet - which in turn are divided into 250 varieties. The specific type of treatment is selected by the jeweler depending on certain factors: the size and type of the mineral, its purity, hardness, optical properties and skills of the master himself.

Below is a list of types of gem cuts used by craftsmen around the world.

Cabochon

The most ancient type of cutting precious stones, in which the mineral is given a convex shape without facets. Typically, this type of processing is used to cut opaque or translucent inserts, minerals with the effect of "cat's eye." A huge role is played by the quality of polishing and grinding stone, since the main requirement for cabochons is a perfectly smooth surface.

A circle

The circle is a classic cut of precious stones. Types of processing stones in other ways appeared much later than her. For the first time round cut was invented in 1900. It was at this time that diamond saws were invented, which enabled jewelers to work with diamonds and with their help to process other diamonds, turning them into diamonds.

The round cut of stones and its types, which differ depending on the number of faces, help create unique and original ornaments. Optimal appearance is considered facet in 57 facets - it gives brilliance to brilliance and shows all the beauty and play of light in their faces. The most such a cut is valued when buying stones. Small stones are processed in 33 faces or 17 faces.

A great loss of weight of a stone is a characteristic feature of this type of cut. Mineral processing takes about 50% of the original mass.

Oval

Types of gem stones include one of the types of round processing - an oval. Jewelers use it mainly for round nuggets. For the first time the oval cut appeared only in the 1960s.

Pear

Despite such an unusual name, the stones treated in this way are more like a drop. The side facets are made in the form of wedges, the upper platform is smooth, which ensures the play of light. Thus, both medium and large stones are processed. Pear is divided into such types of gemstone jewelry as a briolet and a drop.

Marquis

This type of processing of precious stones was named after the Marquise de Pompadour - the favorite of King Louis XV. The coquettish smile of the world-famous beauty was immortalized in the oval facet of jewelry with oblong, pointed tips. In shape, the stones thus processed are more like a boat.

The stones trimmed under the "marquise" are very fragile: their elongated tips can easily be broken, so these ornaments are worn very carefully.

Baguette

Types of gems of graded type include rectangular processing - baguette. In fact, it is an indicator of quality, because it shows both the minuses and the pluses of the stone. In the inserts of this shape with the naked eye, you can notice internal defects or cutting errors. For this reason, when choosing such decorations, it is desirable to pay attention to the quality of stone processing.

A princess

For the "princess" is characterized by an unusual play of light in the stone, but it is performed in a square or rectangular shape. First appeared in 1960-1970. The cost of this stone is smaller, because during the cut it practically does not lose weight. Diamonds are processed in the form of a "princess" to decorate wedding bands. When placing the stone in the frame, try to close the right angles, because they are the most fragile.

Octagon

Types of grades of gemstones of step type include octahedral processing. The most popular is the emerald cut, which protects minerals from chips and damages, showing on the winning side the purity and shade of the stone.

Emerald

This type of cut is a rectangle with cut corners and large facets. It is used mainly for the processing of large stones of ideal purity, since it is impossible to hide the defects of the nugget behind a large number of faces. It does not play with light like a round cut or a princess cut, but the brilliance and strength of the refracted flashes greatly exceeds them.

Trillion

The most spectacular cut of precious stones. The shape resembles a triangle with wedges. Depending on the design of the finished jewelry, the characteristics of the gem and the imagination and skill of the jeweler, the number of facets and the shape of the stone may vary, it is an advantage of a trillion. For the first time such kind of a cut was invented in Amsterdam, and for today it is the most popular in the world.

A heart

Complex and expensive types of gem stones include this type - the heart. Use it only when making exclusive jewelry. The beauty of a heart of stone depends on the skill of the jeweler, so when choosing such items, first of all they look at the evenness of the contour.

Couchon

Often this kind of cutting of precious stones is called antique, or antique. Jewelers resort to it in those cases when it is required to preserve the original form of the mineral. For example, almost all diamonds of the Baroque era were cut in this form.

Radiant

Externally, the stone, which was given such a cut, looks like a square or a rectangle with cut corners. Radiant combines the features of such fences as "emerald" and "princess". Jewelers apply it for minerals, which should be shown in all its glory: the play of light, color, purity, transparency and the size of the stone are demonstrated with such processing. This cut has a more courageous and brutal character, so it is often chosen to create male jewelry. Visually, these products shorten the phalanx of the fingers.

Asher

Square types of gem stones include such a variety as Usher. It is similar in many respects to the Emerald, but it has more facets. Such a cut was invented in 1902 by brothers-masters in Asher stone in Belgium, it became the most popular in the 1930s. Depending on the size of the stone, the number of faces varies. With cut diamonds in this form, the products are made in the Art Deco style.

Why are precious stones processed?

Cutting is the machining of semiprecious and precious gems, carried out with the aim of giving the stones the desired shape and structure, which ensure full manifestation of the material's features. During the processing process, the correct geometric surfaces are formed on the surface of the stone, which are added to the desired shape.

Cut creates a play of light, which demonstrates the optimal perception of brilliance and color palette of gems. A large number of faces and their arrangement guarantee an iridescent light effect. The formation and arrangement of facets and surfaces repeatedly refracts and reflects light rays focused by the stone. Color overflows give the constituent shades of the spectrum into which the refracted rays are decomposed.

The border technology and processing of precious and semiprecious stones with its help implies two basic elements: the appearance of the faces and the external shape of the stone. Types and forms of cutting precious stones for today are numerous, however, the very process of giving the gem the desired shape is very time-consuming and time-consuming. The minimum number of facets is 30, and in complex shapes it can be up to 240. In this case, each of them must be made at an ideally right angle and with a flat surface.

Excluding the play of light in stone, the cut must meet several criteria. It:

• Grinding of the material.
• The minimum weight loss.
• Manifestation of form and color.
• Correspondence of the stone to the whole decoration according to color, shape, style.

Depending on the type of stone, its size and the purpose of the finished jewelry, the jeweler selects a certain cut shape. For some types of stones - for example, emeralds and diamonds - have their own cut shapes, for others any types are used.

To give any decoration a noble and attractive appearance can cut precious stones. Types and ways of processing gems were invented and perfected over the centuries, and each of them has its own characteristic features. Without any cut, even the most expensive and rare stone will seem like a trinket. Only in the hands of this master jeweler, the gem gets a second life and pleases people with its beauty, elegance and uniqueness.