The cut is the art of giving a precious stone a shape and a system of facets that reveal its beauty: the play of light, brilliance and 'fire'. A rough diamond or gem is dull in itself; only a correctly calculated cut makes the stone refract and return light in dazzling flashes. There are many cut shapes — the round brilliant with 57 facets, the princess, emerald, marquise, pear and cabochon (smooth, without facets). The cut is an exact science and at the same time an art: the angle of each facet is calculated so that the maximum of light is reflected back to the eye. It is the cut, not merely the size of the stone, that largely determines its brilliance and value.
