Common Gem Cutting Styles

When choosing a precious stone for any kind of jewellery, it’s always important to consider the different types of gem cutting styles that are available. Whether it’s a diamond, emerald or ruby, getting the right cut for the best look is something that should be considered carefully.

Some of the more common gem cutting styles have been around for a very long time and are still going on strong for those classic sophisticated looks. To truly show off the main gem, it’s recommended to have it specially cut out in one of the styles below:

Round

The round "brilliant" cut is one of the most popular styles around. This is the classic gem cutting style made for showing off diamonds but it’s also widely used for other precious stones. The design and structure of the round brilliant cut is specific to refract the most light possible from within the stone.

Oval

The oval cut shows off its shape when viewed from above. The general ratio for cutting a precious stone in this manner is that the length should be twice that of the width. When the gem cutting is done properly, it has the same beauty and sparkle as a round brilliant cut stone.

Emerald

As the name suggests, it’s the most popular choice for showing off emeralds. The shape is more like a rectangle with the corners cut off. The general facet style is a step cut since they look like a set of stairs from each face of the stone.

Baguette

The gem cutting technique known as the baguette cut is similar to the emerald cut in the fact that the shape is very similar and a step cut facet is normally used. The shape is more oblong with pointed angular corners and has much fewer facets as the emerald cut. Although not the first choice for most stones, it does give off a simplistic beauty with a lovely sparkle in any light.

Octagon

Also another step cut, the octagon cut has rows of facets that follow along the entire circumference of the precious stone as opposed to four rectangular sides. This is the ideal cut for high quality colourful gems since it makes the colours pop.

Pear

This is a stunning teardrop shape with sparkle from all around. The pear cut is one of the most popular gem cutting styles for any number of precious stones. This style is very popular for smaller diamonds because they have a simple beauty when placed on jewellery like engagement rings.

Cushion

Popular from the mid 1900’s, this style got its name from the fact that it looks like an antique cushion. Since the face is quite large, it’s an ideal gem cutting style that really shows off the pure beauty of the natural stone. This classic cut is one of the top choices for most precious stones and generally used for displaying rubies.

Princess

Like the cushion cut, the princess cut has a larger face surface that’s made to show off the natural beauty of the stone. The gem cutting technique is like the round brilliant cut but the stone keeps sharp edges and corners in a more square shape.


View pictures of custom engagement rings Engagement Ring Designs