Master Rubyist Charles Nutter recently posted an entry titled The Rubyists are wrong. Wrong about the way rubies featured in our Ruby logos are cut.
My father has worked in the jewelry business for over 30 years. As soon as I read Charles’ article, I wondered what Pop would think. So, I emailed him.
Here is his response:
[Charles] is close, but he missed it. The diamond part is correct. But in my experience and having worked with diamonds and color all over the world there is one common thread in the cutting of any color stone. Diamonds are cut for brilliance and yield. Any color stone is cut into a shape which will bring out the color to its upmost beauty and at the same time maximize the yield of the rough. That is why you see more cushion shapes and ovals in rubies. But you usually only see those in larger stones. The majority of the small stones are round. So, I would have to say the round cut is cut the most. Also, the round cut is different from the diamond brilliant cut. Faceting is done to bring out the color in the color stones. So, there really isn’t a facet count on round color like a diamond would have. Also, all of the Ruby logos are correct. If that was the best way to cut the rough to maximize the color than it’s possible a cutter would use any of the shapes, including the JRuby logo. Yes, a lot of color stones are cut off center or in a nonsymmetrical shape.
Thanks Dad.