shape
carat
color
clarity

Best Cut for Amethyst?

T

talamasca

Guest
My fav colour is purple so I'm starting to look for an amethyst.

Only just started looking and I've seen some really nice asschers, however is this the best cut, especially if I decide on a dark purple as I'd like something with a bit of life or would I be better off choosing a light purple with an asscher cut???
 

ruffysdad

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
127
The best cut for amethyst is whatever one lights You up :mrgreen: . Look at a bunch of them to see what combination of the 4 C's most appeal to you. Everyone's different and will flip over different stones. The assher cut is probably a nice cut for the lighter material although I personally don't mess with the cut. Not saying anything bad about the cut, it's just a me thing. I like cuts with odd number mains and pinwheel cuts for rose de france stuff. For darker material I like checkerboards. It all boils down to what I, as a cutter, am trying to bring out in a piece of rough. For red and blue flash material I try and bring out as much of the flash as possible while for lighter colors I try to to make the color richer and get as much flash and dispersion as I can. That can be a pretty good accomplishment in a stone with a lower RI like amethyst. Either way, look at a bunch and see what kind of cut and color turns you on.

Pete
 

Jim Rentfrow

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
Messages
241
Pete is correct, it is whatever cut will make you feel good about your purchase though! There are several cuts that have an asscher crown with a pavilion that will help to create more brilliance than the traditional asscher cut. One of these cuts is called the squartuguese and is very bright. I included a link to it below so you can see it.

http://www.gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Voltolini_-_Squartuguese
 
T

talamasca

Guest
Thanks Pete and Jim for the advice and link :D
 

chrono

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
38,364
I'm going to have to disagree with the lapidaries above; the cut suggested might create more brilliance but overall, in an asscher cut, the darker purple will not allow you to drown in the miles deep asscher steps. An asscher cut is in general, quite deep, and concentrates more saturation and tone, compared to a shallower style design. Couple that with a deep colour, it'll make it more difficult to make out the individual steps, which to me, is the entire purpose of going with the asscher design. Personally, if I wanted something in that step cut design, I'll go for a stone that is a light to medium light tone.
 
T

talamasca

Guest
Thanks Chrono, I'd def like to see the steps, so may be I should go for a lavendar spinel that way I still get the purple but with the lovely asscher cut and detailing.

ETA: Just saw this amethyst of Genes http://www.precisiongem.com/Gemstones/page5/page5.html which looks lovely, though not an asscher it's still a nice shape. I wonder how dark it looks in real life as in the pic it looks sparkly and would be more affordable!
 

ruffysdad

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
127
Chrono|1307537108|2940629 said:
I'm going to have to disagree with the lapidaries above; the cut suggested might create more brilliance but overall, in an asscher cut, the darker purple will not allow you to drown in the miles deep asscher steps. An asscher cut is in general, quite deep, and concentrates more saturation and tone, compared to a shallower style design. Couple that with a deep colour, it'll make it more difficult to make out the individual steps, which to me, is the entire purpose of going with the asscher design. Personally, if I wanted something in that step cut design, I'll go for a stone that is a light to medium light tone.

Clarification :mrgreen: .I wouldn't recommend an asscher for any deeply colored stone but Marco's squartuguese will do a much better job at bringing out brilliance in a light to medium Amethyst. Lighter colored stones are fine for an asscher but the depth would kill anything with higher color saturation. I too, find a lot of Marco's designs to be outstanding for maximizing the brilliance and dispersion in a piece of rough. I also use a lot of them for students after they've cut a few round brilliants and want to try something new. The asscher though is a color cut pure and simple, just like an emerald cut. A good cut for showing off the color in a stone but not one that will take advantage of the RI and dispersion in a stone.

Pete
 

Jim Rentfrow

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
Messages
241
Pete beat me to the punch but I have to agree with him as well. Lighter material is ok in an asscher but once you get above a certain saturation level cutting an asscher does not make sense. There is no performance and you cant see the steps in the pavilion. Marco's designs are a good combination of the basic outlines of our favorite cuts with a lot more brilliance. A good example of this is the comparison photo below of an asscher in a medium-dark yellow zircon with the pavilion recut into a squartuguese.

Asscher%20vs%20Squartuguese.jpg
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top