A gem dealer purchased this oval Aquamarine which had been cut in Thailand. They cut the crowns nicely over there, but the pavilions are almost always windowed. The dealer who purchased this stone could see the potential in the stone if the window were to be closed.
I measured his stone and did some calculations and saw that I could close the window for him.
Below, you will see photos and description of the cutting process.
You can see how the brilliance and color is lost in the center of this Aquamarine.
Here you can see that I have drawn a black line down the length of the stone to help align the symmetry of the new facet pattern.
I have also made the first 4 facets which are the first facets to 'close' the window. You can see how they are 'almost' coming together in the center.
My objective is to close the window with a minimum of weight loss using a pattern which gives the maximum amount of brilliance to the finished gemstone.
Here you can see how much more brilliant the stone has become and how the color is also improved in the center.
Denton Anderson,
Gemologist & Gem Cutter
click photo for Video
Graduate Gemologist, GIA, GG
Over 20 years of experience.
