The Emerald Cut

The Emerald cut is also known as a Step cut and is an historical old cut with a rectangular table or top and symmetrical steps along the sides cut in parallel steps. It was originally designed to showcase the color of emerald stones and is now used for most other gemstones due to the cut’s sheer elegance. The name “Emerald Cut” was not used until the 1920’s, when the sensibilities of Art Deco became en vogue.

Around 1940 standardization of the Emerald Cut was complete and is widely used by gem cutters to bring more fire into the stone to emphasize it’s inherent color. The original Step Cut stone style allows for many polygonal shapes, including square, rectangle, kite, or lozenge and does not follow a set pattern while today’s standardized Emerald Cut is usually a rectangle with a total of 58 facets having 25 on the Pavilion, 25 on the Crown, and 8 on the Girdle, with three rows of top steps and three rows of bottom steps.