Explainer / Inside the intricate craft of stone cutting: every high jewellery house fancies a different cut, from Graff’s love of geometry to Chopard’s chandelier earrings that feature briolette diamonds
- High jewellery houses like Graff, Chopard, Messika and Ronald Abram are using fancy cuts in their creations for their unique aesthetics and refractive qualities
- It’s not all about the carats – a re-cut of a vintage gem can boost its clarity and colour, which can increase its value by enhancing the intensity of its sparkle
Stone cutting is one of the most intricate crafts in jewellery making. The job of a cutter is to identify a gem’s imperfections and choose a cut that will maximise the 4Cs: cut, clarity, colour and carats. A good gem cutter can both minimise a stone’s flaws and enhance the intensity of its sparkle by strategically placing facets.
Even the slightest mistake can impact the value and beauty of a stone. The value of a gemstone is not defined solely by its carats – recutting an old mine or vintage gem, while reducing its size, can enhance its value if it boosts the other 3Cs.
The proportions of the stone – its table, crown, girdle, pavilion and culet – affect the light’s refraction, hence the sparkle’s intensity, as well.
While brilliant-cut diamonds may be the most popular choice for brides, and the first diamond for many, not all stones benefit from being cut into a round shape. In the case of sapphires, rubies and emeralds, identifying an optimal cut can significantly influence their colour, intensity, saturation and, ultimately, price.
Jewellery using fancy-cut stones – stones that are not round – benefits from the unique aesthetics and refractive qualities of the said cut. Modern brilliant cuts have 58 facets, giving off an intense sparkle from all angles. Fancy shapes like emerald and Asscher cuts, with their chiselled-step facets, lend an air of art deco elegance to jewellery and accentuate the gem’s clarity.
Hearts, marquees and pear shapes require exceptional symmetry but also bring an element of playfulness to designs. These are some of the most common fancy cuts favoured by jewellers today.
Graff favours playing with the geometry of different cuts: from gem-clad watches to statement necklaces, the house is expert at accentuating the beauty of its diamonds through careful choice at the design stage.
The jeweller often adds another level of intricacy to its creations by building with different colours.
Founder and designer Laurence Graff, who has a priceless arsenal of gemstones in his archives, can match stones of similar characteristics, size and colour together to create pieces offering exceptional symmetry in silhouette and hue. The Tribal collection, for instance, features alluring diamonds and yellow diamonds of varying cuts, including in a statement necklace sparkling with a total of 71.76 carats.