Cutting releases the internal fire of the stone and creates the mesmerizing scintillation which makes an Emerald so enticing to the human soul

I love these words of Michelangelo and this is exactly what we do when cutting a Colombian Emerald.

“I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to other eyes as mine see it.”
Michelangelo

In our case, the …Hewing away the rough walls…, is called Cutting.
 

So… What is Cutting?

When we talk about the Cutting of a Colombian Emerald, we immediately get off on the wrong foot.
 

Cutting releases the internal fire of the stone and creates the mesmerizing scintillation which makes an Emerald so enticing to the human soul - Lee Wasson

 

Why?

Because, we do Not Cut Emeralds.
If need be, we may want to saw one in half, into various pieces or saw off a highly imperfect piece of rough.

 
 
 

Cutting releases the internal fire of the stone and creates the mesmerizing scintillation which makes an Emerald so enticing to the human soul - Lee Wasson

 
 

So… what do we do?

We grind or sand flat surfaces called “facets” into the rough Colombian Emerald at very precise angles. By doing this, we give the rough Emerald a geometric shape and this is what is known as cutting or faceting.

See a variety of possible shapes Here: https://leewasson.com/shop/emeralds/

 

Why do we cut Emeralds?

In one word: Beauty!

Colombian Emeralds in the rough are rarely beautiful, even if they are, they are usually far more valuable cut.
Man has been fashioning gemstones for thousands of years in an age-old quest to enhance the inherent beauty and mystery of nature’s wealth. As his knowledge of the Emerald has increased, he has developed techniques to release their charm and allure to a heavenly level. He has learned to transform an often coarse, irregular, unassuming green pebble into one of the rarest, most sought after and beautiful aesthetic objects d’art on the face of the earth.

Furthermore:

Once cut, anyone can see it´s beauty and recognize it`s Value. It can now be easily traded, used as an investment, set in jewelry, worn by that special person, be symbol of a promise, be willed, and become a family heirloom etc.
 


 

Are Colombian Emeralds difficult to cut?

Cutting Colombian Emeralds is an “Art” with vast amounts of money at stake.

They are very complicated precious gemstones to cut and have many hidden pitfalls.  However, their true potential can only be realized by man’s touch.   Automation is out of the question, each and every rough emerald is unique with it own particular problems that need to be addressed individually.  The cutting that releases the internal fire of the stone and creates the mesmerizing scintillation which makes an Emerald so enticing to the human soul is accomplished entirely by hand.

In General, We have a tendency to concentrate on the Color and Imperfections of an Emerald when searching for the correct stone underestimating the importance of the cut.

We will rectify that in our upcoming Blogs.

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by Specialist in Fine Colombian Emeralds

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