Explore Gemstone Cuts

The faceted cut uses multiple flat surfaces arranged geometrically to reflect and refract light, giving a stone its brilliance and fire. It's the standard for transparent gemstones like sapphire, ruby, tourmaline, and aquamarine. Faceting styles vary widely - brilliant, step, and mixed cuts each produce different visual effects.

The rose cut is an antique faceting style with a flat base and a dome of triangular facets on top - resembling an opening rosebud. It has fewer facets than a brilliant cut, giving a softer, more subtle sparkle. Popular in vintage-inspired and salt-and-pepper diamond jewellery designs today.

The checker cut uses a grid pattern of square or diamond-shaped facets on the crown, creating a checkerboard-like surface. It gives an interesting textured sparkle that catches light differently from traditional facets. Often used on beads, briolettes, and larger stones where a distinctive surface pattern adds visual interest.

The fantasy cut is an artistic, non-traditional style where the cutter uses grooves, concave surfaces, or asymmetrical facets to create a sculptural effect. Each fantasy cut is essentially one of a kind. Common in high-end collector pieces and designer jewellery where the cut itself is a work of art.

The step cut features long, parallel facets arranged like stair steps, running around the stone's outline. It emphasises clarity and colour rather than sparkle, giving a clean, elegant, hall-of-mirrors effect. Best known in the emerald cut and asscher cut, and popular for aquamarine, tourmaline, and morganite.

The buff top cut combines a smooth, domed cabochon-style crown with a faceted pavilion beneath. It gives a soft, rounded top surface but retains brilliance from the faceting below. A comfortable, low-profile cut that sits well in rings and is popular in modern designer jewellery.

A doublet is a composite cut where two pieces of material are bonded together - typically a thin layer of gemstone fused to a backing of another material. It's most commonly seen in opal doublets, where a thin opal slice is set on a dark backing to enhance play-of-colour.

The concave cut uses curved, scooped-out facets instead of flat ones - creating deeper light reflection and more intense fire than traditional faceting. Developed in the 1980s, it's a modern technique that produces exceptional brilliance. Popular for coloured stones like citrine, amethyst, and topaz where sparkle is prized.