London Blue Topaz Cut Guide

London Blue Topaz is one of those stones which is available at low cost yet is pleasing to the eye. So, what is London Blue Topaz, and how is it cut? Our quick guide to London Blue Topaz cut should help you make the right decision.

How is Topaz Cut?

While many people think about the shape of topaz they might want to buy, fewer consider how the gem is cut from rough. In its raw form, this gem is a crystal or other form of uncut topaz stone. After mining and treatments are over, a gem cutter or lapidary selects a stone to be cut into faceted gems.

Topaz Cutting Process

• First, the cutter will see the raw material into smaller pieces. These will be larger or smaller, and vary in shape depending on the target size of the final stone.
• Second, the stone is ground into a rough shape. For an emerald cut London Blue Topaz, the first cut will be into a rectangular shape. A future round brilliant will become a circular stone. Once that has been done, facets are cut, forming the final shape of the finished product.
• Lastly, a series of smoothing and polishing steps are performed. The lapidary starts with relatively rough sandpaper-like grinding wheels and progresses to much finer ones. As this process continues, pieces of topaz are removed. In the end, the London Blue Topaz should be mirror-smooth. After cutting, London Blue Topaz can be set into any kind of jewelry, including necklaces or pendants, earrings, and rings.

Types of Cuts

As with other gemstones, a piece of London Blue Topaz rough can be cut into a wide variety of shapes using different cutting styles. When finished, the stone will be available to become a London Blue Topaz rose gold ring. Here are the basics of gem cuts:

Cabochons

Not that popular for London Blue Topaz jewelry, but cabochons are the oldest form of cut gems. Cabochons can be round, oval, square, rectangular, or take on some less common shapes, and have a polished smooth dome top. Although cabochons are sometimes cut from eye clean gemstones, in modern times we are more likely to see this technique used for rough topaz with more inclusions.

Step Cuts

Increasingly popular step cuts are those where the facets run parallel to each other, like a hall of mirrors. Facets are rectangles or squares, and as a result step cuts often have right angles. At their most basic, step cuts are designed to show the clarity of a gemstone, and it is difficult to hide inclusions in the facets.

Emerald Cut

This is the most popular form of step cut. Emerald cuts are rectangular stones, though they technically have eight sides. These sides are: two long sides, two short sides, and four super short corners. In other words, the sharp corners are cut off, to make the stone easier to set. Their elegant look is one reason more couples are choosing an emerald cut London Blue Topaz engagement ring.

Other Cuts: Asscher & Baguette

While the emerald cut is the most popular step cut style, there are other options. Asscher cut is basically a square emerald cut London Blue Topaz, while baguettes are longer and thinner than emerald cuts. Lastly, the carre cut is a square step cut without the cut off corners.

Brilliant Cuts

Unlike step cuts, brilliants are intended to bring the most sparkle out of a faceted stone. Rather than looking like a hall of mirrors, brilliant cut stones allow the light to reflect off the bottom (“pavilion”) facets and send light back through the top of the stone (table facets). These facets are triangular or kite shaped, and often at an angle to help with reflections.

Round Cut

These round stones are the most popular gem cut of all. Made to be perfectly round, they throw off a lot of beautiful sparkle. Although this is most pronounced in diamonds, round cuts are still stunning choices for a London Blue Topaz ring. These classic silhouettes are sure to delight.

Other Brilliant Cuts: Princess, Pear, Heart, Oval and Marquise

While the round brilliant is most famous, there are other options. Ovals are popular choices, and so is the princess cut. This is a square brilliant stone that has become trendy in the diamond world. Also, the double-pointed marquise is available, along with pear shaped London Blue Topaz. Heart shaped London Blue Topaz is a brilliant cut as well, and can be made into elegant London Blue Topaz jewelry.

Choosing the Cut

When deciding what to do with a piece of London Blue Topaz, gem cutters usually have two goals: (1) maximize the weight of the finished gemstone, and (2) cut out as many inclusions as possible. Generally, with a London Blue color Topaz, a faceted gem will be eye clean. Inclusions can be smaller crystals or needles, which are the most common. Others are feathers, which really are cracks, chips, clouds, twinning, graining and etch channels. All of these inclusions detract from the overall clarity of the stone. Maximizing the weight of the finished gem often means taking advantage of a rough crystal’s natural shape, or turning the natural cleavage lines of a crystal into the top table cut.

London Blue Topaz Treatments

Although blue topaz exists in nature, it's very rare and expensive. Usually, clear to brownish rough topaz is chosen.Then, the stones are heat treated. Depending on the methods used, the stone will become London Blue or Swiss Blue Topaz. Treatments also have the added bonus of causing the inclusions in a stone to become less visible or disappear. Most gemstones sold today are heat treated. Any treatment like this is permanent and common for all jewelry made with London Blue Topaz. Interested in London Blue Topaz jewelry? We have an assortment of rings that range from high to low in price. Emerald cut London Blue Topaz rings are available in white, yellow, and rose gold. We can also make a custom creation if you don’t find the perfect ring for your taste. Give us a call if you have any questions. Contact us by phone at 1(844)-234-6463 or email at service@withclarity.com. Our Live Chat is available during business hours Monday - Friday 10AM - 6PM ET.