Gem Cutting

Gem cutting is the process of cutting and polishing gems, also known as lapidary. The person who cuts and polishes gems is called a gemcutter or a lapidary. All gems are cut and polished by progressive abrasion using finer and finer grits of harder substances. The hardest naturally occurring substance, diamonds, have a Mohs hardness of 10 and is used as an abrasive to cut and polish a wide variety of materials. Silicon carbide, a manmade compound of silicon and carbon with a Mohs hardness of 9.5, is also widely used for cutting softer gemstones. Other compounds, such as cerium oxide, tin oxide, chromium oxide, and aluminum oxide, are also used in polishing gemstones.

After a gemstone is sawed and ground to the desired shape it is sanded to remove rough marks left by coarser grits. The gem is usually polished to a mirror-like finish to aid light reflection from the surface of the stone, or refraction through the stone in the case of transparent materials. We will use polishing agents such as aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, tin oxide, chromium oxide, ferric oxide, or silicon dioxide in the polishing process. Different stones are often inconsistent in their ease of polishing, particularly in the case of faceted stones, so our gemcutters are very inventive in trying new combinations of polishing agents and polishing surfaces.

A gem lapidary may cut the stone into a cabochon or a facet cut. Faceting is most often done on transparent stones. Flat facets are cut and polished over the entire surface of the stone, usually in a highly symmetrical pattern. The facets are then ground, sanded, and polished.

Our company has many years experience in gem cutting. It is a process that allows anyone to create a unique work of art. Are you a designer? Do you have an idea that you'd like to bring to life? Give us a call, we have experience working with jewelry designers. We will be glad to assist you in the creation of your gemstones. We can create any shape or size from any stone.