Through the Jewellery Store Window Quiz

Answer: Brilliant

Jewel cutters take a raw diamond (or other gemstone) which has none of the lustre and sparkle we see in jewels today, and create a little bit of magic by patiently cutting and polishing them to reveal the inner magnificence you see in these gems as you look through the jewellery store window. Properly cutting a stone enables light to refract within it, bouncing around and tantalising the viewer with its display.

A popular cut is the brilliant cut which had its beginnings in the 1600s. Prior to then, cutting stones was much simpler. Three hundred years before that, in the 1300s, the basic cut for a gem was the 'point cut' which resembled two pyramids stuck together at their bases. Additional facets started being introduced until the first version of the modern brilliant cut was seen in the 1600s. Known as a Mazarin cut, it too was gradually improved by the addition of extra facets, but those stones are still dull and lifeless compared with stones cut in modern times. By 1920, the brilliant cut had evolved into what we know today and had hit the market.

The modern brilliant cut stone gains its radiance and sparkle from 58 facets cut into it. Light will bounce around the stone if it is cut properly, dazzling the viewer as the stone catches different rays of light. The light moves through the stone, hits a facet and is reflected onto another facet, and then exits through the top of the stone. The more facets you have, the greater the opportunity for light to play within the stone. If a stone is cut too deeply or made too shallow, light won't bounce around within the stone. It'll pass straight through it or through the side of the stone after hitting one facet, and the stone will lose its potential sparkle.

Answer: Cabochon

Most cabochon stones are opaque, but clear gems can also be cut in this fashion. In the case of precious gemstones, it might be done to enhance a particular feature such as a star found in the stone. Usually elliptical in shape, a cabochon stone can be any shape you require including round, triangular and navette. If you have an andradite garnet cut as a cabochon, you'll be delighted to know it has the special name of 'carbuncle'.

If you look at a faceted stone from the side, the widest part is the girdle. The section above the girdle is the crown and below it is the pavilion. The end point of the pavilion is the culet which can be pointed or faceted.

Answer: Emerald

The emerald cut is a form of step cut which heightens the magnificent clarity of a gem, particularly those with elongated, prismatic structures such as emeralds, a member of the beryl family of gems. While appearing as a rectangle at first glance, closer inspection reveals the stones to be octagonal. The cutting of the gem's corners to create an octagon is a measure designed to preserve the stone. A sharp corner can be a weak point of a gem and cause the gem to fracture.

Emerald cut stones have somewhat gone out of fashion as the sparkly brilliant and princess cuts have gained favour, but back in the Art Deco era, step cuts were very fashionable as their rectilinear form complemented the architecture and art of the day.

Answer: Baguette

Smaller cousin to the emerald cut is the baguette cut. The proportions are slightly different, distinguishing the two varieties. An emerald cut is generally produced with a width:length ratio of 1: 1.5. A baguette stone is much longer in comparison to its width, and the name came from the long French loaf of bread, the baguette. Baguettes can also be tapered, i.e. narrower at one end. Step cuts aren't restricted to rectangles. The technique can be used to produce triangles, kites, lozenges, trapezoids and more.

Answer: Briolette

Briolette cuts were popular in both Victorian and Edwardian eras, but they can be traced back to India, possibly as early as the 1200s. Their popularity diminished as newer cuts which showed off a stone's sparkle became more fashionable in the 17th century. Many old briolettes were recut into newer pieces as fashions changed. The Victorian and Edwardian eras saw a new high point for briolettes, but again, they lost favour as Art Deco became the dominant style of the times.

Though not as popular as they once were, briolettes have made a bit of a comeback in the early 21st century, especially with coloured stones used for earrings. The cut creates an elongated, pear-shaped stone, capable of reflecting light off each one of its facets. A problem with this cut is that it requires a large stone to begin with, adding to the cost, and losing much of the raw stone to create a briolette is a large waste of material. When suspended from an earlobe or from a necklace though, the briolette can be seen in all its glory as unlike a ring, very little of the stone is unexposed.

If you check out the Smithsonian Institute's website, you can see the Napoleon Diamond Necklace. Given to his wife, Marie-Louise, the necklace has 234 diamonds including 10 briolettes. The largest of the suspended gems weighs a whopping 10.4 carats. It's jaw-droppingly spectacular and extravagant. After Marie-Louise died, it travelled down the family line for a few generations but was then sold to the American jewellers Harry Winston Inc. in 1960. In 1962, Majorie Merriweather Post then bought the necklace and donated it to the Smithsonian Institute. I do wonder if she put it on just once, perhaps twice. I would have to if I'd bought it! :-)

Answer: Channel

To make a channel setting on any piece of jewellery, the gemstones are placed adjacent to each other in a channel. The girdle of the stone (the widest point when looked at from the side) rests in a notch in both walls of the channel. To hold them securely, the end of the metal is folded over, rather like the gemstones are being tucked into bed.

The metal is then trimmed of any excess and polished. This is generally a secure setting and suitable for many types of cuts. One advantage of channel set stones is that there are no prongs to get caught in clothing, bed linen, hair and the like.

Answer: Bezel

To set a stone with a bezel setting, the bezel is first soldered into place on the ring. The stone is placed into the ring of metal and the edges folded over and rubbed into place. This type of setting is quite secure and like claw setting, doesn't have prongs to catch on your clothing. Bezel settings are used for both faceted and cabochon stones.

A stone doesn't need to be completely surrounded by a bezel. Some bezels may hold the stone in with two bands of metal. This allows light to enter the stone from the side, eliciting more shimmer and twinkle from the stone.

Answer: Princess

The princess cut is sometimes called a 'modified brilliant' cut, but this isn't accurate. The cuts are quite different and have different origins. The princess cut has chevron-shaped cuts developed from the French cut which had been around since the early 1400s. French cuts were popular in the Art Deco era of the 20th century, their square or rectangular form matching the predominant architectural style of the times. Unlike a brilliant cut with its standard 58 facets, the princess cut can have as few as 49 facets, with the most common number of facets being 76. Being a (usually) square cut, a princess cut stone of a certain width will have a greater carat weight than a round brilliant cut stone of the same diameter, as there has been less stone removed from the original material. Princess cut stones can also be rectangular.

Answer: Pavé

To create a pavé setting, a jeweller will take many small stones and set them into the base material, the stones being secured with tiny prongs which will be barely visible once the job is finished. The finished item can be entirely covered in pavé set stones as in this picture, or they can accent other stones in an item of jewellery. An engagement ring might have a large diamond as a feature but have the shank of the ring covered in pavé set stones. This sort of work can also be seen in brooches, Cartier brooches being a well known example.

Computer aided design has been a boon to jewellers as they plan the layout for a pavé setting, but the meticulous work must still be done by hand. This can make a pavé setting expensive, but some of that cost is offset by the relatively inexpensive cost of the small stones. If you have your heart set on some pavé set jewellery, make sure you never have it cleaned ultrasonically. The movement the jewellery endures while being cleaned can loosen the stones.

Answer: Marquise

The marquise cut can also be found listed as the navette cut, navette meaning 'little boat'. Now considered a modified brilliant cut, the cut has changed little in its outward shaping, but the size and shape of the facets has evolved to enhance the stone's fire.

Madame de Pompadour met Louis XV and he was immediately enchanted by her. Within months she was installed as the official mistress. Louis' wife, Queen Marie, tolerated her in preference to his previous mistresses. To be a member of the French court, one needed to be titled. Louis saw that Jeanne Antoinette Le Normant d'Étiolles became Marquise de Pompadour by purchasing the title and the associated lands for her.