Baguette – A gemstone that is cut in a narrow, rectangular shape similar to a loaf of French bread, hence the name. Small diamonds cut in this way are often used as accents in jewellery such as rings and necklaces.
Bombé – This refers to a dome shaped setting often seen in rings from the 1940’s and 1950’s and means curving or bulging outwards.
Channel Set – A style of setting that has a uniform size of small stones set side by side into a grooved channel – usually round cut, princess cut or baguette shaped stones. The stones are not secured individually with claws unlike most settings and there is no metal visible between the stones.
Cluster – A jewellery setting that has several stones grouped together.
Cocktail ring – A large oversized ring set with stones either precious or semi-precious. These were popular in the 1940’s.
Cuff bracelet – A wide, rigid bangle that has a narrow opening on one side to allow the wrist to pass through.
Cuff link – A decorative fastener used to close the cuff of a shirt that is made without buttons.
Cushion cut – A multi-faceted cut of stone that looks like a rectangle, or a square with rounded edges.
Diamond cut – A gemstone that is cut like a brilliant cut stone.
Emerald cut – A rectangular or a square shaped cut with chamfered corners and stepped facets that are typically parallel to the girdle. Also known as a table cut or step cut and can be used on gemstones other than emeralds.
European cut – Also known as Old Cut. A style of diamond cut that was popular from approximately 1890 to the 1930’s. The cut consists of a round girdle, a smaller table in relation to the diameter of the stone and a larger culet. The large culet appears to create a black hole at the bottom of the diamond when looking through the stone from the top. This is caused by light escaping instead of reflecting back up to the viewer.
Faceted – Facets are small flat surfaces of a polished diamond or gemstone. These polished, flat planes enhance and determine the diamond’s ability to sparkle and reflect light. A gemstone carved with a regular pattern of many facets is described as faceted.
