Faceting History: Cutting Diamonds and Colored Stones

By Glenn Klein

The author of, "FACETING HISTORY: CUTTING DIAMONDS AND COLORED STONES" has for a long time had a deep interest in learning how the early faceters (cutters) of diamonds and colored gemstones were able to complete their work. What methods did they use? What equipment did they have to make success possible? How soon did they discover how to complete the many phases necessary to accomplish their work? How did the equipment and methods differ between fashioning diamonds and faceting colored stones? These are just a few of the questions that the author wanted to find the answers for.

In looking for answers to these and other questions, the author found that there were bits and pieces of information available in many previous books, but there was not a good book available that would answer most of his questions. Upon hearing the author´s remarks about this fact, one of the librarians at the wonderful library located at the Gemological Institute of America´s Carlsbad campus said that if such a book was not available, "maybe you should write the book!" Well, the author had been thinking of doing just that, but the remark caused the author to see the light and agree to get started on the project. Little did he know then that the project would require many months of eight hour days over seven day weeks to get the book completed. He decided to write a book that would answer these and other related questions that he had. The thought also occurred to him that such a book would be a valuable volume to be placed in libraries of individual faceters around the world. He realized that such a book would also be of great value to anyone who works behind a Jewelry store counter. A successful sales person is one who is knowledgeable about the products that they are selling. A book of faceting information would be extremely valuable if read and re-read from time to time. A customer in the Jewelry store will no doubt be favorably impressed by a sales presentation that is made with the use of interesting and informative information about diamonds and the various colored gemstones. The customer will be convinced that the sales person knows about what they are talking.

The author has spent nearly three years on the project of researching the GIA library and other libraries, along with the extensive personal library of gemstone related books that he personally possesses. Many conflicting reports were noted in his study. He has made the statements in his book reflect the most commonly accepted opinions, of the most respected authors´ works that he has found in his research. History is only obtainable from the earlier works of other authors. We cannot go back to the long past centuries ourselves, to see first hand what really happened and when it happened. A study of faceting history requires making the best choices of the information that is available.

This completed book answers questions as to why the fashioning of diamonds was/is so different from the faceting of colored gemstones. The book compares the needed equipment and the methods that have brought the greatest successes. In addition, a great deal of other information connected to faceting is included.

There are seven chapters in the book and there are over 125 photographs of the early equipment and methods that were used. The photographs show the faceters, the workroom conditions, and the tools and equipment that they used to complete beautiful and lasting gemstones.

The book chapters are titled: An Introduction to Faceting, Early Man´s Stone Appreciation, Diamond Fashioning Procedure and Equipment, Colored Stone Faceting Procedure and Equipment, The Evolution of Cut Designs, Famous and Historic Gemstones, Sources of Diamond and Colored Stone Rough, and lastly, Advances in Faceting Over the Past One Hundred Years.

By books end, the reader will be well informed as to what is r

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 13, 2005
• ISBN: 9781465333919

Glenn Klein

The author has spent a considerable amount of time within a wide variety of fields of interest. He obtained a General class ham radio operators license. He became an accomplished woodworker. He has been flying airplanes for sixty years, after obtaining a commercial pilots license along with flight instructor and instrument ratings. He operated a retail drapery interior decorating business for fifty years. He was awarded a Graduate Gemologist diploma from the Gemological Institute of America. The author has achieved great success in winning many first place awards for faceting colored stones, this in competition on a National and International level.

Book preview

FACETING HISTORY:

cutting diamonds

& colored stones

Glenn Klein

Copyright © 2005 by Glenn Klein.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

27612

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

At this time of completion of my book about the history of faceting, I wish to thank the people who helped me bring it all together. The project was one of many for me. I get an idea, I do not start unless I am determined to do a good job on it, and then I put everything I have into carrying through to the finish. Otherwise, I do not even get started on a project.

As I often do, I underestimate how long it will take and how much work will be involved in some of my projects. Faceting History: Cutting Diamonds and Colored Stones proved to be such a project. The book could never have been completed had my wonderful wife, Rhoda, not stuck with me all the way. She often was upset because I took over our one and only computer to do some of my research and all of the typing that was required. She has told many that the only time I turned the computer over for her use was when it was dinnertime, when she could not leave the kitchen. However, Rhoda and I continue to love each other after fifty-two years of marriage. Deciding to marry her was the best decision I have made in my entire life. Rhoda has been very helpful in reading over my chapters, making suggestions for certain words, phrases, or comma faults. I sincerely appreciate all of her help.

Several friends also deserve my thanks and appreciation. Hubert Rackets supplied me with a wonderful April 1938 issue of the Mineralogist magazine, which gave me lots of material about recent faceting history. Jonas Ruzgys loaned me his great old book, The Gem-Cutter’s Craft, which is a classic book for faceters. I value the suggestions given by Greg Thompson of the geology department at the University of Texas. I thank Glenn Vargas for his encouragement and help. Joe Rubin has been instrumental in encouraging me in all phases of my faceting experiences over the past thirty years. It was he who convinced me to enter faceting competitions, where I really learned how to facet. And above all, I thank the several members of the Gemological Institute of America’s library at Carlsbad, California, for their help and encouragement during my research period. I had the idea in my head to write a book about faceting history, but it was one of the librarians at GIA who suggested that I write such a book since they did not seem to have one covering what I was interested in learning about. That was what I needed to hear. That suggestion made me get serious and deeply involved in completing my book.

Lake Forest, California, USA, April 2005 Glenn Klein

CHAPTER ONE

An Introduction to Faceting

The greatest value among the objects of human property, not merely among precious stones, is due to the adamas (diamond), for a long time known only to kings and even to very few of these.

—Pliny, Historia Naturalis (AD 77)

Faceting of colored stones is an art that is growing in popularity each year. What is rather amazing is the fact that very little is known about the earliest cutting and polishing procedures, as well as what kind of equipment was used. However, various authors have produced the written word through the past six centuries that tell us about diamond cutting, as well as polishing equipment, and how the procedures have progressed up to the present time. But as you will see in this book, the diamond offers a much more difficult challenge to the faceter. The cutting and polishing of colored stones is much easier to accomplish. Faceting colored stones must have been practiced many years before success was obtained with diamonds. Why then is there so little information available about how earlier successes were obtained when working with the softer materials? Answering such questions is the author’s goal. I have written this book to offer descriptions of the equipment that was used, as well as the procedures that were used for fashioning diamonds and colored stones.

A study of early faceting procedures and equipment has drawn the author’s interest for several years. However, there are not many books available that cover in detail this area of interest. And so, since information is scarce, I decided to thoroughly research the subject and then write a book about it! The knowledge that I have gained after almost three years of research has resulted in what I wish to share with you in this book.

A Definition of Faceting

First, let us be clear about what is meant by faceting. Faceting is the term used to describe the cutting and polishing of a series of flat reflective surfaces onto a piece of transparent gemstone material. The flat surfaces are called facets. The outline shape of a facet may vary. For example, it can be round, square, triangular, rectangular, or kite shaped. The facet shape is made to correspond to whatever is called for in the cut design that has been chosen for use. Reflections from the interior of the gem provide the viewer with many patches of light. These patches appear, disappear, and reappear at the slightest movement of the gem. These patches are also noticed if there is any movement of the light source or movement of the viewer’s eyes. The resultant brilliancy of a faceted gem depends on correct angles being used. The facets have to have a fine polished surface as well.

The one common property that all gemstones possess is hardness. The entire gem-cutting process is accomplished with the use of a series of abrasives. A stage of coarse abrading is followed by stages that are finer. This process continues until there are no bumps or scratches left to be abraded. A smooth and well-polished surface is the end result.

Presently, there are many cut-design patterns available. Thanks to the clever computer programs made available since 1980, many existing cut-design patterns can be used, or new ones can easily be created. This was not the case earlier when cut-design patterns were created only after random experimenting by individual faceters, most of whom were correcting their own cutting errors and trying to make something out of their mistakes. The result was an acceptable gemstone. In modern times, the majority (at least 90 percent) of diamonds are still being cut into the familiar round-shaped American brilliant-cut pattern.

The American brilliant cut when used for a quartz gemstone would look like the design shown in figure 1-1. Study this illustration well because it will make all that follows in this book much easier to understand. There are literally hundreds of cut-design patterns that can be used in cutting and polishing colored stones. More design patterns are being created every day; however, the range of cut designs for diamonds is narrow. There are faceters who spend most of their time in designing new cuts. They find little time available for actually faceting a stone.

Image3600.TIF

Figure 1-1. The standard brilliant cut.

A faceted gemstone that is the result of the work of a competent faceter will allow the available light to enter the gemstone, be reflected from the inner surfaces of the well-polished facets, and then return as much light as possible to the eyes of the beholder. Reflections also come from the outside surfaces of the gemstone. If the gemstone is moved even slightly, a twinkling pattern of light flashes will be seen by the observer. This is the essence of faceting: (1) to cut and polish a suitable gem material at the proper angles for that material’s refractive index value and (2) making use of a cut design that is appropriate for the conditions. This is done so that the greatest amount of eye-pleasing light patterns will be the end result.

Lapidary Defined

The word lapidary comes from the Latin word lapidarius, meaning of stone. A person who cuts and polishes gemstones is referred to as a lapidary. Those who place facets on colored gemstones are called faceters, or in the case of diamonds, they are called cutters or polishers. In general, diamonds are fashioned; colored stones are faceted. The terms do intermingle. Other branches of lapidary work with engraving rock, sculpturing rock, etc. Ever since the time of the Stone Age, man has been fascinated with working stones, rocks, minerals, and gemstones into items that result in satisfaction for his efforts. Man invented the wheel. Man also learned how to make tools. This in turn aided him so that he could control his immediate environment. Faceting of gemstones is the latest accomplishment that has resulted from what early man started.

Cabochon and Faceted Stone Differences

Before the art of gem cutting was well developed, the naturally occurring gem minerals were smoothed or rounded off, then polished by crude methods. Emerald crystals were often drilled and suspended as beads. Many perforated beads of various gem minerals were fashioned at a very early date. The old rounded forms of cutting still survive in the various types of cabochon cuts. Even today, the cabochon cut is used by most of the people interested in lapidary. Cabochons are usually fashioned out of translucent or opaque materials. Therefore, little or no light passes through.

Cabochon is a French word derived from the Latin cabo, meaning head. This refers to the rounded tops of the stones. The outline of gems cut in cabochon styles may be circular, elliptical, square, or rectangular, etc. Cabochons usually have a flat bottom and are rounded on top (see figure 1-2). This type of cut is especially desirable for use with gems that have sheen, such as tiger’s eye; a play of colors, as with opal; opalescence, as with moonstone; or asterism, as shown by star rubies and star sapphires. Commonly used cabochon materials are jade, turquoise, and agate. None of these materials are totally transparent, and so none of them are suitable for being made into faceted stones. They are materials that let little light enter. Reflected light from the outer surface is what is seen.

Image3609.TIF

Figure 1-2. Various cabochon profiles.

A cabochon may be well cut by a lapidary artist in a matter of minutes or a few hours, but a finished faceted diamond will require the work of an expert faceter over a period of days, weeks, or months in order to complete the work. The talent required and exactness needed, as well as the much more complicated equipment that is essential, establish the fact that there is no comparison between cabochon cutting and diamond cutting. They are two entirely different worlds. Therefore, the fashioning of cabochons is not what this book is about. This book is about the much more complicated history of fashioning diamonds and faceting colored stones.

Diamonds are diamonds whether they have color or are colorless. The clear or white diamonds are simply referred to as diamonds. The diamonds that have color, which may improve appearance or increase value of the diamond, are referred to as fancy diamonds. Ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, aquamarine, and quartz are examples of colored stones. Yes, all gemstones other than diamonds are classified as colored stones, whether they possess color or are clear.

The process of faceting a gemstone is a constant challenge. Many choices have to be made by the faceter so that the best use is made of very valuable gem rough material. The refractive index of the material will determine proper angles of facets. Those angle choices for a given cut design will vary widely when using ruby rough as compared to quartz rough. This is because the two species have very different refractive index values. A faceted gemstone is something of a geometrical and gemological marvel. Likewise is the individual who can produce such incredible gemstones of lasting value. For many years, while using long-held secrets, faceters have been transforming gems of nature into the most desirable and valuable articles on earth.

Flat highly polished facets placed in harmonious symmetry bend and reflect light in an amazing manner. Those facets are completed only after rough cutting, then finer cutting, then yet another even finer cutting. Then the individual facets are polished to perfection. Finding the correct angles and index settings to arrange these facets in the proper symmetry is a brand-new task for each separate stage of the cutting and polishing process. This is the great challenge that confronts all faceters. Making a slight error in judgment on one facet can cause the reworking of many facets. All the competent faceter can do is work at each of the required steps of the faceting process one facet at a time.

Gemstones date from the far distant past. They really are timeless. They never age. The gemstone rough was created many millions of years before it was discovered. One thing that the present-day faceter can take heart in is the thought that the beautiful and well-fashioned gemstone that is created can last for many centuries. The faceted gemstone will probably be enjoyed long after the faceter himself has returned to dust.

Diamonds, as well as most of the colored stones, are often called precious or semiprecious stones. They are seldom a thing of beauty when found in the rough. Many rock hunters of past centuries as well as those of today have overlooked finding valuable gemstones. Their hidden beauty was lost in the mix of other varied and worthless material that lay on the ground along with them. Most of the texts reserve the title of precious stones to mean diamond, corundum (ruby and sapphire), and beryl (emerald). These are the only gemstones offered for sale in many retail jewelry stores. Some jewelry stores concentrate on promoting only diamonds. However, I have noted more and more that jewelers are awakening to the sales possibilities colored stones offer. Topaz, tourmaline, spinel, zircon, garnet, aquamarine, tanzanite, and even some varieties of quartz are now called semiprecious gemstones.

GIA’s Description of a Gemstone

The prestigious Gemological Institute of America (GIA) describes gems as minerals that are used for personal adornment that possess (1) beauty of color, luster, and perfection of cutting; (2) rarity (the finest rubies and emeralds are so seldom found that their rarity makes them more costly per carat than a colorless diamond); and (3) durability. All of the gems are destructible, but a gem should resist ordinary wear for a reasonable period of time. Gemstones will not rust away like metal or dwindle away and decompose like wood. Most gemstones are therefore made up of the harder materials. Diamonds are much more often available than rubies and emeralds in the marketplace, yet diamonds involve much greater costs in being located and put through the fashioning process. If diamonds saturated the marketplace with their availability, they would no longer be rare and so valuable.

The Work of a Faceter Is Needed

Today’s faceters—who cut, form, and polish diamonds and colored stones—are very important persons. They make it possible for the beauty and value of gems to be revealed. The crude handiwork of the ancient artisans revealed little of the chromatic and sparkling beauty that was inherently possible.

In ancient times, gemstones occasionally did appear in relatively undamaged form, a form that early man could make use of as a tool. He could also appreciate them for the satisfaction they afforded in many ways. The use of gemstones for a tool or for wearing upon the person was carried out before the time of man’s first recorded history. Doubtless, many colored stones were crudely shaped or polished by rubbing them against other stones in order to gain the reflection of light or to sharpen the edges. Diamonds were also found in crystal form, which showed the material’s inherent great beauty. However, the ability of man to improve the beauty of a diamond was not gained until recent time. The art of gem cutting has progressed gradually from the crudest beginning. Man’s first attempts to artificially improve the appearance of gemstones extended only to polishing the natural surfaces, as shown in figure 1-3. This illustration shows a gem polisher of the tenth century. Much later, man was able to round the rough corners. In the course of the evolution of this art, efforts were made to reduce the stone to a desired symmetrical shape.

Image3620.TIF

Figure 1-3. A gem polisher of the tenth century, from a book by Theophilus Presbyter.

The cutting and polishing of gemstones is necessary for the full development of the inherent properties upon which a gemstone’s beauty is dependent. A gem, as extracted from the earth, may be opaque, irregular in form, or contain flaws and imperfections. However, when relieved of its rough coating and reduced to a size that permits the elimination of its imperfections, it becomes transparent, and its fire is released in the form of brilliant flashes of light.

As noted, there is a distinct difference in the challenges that are faced by the diamond fashioner and the faceter who cuts and polishes all of the other precious and semiprecious gemstones. The tools required as well as the methods used are much more complex. Because the diamond is a harder material than all of the other gemstones and has an internal crystal structure that limits directions that may be worked on its surface, it remained unworkable until relatively recent time.

The highly specialized work of the diamond cutter and the colored-stone faceter requires compliance with geometrical principles and the rules adapted to the refractive index that are characteristic of the gemstone being worked on. Some knowledge of the clearly defined science of crystallography, especially with regard to the planes of cleavage, careful consideration of the stone’s degree of hardness, and a thorough acquaintance with the various forms of cutting are desired—no, they are required!

Gems are cut in specific shapes and at certain angles for definite scientific reasons: the refraction and reflection of light. The table or large flattop surface of the gem serves the purpose of letting the light enter. And when the light enters, it strikes the bottom of the gem, which is shaped like a triangle or prism. It is this prism that reflects light back toward the top of the gem. On the top, the small facets surrounding the table then come into play. These small facets refract and disperse the light as it exits the gemstone, causing the gem to display a scintillating effect. The scintillating effect is more pronounced if the gem is moved, the existing light source is moved, or the eye of the viewer is moved.

It is not the purpose of this book to delve too deeply into the areas of how to go about faceting a gemstone, or into a course on the subject of gemology. However, a shortened discussion about these and other related areas of interest will become part of the whole. I feel that this is necessary if the reader is to fully understand what is at stake in completing a well-faceted gemstone. You will soon realize why it was that so many centuries were required for man to accomplish what is in the modern-day period becoming a rather common occurrence.

CHAPTER TWO

Early Man’s Stone Appreciation

WWe may speak of the beginning of recorded history as being the farthest point back in the past to which man can reach in his research about the beginning of tangible things. This is also the most distant spot to which our imagination can reach in our conception of the history of gems. Yet that time, although so distant, is recent when compared with the long period during which the earth itself has been in the making.

Before the dawn of history, colorful minerals were collected by man and used as charms to ward off evil or to bring good fortune, and later were used as ornaments. This was an appeal that was felt by man even though he was often remotely separated on all of the continents. Colorful minerals were sought after and extracted from the streambeds or mountains and then transported great distances to a waiting market. Evidence of this is brought forward in the study of ancient burial sites.

From the very beginning, man’s survival and well-being has depended on his resourceful utilization of the mineral kingdom. The Stone, Iron, Bronze, Steel, and atomic ages have all been built upon a base of mineral technology, which varies from the extremely simple to the very sophisticated.

First Written Words

Ancient written words that have survived are few because they were generally limited to a short lifespan of use. Early words engraved on stone survived much better than those handwritten on flexible materials like papyrus, parchment, or paper manuscripts. Papyrus was made from the stems of a plant that grew in the marshes of Egypt. The stems were layered horizontally and vertically, wet down with water from the Nile River, and then great pressure was applied. After they were dried in the sun and rubbed with shells to make the solid whole, words were written upon the individual sheets. The material was used exclusively by the Egyptians for countless years before the time of Christ, and its preference for use continued until the third century AD. Parchment was made of the skin of sheep or goats, etc. It was in use in the sixth century BC and eventually became the choice over papyrus. Paper is said to have been invented in China in AD 105 and was in use in Europe only as early as the end