How cut affects the value of sapphire
How well a sapphire is cut affects its value and beauty. A well cut sapphire reflects the maximum amount of light and dazzles the viewer with sparkle. A poorly cut sapphire will have uneven facets and will let light escape rather than reflect. Note that when it comes to a gemstone’s cut, the quality affects the vale not the shape.
Because natural sapphire is such a precious material, and it naturally forms in shallow, short crystals, a cutter will often cut it too shallow rather than cut away valuable material. This means that most of the sapphires available are cut in such a way that they are too flat. A sapphire that is cut too flat (called “fish eye”) lets light escape though the bottom rather than reflecting it.
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| Very Poor Cut: We have a slight side view of this sapphire gemstone, allowing us to see how shallow it has been cut. This gemstone reflects very little light. | “fish eye”: This cut is better, but still disappointing. We see sparkle around the edges, but none in the middle. | Mediocre cut: There is more sparkle in this saphire but if you look closely, you will see that the facets are uneven. | Excellent cut: The cut of this sapphire is perfect. light is reflected from each facet inside the stone and the facets are neat and even. |