faceted spinel
When cutting gemstones, a distinction is basically made between two different variants: the facet cut and the smooth cut ( cabochon ).
A facet is a relatively small plane on the surface of a gemstone. The facet cut is mainly used for transparent gemstones because it positively emphasizes their optical properties. The incoming light rays are reflected on a facet and often, as with diamonds, dispersion in the color spectrum of the rainbow occurs. This visual appearance is known as the fire of a gemstone and is best shown off in an excellently executed, classic brilliant cut.
The facet and its different forms
The shape of a facet depends on the cut of the gemstone and its position on it. Basically, there is a difference between a facet of a round-shaped stone (e.g. in a brilliant cut ) and that of a square-shaped stone (e.g. in an emerald cut ).
Light reflection is at its highest when the facets are arranged at a certain angle to one another. Over the centuries, the arrangement of the facets has been refined and increasingly geared towards optimal light refraction. While initially the focus was largely on the facets that already existed due to the natural crystal structure of the gemstones and the focus was limited to polishing them, more and more differentiated types of faceting were subsequently developed. Today's ideal cut, which with its 58 facets enables ideal light output, was developed in 1910. The decisive factor here is the special angle ratio from facet to facet. Diamond cuts whose facets were cut before this time are now known as Old European brilliant cuts.
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