Precision Faceting

Precision Faceting

What is it?

Precision faceting offers several advantages over standard commercial cuts:

  • Superior light performance: Precision-cut stones are engineered for optimal angles, maximizing brilliance, fire, and scintillation, whereas commercial cuts often prioritize weight retention over optics.

  • Higher symmetry and consistency: Each facet is carefully aligned and polished, resulting in sharper reflections and a more balanced appearance.

  • Customization: Precision faceting allows tailored designs to suit a specific rough stone or aesthetic goal, unlike standardized commercial cuts.

  • Better value for appearance: Even with slightly less retained weight, precision-cut gems often appear more vibrant and lively, making them visually more valuable.

  • Unique designs: Precision cutters can create distinctive patterns and facet arrangements not typically seen in mass-produced stones.

In short, precision faceting prioritizes beauty and optical performance, while commercial cuts tend to prioritize speed and yield.

What Else Matters?

Most of the gemstones available on the commercial market not only are cut poorly when compared to a precision cut stone, but have undergone many treatments to enhance the gemstones clarity and color. These treatments may, or may not, have been disclosed to a commercial jeweler and treatments can absolutely have an affect on value - depending on the stone and what is expected within the industry. For example, Emerald is expected to have minor oil applied.

Treatment Types:

  • Heat
  • Irradiation
  • Dye Diffusion
  • Doublets and Triplets
  • Glass Filling
  • Oiling

While treatments can be identified, it can be very difficult for the retail customer to ID them - microscopes and special equipment are needed to properly identify which treatments have been used.

GIA certifications will provide this data, and I will send in for certification on gemstones retailing for $5000 or more. At the customers request and expense, I will gladly send in for stones retailing less than $5000.

Takeaways

Precision faceting on a commercial scale doesn't make sense as their goal is to produce the heaviest stone and the cheapest possible cost - this process is done overseas to take advantage of lower wages and costs. These stones are often cut in factories where meet points are sloppy, the polish is inferior, and the same few patterns are cut over, and over again.

Mining for rough material myself allows me to have full transparency with you about treatments, if any, locality, and place an emphasis on cutting the best possible gem. While I plan to mainly focus on cutting untreated material, I will always be transparent about any modifications made to a gemstone.

For example, heated Montana sapphires come out exceptionally beautiful, and is considered an expected, or standard, treatment. Stabilizing turquoise is industry standard as natural, hard turquoise represents a very small percentage of available stock - it is rare and expensive.