Asscher Cut

The Asscher Cut has been getting a lot of well-deserved press recently. You may have seen this stone cut featured on the hit show "Sex in the City", or perhaps you heard about Kate Hudson's engagement ring, a Tiffany Solitaire mounted with a 4.0 carat Asscher. However you may have heard about it, more and more interest is being shown in this remarkable cut.

In the history of gemstone cutting the Asscher cut is one of the greatest cuts ever conceived. Invented in the early 20th century by the Asscher Brothers of Holland, an Asscher cut is a modification on the most popular cut of previous century...the Cushion cut. The Asscher Brothers, celebrities in their own right, invented a cut which is square to rectangular with a flat table (top surface), many small step cuts along the top area, and larger longer facets underneath the stone. Like the Cushion cut, the Asscher cut has an open culet (the bottom of the gemstone) and a facet plan to draw the eye into the gemstone and give depth. In fact, the beauty of an Asscher cut is how the eye "dives into the center of the stone"...the eye relishes the "pool" of the jewel. In fact, water and gems went hand in hand. The beauty of an Asscher cut is that it runs counter to today's modern gems in which the facets and cut of a modern stone tend to repel the eye (in the name of "brilliance"). The myriad of facets in today's jewels deprive the gemstone of its true depth. Original Asscher cut gems are quite rare and are found mostly on the estate market. The Asscher Cut has 74 facets

Cushion Cut

During the early 18th century, Brazil gave rise to the Cushion-shaped old-mine cut , a forerunner of the modern brilliant cut having 33 crown and 25 pavilion facets, the same 58 facets as today's Round Brilliants. The Cushion cut was one of the most popular stone cuts ever. For more than 70 years from 1830 to till the dawn of the 20th century, this was how the majority gems were cut. These cuts are still seen in some older estate pieces. Until recently, it was difficult to find gems in Cushion shapes outside of estate sales and auctions. However, Cushion cuts are enjoying a surge in popularity and are again being offered. While not the traditional selection, Cushion cut gems are a romantic stand out from the common Round Brilliant generally selected for engagement rings (either as a solitaire or with accent stones). The modern Cushion cut is a cut that most often resembles a cross between the Old Mine Cut (a deep cut with large facets that was common in the 19th century) and a modern Oval cut. This shape is also sometimes referred to as the pillow-cut or the candlelight diamond (a reference to cuts designed prior to electric lights, when gems sparkled in the light provided by candles). The Cushion cut has an open culet (the bottom of the gemstone) and a rectangular to square shape, with rounded corners and a facet plan to give the gemstone depth. This is quite different from today's popular shapes, which are cut for brighter denser electric light. This cut is not quite as fiery or brilliant as many of the newer cuts, but it has a marvelously romantic and classic look and definitely stands out from the crowd of Round Brilliants. The beauty of a Cushion cut is the depth of the jewel. The facets allow the eye to travel into the gem. The Cushion cut is a calm soothing cut. The soft curves between its corners add a very finished and sophisticated look. The modern Cushion Cut has 64 facets.

Emerald Cut

The Emerald cut is rectangular with truncated corners. These can be beautiful stones-with stepped facets the sheen tends to be large flashes of these stepped angles on the pavilion of the stone. Step cuts are comprised of larger facets which act like mirrors. The facets are broad with flat planes resembling the steps of a stair. That's why it is referred to as a "step" cut. Unlike the Marquise brilliant, there is no bow-tie effect on an Emerald cut. Because of the angle, size, and shape of the facets, the Emerald cut shows less brilliance and fire (dispersion) than the other brilliant cut stones. However, the Emerald cut gemstone reveals a classic beauty and elegance not seen in other cuts. Since the Emerald cut gem shape is rectangular, the flat planes of the outside edges allow for a variety of side stones shapes. Typical pairings would be two or three side Baguettes, two half-moons, and other smaller Emeralds, but not Trillions, as their sparkle makes the center Emerald cut look flat. The length-to-width ratios are 1.5:1 to 1.75:1. The Emerald cut has 57 facets.

Heart Cut

The heart is the ultimate symbol of love. And since most Heart-shaped gemstones are nearly round, each has the advantage of having a nearly round that provides its beautiful brilliance. The Heart-shaped brilliant bears some similarity to the Pear shape, except that there is a cleft at the top. The "shape appeal" is especially important with Hearts. Heart shaped stones are essentially Pear shaped jewels with a cleft at the top. Hearts are the ultimate symbol of romance, and more and more people are choosing Heart cut gemstones for engagement and anniversary rings. The Heart shape is one of those special cuts that follow more human and emotional values. The technical benefit is that a Heart shape gem has a roundish pavilion and proportioned can drive the sparkle and scintillation back out of the stone. Diamond Nexus Labs makes certain that there is always a perfectly symmetrical appearance where the lobes (top arches) are of even height and breadth, and the overall shape exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Optimum shape is: length to width ratio 0.9-1.2:1, which is most gratifying to the eye. The Heart cut has 58 facets.

Marquise Cut

The name came from a legend of the Marquise of Pompadour that the Sun King wanted a diamond to be polished into the shape of the mouth of the Marquise. The Marquise Cut is also known as the "Navette" shape and looks like a long oval that has been stretched out to a point at each end (e.g. football ball viewed straight down from the top). Some Marquise shape stones are cut too thin and suffer from a markedly dark center (commonly called the bow tie effect). This effect is eliminated by paying attention to the depth (desired in the lower sixties) and the crown height (best close to 14%). Then light passes through the back of the gemstone due to the criticality of the angles needed to reflect the gemstone properly. The crown cut is sometimes modified in the Marquise to form what is called a "French Tip," where the bezel facet at the point of the gemstone is eliminated. Diamond Nexus Labs stays in the crucial low sixty percent ranges for this lovely cut, and to avoid extremely thin girdles. The ideal ratio of length to width should be about twice the length as the gemstone is wide (2:1 aspect ratio). The Marquise Cut has 57 facets.

Oval Cut

The Oval-shaped brilliant is very similar to a Round except it is elliptical. It was invented by Lazare Kaplan in the early 1960s. The Oval Cut has an elliptical shape when viewed from the top. "Shape appeal" is very important with Oval brilliants. The Oval cut is an elliptical shape when viewed from the top. The Oval cut to a ratio of the length to the width should be about 1.5:1. If it is much greater, you will see a dark area. This is commonly called a bow tie effect. If the ratio is much less then 1.5:1, the gemstone looks like a misshapen Round. A well cut Oval gemstone can be nearly as bright as a well-cut Round Brilliant shape, the angles are closer to ideal for the maximum optical effect that well cut gems can produce. Ovals provide a bigger surface area than a Round with the same carat weight and therefore are an excellent option for those looking for the brilliance of the Round but a bigger size. An Oval cut gem is distinctive in that its facets are most often an odd number, ranging from 43 to 57. The lack of symmetry elongates the sparkle of Oval gem cuts, which adds a "big look" to smaller stones. The DNL Oval cut has 57 facets.

Pear Cut

The Pear cut is a popular cut that looks like a tear drop. This fancy-shaped gemstone has a rounded end and a single point. Many who like the look of the Round but want a fancy shape alternative choose the Pear-shaped gem. The Pear cut brilliant gem is based upon the traditional configuration of the Round Brilliant gem. More than other fancy shapes, length-to-width ratio is essential when it comes to Pear shaped gems. This is a traditional cut which is perfect for pendants, drop earrings, and many applications. The Pear-shaped brilliant is a combination of a Round Brilliant and a Marquise cut. This fancy-shaped gem has a rounded end and a single point. Many who like the look of the Round but want a fancy shape alternative choose the Pear-shaped gemstone. In a Pear, Diamond Nexus Labs demands a well-shaped head and even shoulders with a length-to-width ratio of 1.50-1.75. DNL concentrates on the girdle at the point and makes sure it's not so thin that it's unstable. The DNL stone has good depth as well, a shallow stone is not only more dangerous than a well cut stone, and it's also not nearly as bright. Once again it's the critical angles and reflection of a well cut stone that's the key to its beauty. DNL stays within 61-64% in depth, and head for that 1.5:1 aspect ratio for a great look and a lively jewel. The length of the gemstone creates a slimming effect on the fingers. The Pear cut has 58 facets.

Princess Cut

The Princess Cut gemstone is a brilliant style shape with sharp, uncut corners. The Barion cut was the forerunner of the Princess cut. This was a style of cutting for square or rectangular gemstones, with extra and improved faceting, so as to obtain maximum brilliance from the jewel. It was invented by Basil Watermeyer from Johannesburg . The modern Princess cut, developed by Arpad Nagy of London in 1961, was a great improvement. The Princess cut is the most important new cut or shape for gemstones since the invention or perfection of the modern brilliant cut over 70 years ago. It is a great improvement over the previous step cut used for square and oblong stones. It is effectively a square version of the Round Brilliant cut, and is known technically as a square modified brilliant cut. Square stones are better for certain design applications, such as eternity rings, as they can be set in one continuous line with no gaps between them such as would occur with Round stones. The Princess cut tends to be the smallest of the shapes for the same carat weight since the cut is basically an upside-down pyramid with most of the carat weight in the pavilion. Brilliant-style refers to vertical direction crown and pavilion facets instead of step-style horizontal facets. The Princess cut is effectively a square version of the Round Brilliant cut, and is known technically as a square modified brilliant cut, rendering more sparkle because of the extra faceting. A Princess cut has 76 facets, giving it more brilliance and fire than the Round Brilliant.

Radiant Cut

The Radiant Cut is a straight-edged rectangular or square stone with cut corners. Radiant cut gems are principally used for important center stones primarily for rings but also for pendant. They are rarely used for earrings or as side stones. Typical pairing would be two or three side Baguettes, two half-moons, and other smaller Emeralds but not Trillions as their sparkle makes the center Emerald cut look flat. The Radiant cut is a beautiful combination of the classic elegance of the Emerald cut and the sparkle of the Round Brilliant. The Radiant cut is similar to the Princess cut but projects a more rectangular outline and has blocked corners like those of an Emerald cut. The Radiant has a strong look with a unique type sparkle, differing from Emerald and Princess Cuts. Trimmed corners are the signature of this fancy-shaped gem, and they also make the stone very versatile. A Radiant-cut looks equally beautiful set with either Baguette or Round side-stones. The cutting is a combination of the step-cutting of the Emerald cut gem with some triangular faceting of the Round Brilliant cut. The Radiant cut is dramatic as a solitaire but also looks great paired with side staging stones such as Baguettes, Trillions, or Princess shapes. A Radiant cut gemstone should be set with special prongs to hold the blocked corners securely. The length-to-width ratio should be between 1.5:1 and 1.75:1. The Radiant cut has 62-70 facets.

Round Brilliant Cut

The Round Brilliant is the classic cut. The vast majority of gems sold are Rounds. The Round Cut is the traditional choice for all occasions.

The term "brilliant-cut" was coined at the end of the 17th century and was represented by several forms of faceted stones based on the shape of the commonly found octahedral form of the rough crystal. These cuts were round, rounded, or Cushion-shaped in girdle outline.

With the 19th century came the rounded cuts like the old European cut and the English Round cut , both of which also have a total of 58 facets of the same type as today's Round Brilliants. Old-mine and old European cuts are deep-cut with small tables and relatively large culets, whereas the English Round cut has a shallower crown and pavilion and larger table. Theses cuts are still commonly seen in estate jewelry of that era.

Marcel Tolkowsky, a member of a large and powerful family, calculated the cuts necessary to create the ideal shape. As part of his PhD thesis in mathematics, Tolkowsky considered variables such as index of refraction and covalent bond angles to describe what has become known as the brilliant cut. The early modern Tolkowsky brilliant cut emerged with Marcel Tolkowsky's published his thesis entitled, "Diamond Design: A Study of the Reflection and Refraction of Light in Diamond", in 1919. This was a theoretical work describing the best proportions of a Round Brilliant cut which would provide a balanced return of light (brilliance) and dispersion.

Today's modern Round Brilliant cut, produced largely since World War II, differs in several ways from the Tolkowsky cut. The Tolkowsky brilliant had a larger culet, visible through the table, whereas today's Round Brilliant has either no culet, or a very small or small culet. Also, the table size range is larger in today's Round cuts (about 53-57%, as a percentage of the stone's average diameter), but still include Tolkowsky's calculations which called for a 53% table. Finally, the lower girdle facets are now cut much deeper (about 75%) down the pavilion compared to earlier patterns, where they were cut to only about 1/3 of the pavilion depth.

There are 58 facets in a Round Brilliant Cut including the culet. On the Crown or upper part of the gem, these consist of 1 table facet, 8 bezel facets, 8 star facets, and 16 upper girdle facets for a total of 33. On the pavilion, or bottom part of the gemstone, there are 16 lower girdle facets, 8 pavilion main facets and 1 culet.

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Triangle Cut

The Triangle cut, enchanting in its own right, is often confused with the Trillion cut. The Triangle cut is a stepped facet cut, while the Trillion cut is based upon a brilliant style cut. Step cut gems have concentric rows of facets running parallel to the girdle. The Triangle cut, first designed in Amsterdam, is cut into the shape of a wedge. The corners of the Diamond Nexus Labs' Triangle cut are pointed, as opposed to the Trillion cut with truncated corners. The step cut has rows of facets that resemble the steps of a staircase. The Emerald cut and Baguette cut are also examples of step cuts.

Trillion Cut

The Trillion Cut (or variations of this spelling) is a three-sided cut. The triangle cut tends to be a stepped facet cut while the Trillion Cut is based upon a brilliant style cut. The pavilion angles are cut first to shape and create depth. The Trillion shape gem will lose some of its ability to reflect light if its pavilion is not angled accurately. If the pavilion is cut too deep, or too shallow, the finished stone will appear dull. To maintain the critical angles on the pavilion that are necessary for proper light reflection, DNL leaves a slightly open culet. The unique effect results in a gemstone that can reflect light from its points as well as from its culet. After the pavilion angles, the crown facets are cut and the proportions of the table are determined. Care is taken at this point to make sure that the table proportions and crown angles are just right. This ensures the brilliance associated with the Trillions. The girdle facets are then polished, making sure that the resulting shape is a perfectly equilateral triangle. The table and culet are polished last to ensure that there are no scratches or bruises on the stone.

The Trillion cut is a dazzling and versatile gemstone shape. One of the more unusual cuts, the Trillion displays a very sharp brilliance or fire when the gemstone is cut to the correct depth allowing good scintillation. Trillion Cuts can be used in earrings, solitaires, wedding bands, necklaces, bracelets, and pendants. The Trillion can replace the standard shape anywhere, adding its unique style, to create excitement.

The Trillion cut has a large well-proportioned surface area. This feature results in a "big look" as compared to the body weight of the other cuts. A one-carat Trillion jewel looks as large as a one-and-a-half carat Round gemstone. The DNL Trillion is an equilateral triangle that is cut with 50 facets - 41 (including the table and culet) plus nine girdle facets.