adapted from Thank You Bern'd by Marco Voltolini

A very unusual minimalist geometric design. A single bubble is carved into the back giving rise to interesting reflections. By virtue of its shape this would take some rather creative setting! The carving and shape were surprisingly time-consuming to cut & polish. I cut a similar stone for a museum display though given the time involved I am unlikely to cut another in the foreseeable.

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Ruination: design by Arya Akhavan.

Almost impossible to photograph accurately! The image appears to show scratching - there is none. I presume this is an artefact of the myriad of internal reflections. The stone looks white, almost milky in diffuse light but explodes into rainbows in direct light.

Lithium Niobate is an unusual material - this with an curious background. (LiNbO₃) is an exotic ceramic used in the photonics industry. Entirely man-made it does not occur in nature.

Optically its refractive index is similar to that of diamond whilst its dispersion is over three times diamond's - hence the rainbows.

So very pretty and unusual.. what's the catch? Well it is soft with a moh hardness of about 5 which makes it difficult to polish and needs care in setting. I tried about 6 different lap/polish combinations before getting it right (0.25 micron diamond on tin alloy f.y.i.). It can be used in jewellery however one would not recommend it for a ring rather a setting which would offer some protection.

The provenance is interesting as I very strongly suspect this came from the stockrooms of a soviet-era defence research establishment.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

Ruination: design by Arya Akhavan.

Ruination: design by Arya Akhavan.

Bright Square Maltese Cross: design by Charles Colvill, 48 facets.

'Yup, so really I just wanted a crown that looked like the line angle structure of hexanitrobenzene'.

A rather nice design from Arya Akhavan with the crown formed from 7 hexagons. Cut in Rose de France - natural light coloured amethyst.

Youtube

No retouching, colour modification, dust nor rain spot removal.

Classic Square Brilliant Cut

Came out rather nice Strictly approx 1/3^rd of stone is amethyst with 2/3^rds being citrine. Under normal lighting the internal reflections tend to make the effect more symmetrical.

Youtube

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

Emergent Phenomenon - design by Arya Akhavan

Emergent Phenomenon. This is one of the brightest designs I have ever seen. Arya is an accomplished designer and the myriad internal reflections make this one of my favourite cuts.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Chrysanthemum', design by Quincy D Howell, 81 facets

This is becoming one of my more popular cuts, a very bright sparkly design.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

Lithium Tantalate is a labgrown ceramic occasionally used in specialised semiconductor sensors. Very rare this piece is a legacy of the soviet defence industry. With a high refractive index (2.2) similar to that of diamond and crazy high dispersion - three times diamond's this is a very attractive material. With such high dispersion one sees rainbows in direct light. Super - If you can get any!

To the best of my knowledge this is the only Tantalate gemstone presently for sale worldwide.

The stone is cut with a brilliant pavilion (bottom) and a step cut crown.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Blue Spinel - 'Aperture Science'

Design by Arya Akhavan, 49 facets, A brilliant cut pavilion for sparkle and dispersion with a large table. This was inspired by a camera aperture? Certainly gives a very bright and rather appealing design especially in darker stones such as this.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

Lucifer - design by Jack Rowland, cut in Indian black spinel

I do like spinel feeling that the surface lustre is superior to sapphire. Black spinel has to be polished with great care as the smallest scratch is apparent.

Was there any point cutting the pavilion (bottom) No - apart from a sense of completeness. In the video under bright light and high magnification it become apparent that the stone is actually a very deep red - to the naked eye appearing jet black. There is a very faint mark on the top facet - not an error but an internal fault in the stone. This is not visible to the naked eye, only under high magnification.

This was a bugger to photograph, a better view is the video below.

Youtube

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

Natural Brazilian Amethyst - large custom Flower Cut

Rather a large stone at 14.7mm diameter. The surface is very well polished, marks you can see are due to spiral inclusions and a veil within the stone. Personally I find these add character. If one wants a perfect stone then - man-made is the way to go.

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No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

' Pink Sapphire - 'Triangle Custom Design '

This is a custom cut triangle. I was going for a dramatic simple design which could look good in a pendant.

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No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Crest of Hylia', design by Arya Akhavanl, 46 facets

This is becoming one of my more popular cuts, a very bright sparkly design.

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No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Chrysanthemum', design by Quincy D Howell, 81 facets

This is becoming one of my more popular cuts, a very bright sparkly design.

Video

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Chrysanthemum', design by Quincy D Howell, 81 facets

This is a matched pair of fairly large (10mm) precision cut sapphires each of 5.3ct. Would look nice in large drop earrings. Being essentially round (strictly 16 sided) they should be easy to set. They are very bright and sparkly, in part due to the quality of polish on the pavilion - the bottom of the stone.

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No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Desoppo Bars' - design by Marco Voltolini

An interesting variant on the ‘opposed bars’ concept. Usually opposed bars design have the bars inverted (orthogonal) with respect this design.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Golden Poppy', design by Marco Voltolini, 66 facets

This was a tricky stone to photograph. in part due to the subtle colouration though mostly due to my ineptitude at studio photography. Rose de France is a pale amethyst. The cut is unusual possessing 5 fold symmetry i.e. the stone is 5 sided.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

adapted from Thank You Bern'd by Marco Voltolini

This was cut in lemon quartz, likely natural (not irradiated) as from 1974 stock. Two bubbles are carved into the bottom giving rise to interesting reflections.

Cut for U.K. Facet Cutter's Guild display in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Chrysanthemum', by Quincy D Howell, 81 facets

Cut in Rose De France (light Amethyst). Marking are internal to the stone due to reflections from a small veil - I think this adds interest :-)

Cut for U.K. Facet Cutter's Guild display in Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Star of David #3', adapted from a design by Fred van Sant, 61 facets

Two tiers of facets on the crown are frosted to create a Star of David. Finished in blue topaz to match the Israeli flag.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Gram Emerald', adapted from a design by Jeff Graham

Emerald Cuts are surprisingly tricky, parallel lines show the slightest asymmetry.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

'Chrysanthemum', adapted from a design by Quincy D Howell, 81 facets

Sometimes things just go so well. This cutting was entirely problem free and worked out rather well I feel. The light pink gives a subdued subtle effect in what is a large stone.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Smithsonian Bar', design by Jeff Graham

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Geometric Etude No 1', adapted from a design by Arya Akhavan, 49 facets

Very hard to photograph well.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Star of David #2', adapted from a design by Fred van Sant, 61 facets

Two tiers of facets on the crown are frosted to create a Star of David. Finished in blue sapphire to match the Israeli flag.

At high magnification a slight asymmetry in the shape of the table is apparent though I cannot discern this with the naked eye.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Gram Emerald', Design by Jeff Graham, 45 facets.

Cut in dark moss green natural tourmaline.

This is not the highest quality tourmaline hence the low price. However the cut is certainly to at least my usual standard. The stone is eye clean and large enough to form the centrepiece of a pendant.

The video on youtube may give a better impression than the photo above

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Design by Fred Van Sant, 67 facets

Two tiers of facets on the crown are frosted to create a Star of David effect.

Cut in white sapphire - a very bright sparkly stone.

The final high polish is achieved with 0.25 micron diamond polish on a ceramic lap for extra flatness and crisper facet edges. This followed a deep pre-polish at 3 micron on a Batt lap taking over 11 hours to cut - aligning the facets is a bugger!.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Design by Fred Van Sant, 67 facets

Two tiers of facets on the crown are frosted to create a Star of David effect.

The final high polish is achieved with 0.25 micron diamond polish on a ceramic lap for extra flatness and crisper facet edges. This followed a deep pre-polish at 3 micron on a Batt lap taking over 11 hours to cut - aligning the facets is a bugger!.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

Video

design by Ian Robinson

This is a bit different - and difficult to photograph (see video for a better impression).

The stone has a brilliant cut pavilion for sparkle. The crown has a triangular table with three hemi-circles around it. The rest of the crown is left very lightly frosted.

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design by Ian Robinson, 56 facets

Two tiers of facets are left frosted to create a pentagram flower design with polished ‘petals’.

Cut in bright lilac sapphire - a 'hot pink' stone.

The final high polish is achieved with 0.25 micron diamond polish on a ceramic lap for extra flatness and crisper facet edges. This followed a deep pre-polish at 3 micron on a Batt lap taking over 9 hours to cut.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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design by Fred van Sant, 37 facets

I feel there is too much emphasis placed on clarity and lack of inclusions. Rutilated quartz is a lovely material with fine needle-like stands of golden rutile (titanium dioxide) making for a very interesting stone. Faceted rutile quartzes are regular award winners in major faceting competitions. The rutile strands can however make polishing the surface a bugger.

This was triksy to photograph - see the video for a better impression.

The final high polish is achieved with 0.3 micron chromium dioxide polish on a darkside lap for extra flatness and crisper facet edges.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Hanami 花見

花見 design by Marco Voltolini, 66 facets

Hanami (花見, "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers 'Hanami', modelled on a cherry blossom is becoming one of my favourite cuts. A set of tiers is left frosted with the 'petals' polished.

A delicate subtle cut! - apologies for the poor photo - the video gives a better view.

AS for the colour. Well I thought I was ordered a kunzite colour - a light lilac. It looked lilac - however on cutting I found it to be more a shocking electric pink. I like this and will definitely get more if it is available.

The final high polish is achieved with 0.25 micron diamond polish on a ceramic lap for extra flatness and crisper facet edges. This followed a deep pre-polish at 3 micron on a Batt lap. This stone took me about 9 hours to cut.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Square Cushion

Classic square baguette design, this is a rather classic look, very bright showing off the colour well. The cutting was freehand i.e. not from a standard design.

An artisan jeweller should have no problem making a setting at a reasonable price creating a remarkable unique piece at a fraction of the cost of the high-street.

The final high polish is achieved with 0.3 micron Cerium Oxide polish on a ‘Darkside lap’ for extra flatness and crisper facet edges, this following a deep pre-polish at 3 micron on a Batt lap. This stone took me about 10 hours to cut.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Trottola' - design by Marco Voltolini

An interesting variant on the ‘square barion’ concept with the table rotated by 45 degrees. This has been used in cutting competitions in the UK and US. The pavilion is essentially brilliant cut giving a very bright sparkly appearance with plenty of dispersion. The stone is a deeper blue than appears in the photograph.

An artisan jeweller should have no problem making a setting at a reasonable price creating a remarkable unique piece at a fraction of the cost of the high-street.

This stone are much better polished than you are likely to find on the high street giving a much brighter stone. As a technical note this unusually high polish is achieved with 0.3 micron Aluminium Oxide polish on a ‘Darkside lap’ for extra flatness and crisper facet edges. This stone took me about 11 hours to cut.

9.1 mm diameter face to face.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Desoppo Bars' - design by Marco Voltolini

An interesting varient on the ‘opposed bars’ concept. Usually opposed bars design have the bars inverted (orthogonal) with respect this design. In deep blue sapphire the design is dark but as the stone is moved squares flashes occur.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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'Tesselation 36' - design by Arya Akhavan

A large stone suitable as the centre of a pendant or dress ring. Arya produced a series of designs in the 'Tessellation' series of which this, a competition entry is my favourite. A rather ‘technical’ take on a traditional shape.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Emergent Phenomenon - design by Arya Akhavan

When I first saw this I thought - "hmm OK, standard looking triangle". Upon cutting I thought "Wow". This is one of the brightest designs I have ever seen. Arya is an accomplished designer and the myriad internal reflections make this one of my new favourite cuts.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Lucifer - design by Jack Rowland

The devil you say! Lucifer is also known as the light bearer. I don't think I could have come up with a better name for this fiery gem. This is a super nice triangle. It is bright, has lots of action. Also very unusual with it's asymmetric crown - the twisted triangle concept.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Sweetheart is a classic heart shaped cut by the noted designer - the late Jeff Graham. This would look nice as a single stone in a pendant or large ring.

The stone is cut with a brilliant pavilion (bottom). Ruby is a dark stone, however this size and cut gives blood red flashes in direct light. Gemstone photography is awkward - the stone is a deeper blood red than the images show - rather gothic really.

No retouching, colour modification or dust spot removal.

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Another interesting design by Marco Voltolini. 'Hanami' is modelled on a cherry blossom. A set of tiers is left frosted with the 'petals' polished. Cut in light yellow natural citrine

Photo taken in natural light - no retouching or colour modification (or dust spot removal!)

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Photo taken in natural light - no retouching or colour modification (or dust spot removal!)

Another slightly unorthodox cut. The design is by Marco Voltolini - unusual in being hexagonal - though this does make it easier to set. The lowest tier of facets on the crown (top) are frosted to enhance the petal effect.

Photo taken in natural light - no retouching or colour modification (or dust spot removal!)

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An unusual and rather difficult cut. Reminds me of an Escher drawing, when moved the central cube appears and disappears.

This particular cut is surprisingly tricky, I went through a number of stones before I got it right. It took so long that I am unlikely to do another for some time.

Photo taken in natural light - no retouching or colour modification (or dust spot removal!)

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Design by Dan Clayton for the U.S. Facet Cutters Guild competition in 2010. This is one of my favourite cuts and straightforward to set as a pendant or ring.

Photo taken in natural light - no retouching or colour modification (or dust spot removal!)

'Alien Outpost' by Greg Glenn. I do like trillion cuts.

The cut is 'Alien Outpost' by Greg Glenn - a classic gemstone designer. 49 facets optimized for sapphire. This stone was very slowly cut to minimise sub-surface damage, mostly on 3000 grit, pre-polished on 8000 grit and finished on 100,000 grit using a ceramic lap for maximum sparkle and flatness.

A very bright and relatively large stone I feel this would make a stunning pendant even in a minimalist setting.

Sweetheart is a classic heart shaped cut by the noted designer - the late Jeff Graham.

Looks stunning in this very simple silver bar setting which really shows the stone off. So little metal touches the stone that it really flashes in sunlight.