This content was first published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review no. 3 in 2018. The information provided here is therefore current as of the original publication date.
John Dyer is a master cutter of gemstones since he was just 17 and a frequent traveler in search of nice rough material to work with. He sells his unique creations to jewelers and stylists all over the world. Dyer won 54 prestigious international awards for his challenging creations. The Italian Gemological Review proposes again his article already published by “Jewellery Business Magazine”, in June 2009, a still relevant and interesting contribution enabling a wide public of manufacturers and jewelry lovers to get familiar in an easy way with the artisanal gem cutting technique in a time when the increasing industrial supply seems to be mass produced, standardized and anonymous. Rethinking the gem cutting process can help rediscover the uniqueness of the artistic jewelry work.
The ideal cut as a marketing tool. Time to learn from diamonds
As anyone involved in the diamond trade today will tell you, cut has taken a very important place in any diamond sales presentation, whether it be on the wholesale or retail level. There are a great many diamond companies that make their primary marketing focus the quality of the cut of their merchandise. Diamond reports from GIA, AGS and many other labs give a Cut grade. Brands such as Hearts on Fire have made large inroads into the market and command significant premiums over non branded and standardly cut diamonds. The term Ideal cut is widely used and large amounts of time and money have been expended on studies to define the ideal angles and proportions to get the most dispersion and brilliance in the standard round brilliant cut diamond. All of this effort, time and marketing muscle has been devoted to this largely because cut is a very effective marketing point in the diamond trade. The correlation between an “ideal” cut and the overall brilliance and beauty of the finished diamond has been shown many times throughout the years. The association between an “Ideal cut” and quality and exclusivity is very easy to make and thus a powerful marketing tool.
Sadly historically in the midst of all the attention given to cut in diamonds the concern about cut in colored gemstones has largely fallen by the wayside. People have often been taught that color is what matters most and that cut is the least important factor in a colored gem. Many never stop to think about whether or not this way of thinking is outmoded or not nor give a thought to whether cut can also give the same kind of marketing cachet and generate greater profits in colored gems as just it does in diamonds.
Since we all know that color is such a vital part of colored gems why in the world would anyone want a poorly cut one? Such a poorly cut gem often “windows” out because it is cut too shallowly and thus is “dead” and a lighter color in the middle with just a donut shaped ring of brilliance and better color around the outside. However, a well cut gem will have relatively even color throughout and thus the color which we supposedly value so much is preserved.
If you want just a ring of color you would be better off buying a bag of Life Savers!
However, a well cut gem will have relatively even color throughout and thus the color which we supposedly value so much is preserved.
Attention to cut in colored gemstone is actually something that is gradually dawning on the market as a whole. Increasingly overseas commercial operations are upgrading their facilities and adding new modern cutting styles such as concave faceting which is the flavor of the hour in overseas cutting. Old centers of gem cutting such as India that by in large have a reputation for bad to mediocre cutting are fading and new centers such as China are coming on strong with a little more attention to quality and proper angles.
I truly believe that we are on the verge of if not in the middle of a renaissance in the way people look at cut in colored gems. The marketing possibilities are endless and as I tell people often, “People buy gemstone jewelry because it is pretty. So it should be as pretty as possible!”. Why settle for less than a well cut gem when they are available?
In colored gemstones the difference between a good cut and a bad or mediocre one is often far greater than the difference between a standard brilliant cut diamond and one cut to ideal proportions. The difference in quality of polish and many other factors are extreme and often are easily visible to the moderately educated customer. Once your customer begins to understand these things you can be assured that they will be very unlikely to buy anywhere else where they do not find this level of quality and beauty in cutting. This gives one more avenue for winning and retaining customers to your store and brand and building further your image of exclusivity and value.
Just as with anything else, the first step towards an educated customer is to educate yourself and your sales staff. Rather than viewing this as a lot of work I would encourage you to see it as an opportunity to be one of the first in your market to understand and promote the wonderful world of cut in colored gems. In time everyone will be doing it so it is best to stake out your piece of this growing market first.
A well cut diamond says: “Me too!” while a well cut colored gem is uniquely you
One if the first things I think everyone should realize is that there is no “Ideal” cut in colored gems. While diamonds are sold mostly in round and almost every one has the same 57 or 58 facets, colored gemstones are a whole world of their own. I like to say that a well cut diamond says “Me too!” while “A well cut colored gem is uniquely you”. This wide range of cutting styles, shapes and qualities can seem daunting at first but they represent the best way to express the individuality of your customer. It is very possible to have a colored gem that is cut unlike any other as today there are a number of gem cutters who have approached cutting as an art form just as much as a science.
These same gem cutters are often one of your best sources for learning more about cut in colored gemstones. They invest a lot of time, care and thought in the cutting process and most are happy to talk about this with you and share many insights about gem cutting that nobody else will know. Some of the choices that a cutter makes go unnoticed by those who are not familiar with the subtleties of gem cutting. Each gem material refracts light in a different way and thus the angles used on each material are often different. The concept of ideal angles is good and a keen understanding of angles is vital to any cutter of colored gems with a high standard of quality but often maximum brilliance is not the only thing to be considered.
Details and variations of creative freedom. Working with angles
Other things come into play such as color, location of inclusions, cutting style, the shape of the rough, color zones and many more. One cut may be “Ideally” suited to one piece of gem rough and not another kind of rough. Just as an example, in Bicolor tourmaline you want to accentuate the color division rather that the brilliance, many decisions like this face the cutter as he decides what to do with each rough gem. Another choice that might be made by the expert cutter would be to change the angles used by a degree or two and arrange the facets in such a way so as to have as much brilliance as possible without negatively affecting the color of the gem. Often by the angles and facet arrangement used light can be made to take a longer or shorter path through the gem thus increasing or decreasing the apparent saturation to a certain extent.
It is in subtle details like this that the true masters of their craft separate themselves from the mass market cutters and show their worth. As I mentioned in countries like China many companies have begun to understand the concept of not cutting the gem so shallowly that it “windows” and thus have made an improvement in the appearance of the average commercially cut gem. But quality cutting goes so much farther than this.
Many commercial cutters rely on very primitive means for setting angles and something as subtle as 3 degrees can be a very hard thing for them to judge while cutting but it makes a great deal of difference in the final appearance. If cut 3 or more degrees to shallowly a gem will “window” if cut 3 degrees too deeply it will deaden the brilliance although it will not window. Also the difference in polish, symmetry, meetpoints, cut design, symmetry and other factors between even the better qualities of commercially cut gems and one cut by a true artisan who values his craft is very great.
I would really encourage you to explore the potential for originality that a well cut colored gemstone offers to your customers. From flat faceted classic shapes with improved brilliance to far out combinations of carving and cutting techniques there is a gem out there that will fit almost every taste. The main cutting styles that are available in the marketplace today I would classify in three categories, Flat faceting, Concave Faceting and Combination cuts. Each style has there own unique attributes, advantages and disadvantages.
Flat faceting
Flat faceting is the most “traditional” of the gem cutting techniques and is familiar to all, but it does not need to be boring by any means. There are many different faceting patterns for greater brilliance, unique shapes or effects that will intrigue the observer. Frosted facets are also sometimes used for contrast. Flat faceting is where you can win your more traditionally minded customer over to something a little more brilliant or unique.
Concave faceting
Concave faceting is all about brilliance and outline, concave faceted gems have a very bright “glow” that is hard to equal with flat faceting. Also they can often be less deep than a flat faceted gem with a similar appearance. Yet they do not have the scintillation or “sparkle” of light moving from one facet to the other, the appearance of a concave cut gem is pretty constant even when the gem is moved in relation to the eye. At times the cutter will also put concave indents in the girdle to achieve a unique shape, this results in lower yield often but a very neat look.
Combination cutting
Combination cutting is about creativity! Pretty much anything goes in this broad category and many different techniques are used, often all on the same gem. A short list would include flat facets, concave facets, grooves of various shapes, bufftops, convex facets, bubbles or “dimples” and freeform carving but those are only some of the techniques used in this category limited only by the creativity of the cutter. These gems offer the greatest variety and will often challenge many traditional concepts of gem cutting. With some designs it is possible to get a brilliant and interesting gem with a very shallow depth that would not be possible with either flat faceting or concave. This is very handy when you are looking to design a brooch or pendant that you don’t want to be too deep. Combination cut gems are not for the customer who is faint of heart but they offer the creative or artistic types a gem to match their soul.
What they eye has not seen the heart cannot desire!
You will find that gems (especially well cut ones) are almost an addiction, but just as with any addiction it is vital that you get your customer started on them. What they eye has not seen the heart cannot desire! Because of this fact it is important that you stock and talk about well cut gems to awaken your customer to their existence and arouse the passion and desire for ownership in them. After that they will probably sell themselves! In very general terms a better cut will cost you about 20-40% more than a poorly cut gem.
This is due mainly to the increased cost of better trained labor and the time involved. While commercial cutters with sub standard quality can often turn out as many as 8-20 gems per day the custom cutter will usually take a minimum of three hours on a faceted gem and often take a day or more on one involving multiple techniques. My personal record is about 8 days which it took to complete this aquamarine of 106.84cts that won an AGTA Cutting Edge Award in 2009.
The more the rough is worth, the more convenient an artisanal high quality cutting will be
This additional time and effort comes at a certain cost but since cutters are a passionate bunch about what they do and the market has yet to fully appreciate the value presented by an artisan cut gem this difference between an “artisan cut” gem and a medium quality commercial cut is not as large as you would expect. The cutter has a certain minimum amount he needs to make to justify his labor in each gem. Because of this you will find that a high quality cut will often make less of a percentage difference in the gems with high per carat values than those that are very inexpensive.
As an example imagine if you have to have 5-6 hours worth of work done on your car, that will run you about $200-$500 depending on the shop rate where you go. In just the same way a gem cutter has to spend 5-6 hours on each gem in many cases and will need to make at least $200 for his time and investment. So if you are buying a gem that is only worth $100 in a commercial cut the same gem from an artistic cutter would likely run you $250-$350, part of the labor cost is amortized in the profit margin of the gem but in inexpensive material it still makes a significant difference in the overall cost. Yet if you take a $2,000 commercially cut gem it might cost only $2,400 or so for the same gem cut by a high end cutter, this small difference is because the labor cost is further amortized within the value to the gem and thus as a percentage it makes a very small difference.
If you don’t have it, you don’t sell it
I once read an interesting quote by a former gem dealer in a Hong Kong newspaper, he said “In ever road of life a gem dealer roars right down it to the bottom line. Gem dealers have absolutely no class”. This is funny but so often it is true of the jewelry trade as a whole, we who are trying to sell class and sophistication love to save a penny even when this will hurt us in the long run. No doubt many people’s reaction to this article up until this point is to think that nice cuts are cool but that they would never pay another 20-40% for a colored gem when their customers don’t know the difference. The fact is that not only are these customers getting educated by others in your absence but also even if they don’t know the difference now between the commercial gem you have and a well cut one they have never seen if they were to see the well cut one they would be far more likely to admire it and buy it even at a slightly higher price. When compared with diamonds this price difference is quite insignificant, in spite of being an “expensive” material diamonds can vary up to 50% in value due to the cut even if all other factors are equal. In this way a well cut colored gem is a far better value.
Master cutters can help consolidating the value of quality gemstones
In addition to the added beauty and uniqueness of a well cut gem it is also often possible to buy a gem that was cut by one of the gem cutters who have reached art status and are practically a brand unto themselves. These include but are not limited to Michael Dyber, Stephen Avery, Dalan Hargrave, Thomas Trozzo, Larry Woods, Larry Wynn, Richard Homer, Glenn Lehrer, David Clay Zava, Sherris Cottier Shank, Ben Kho and myself in the US, the Wobito brothers in Canada and the Munsteiners in Germany. These cutters will often provide you with some form of point of sale information about the gem or artist or both. The cachet of a well known and possibly award winning cutter is also something that your customer will appreciate. It makes the piece more personal and more special to the retail consumer. Also in many cases the cutter will be happy to further educate you about the different aspects of cut in colored gemstones as they enjoy their work and the opportunity to share it with others. This kind of individual attention and relationship with the cutter is often impossible in the diamond industry due to its shear scale and sameness of merchandise.
So in conclusion I would like to encourage you to experience the exciting world of selling cut in colored gemstones and the tremendous opportunity that this offers.
Article by John Dyer, published on Gem news published on IGR – Italian Gemological Review #19 – Autumn 2024..
