Since beryl is a low RI stone, I feel it should have a lot of facets for that extra sparkle, so I love portuguese rounds on Aqua, with a small table, and very high crown, to help minimize the huge tilt window these stones tend to have.
I'm also a fan of emerald cut aquas. To me there is something very classic about it. There are a few asscher cut aquas on PS- LTP's comes to mine that are also very nice.
The nature of the growth of the beryl crystal is such that emerald cut or other elongated step cuts, or rectangular cuts optimze weight. I see a lot of those, and to tell you the truth, I get a teeny bit more excited when I see a round aqua, as they do vary from the norm. However, I understand it's a popular cut and many people like it.
Asschers tend to have a high crown and small table, so it helps to minimize the tilt window. The tilt window is a big issue for me with aqua, and even some well cut aquas will still have large tilt windows, but when looking at them through the table, they look fine. The fact that these stones have a low RI, and they are often very pale in color, and very greyish, means that they probably require more cutting "enhancement" than other gems to show off their beauty.
There's no getting around the fact that due to the growth structure and trying to maximize the rough yield, most aquamarines are going to end up being an elongated rectangular stone. I think a mixed brilliant type cut will minimize the tilt window and also give it better flash to compensate for the low RI.
Not everyone is a fan of concave cuts, but they do give the illusion of more depth of color. I really like what Gene did with the aqua on his home page. However, that stone had very good "aqua color" to begin with.
Here's a picture of my nicer one. It's a pear cut with diamond side stones set in white gold. Sorry the picture is such low quality, it was taken with my phone.
It's very sparkly in real life, but you couldn't tell that by the picture.
Before I saw this thread, I would have said any step cut (emerald, Asscher) for aquas or other light colored gems with low RI (because I accept that they just won't sparkle). After having seen the Jeff White aqua, it makes me rethink my preference. What a piece of art.
TL took the words right out of my mouth again. Well said and great info there, TL!
Since beryl is a low RI stone, I feel it should have a lot of facets for that extra sparkle, so I love portuguese rounds on Aqua, with a small table, and very high crown, to help minimize the huge tilt window these stones tend to have. The nature of the growth of the beryl crystal is such that emerald cut or other elongated step cuts, or rectangular cuts optimze weight. I see a lot of those, and to tell you the truth, I get a teeny bit more excited when I see a round aqua, as they do vary from the norm. However, I understand it's a popular cut and many people like it.
that 27ct Pak aqua I had was a portuguese round now that i think about it
There's just something about emerald cut aquas, especially when they have a little green to them. Pure blue aquas look a little topazy to me, but the blue-green ones are just .
This was my first CS purchase, where I bought the stone first then had it set. It's from my jeweler. I still like it, but have to say I prefer those above, by JW and Phenomenal Facets.
I love aqua but I like them best as emerald cut and asssher. Sweet Pea I have an aqua ring that looks very close to yours. I have an oval YG aqua ring but I can't find a picture of it right now.
I really love step cuts for aqua, and I feel like I shouldn't because of the low RI! But I think low-RI stones like aqua and quartz look great in asscher cuts. I think they have a tranquil watery or glassy appearance that I find mesmerizing.