teenth century. It has been described as presenting the appearance of two cones united at their base, the upper being
truncated. The technical terms for the different parts are the
table or flat upper surface, called the crown, the pavilion or
base, comprising the lower part of the stone, the culet or collet,
the under plane opposite the table, the girdle or the junction
•of the pyramids, and the beasil, or slanting edge.
There are certain proportions to be observed in this mode of
cutting, as the table must be four-ninths the size of the stone,
the collet one-sixth of the table, from the table to the girdle
must be one-third of the whole thickness, and from the girdle
to the collet two-thirds. The perfect brilliant requires at least
fifty-six facets, thirty-two above and twenty-four below the
girdle ; sometimes they have more. These facets are of various
forms and sizes, designated by different names, as star facets,
skill facets, and others. The above rules are not always
strictly observed in cutting.
The brilliolette has been described as two rose-diamonds
entirely covered with small facets, and joined at the base:
several notable diamonds are cut in this style. The point, a
name still in use, consists of a four-sided pyramid. A diamond
should be cut with a thin edge at the girdle in order to display
its prismatic play of colors to the best advantage. Experienced lapidaries regard Indian-cut stones and many of recent
workmanship defective in their style of cutting : those from
the East are frequently produced from flat, veiny stones, called
lasques, in the form of single brilliants, which are greatly
inferior to the double brilliant.
It has been thought the art of cutting the diamond originated in India, though the natives prefer the gem in its rough
state or as polished by a natural process, when they are called
■"naifs." Oriental lapidaries resort to the skilful artifice of
