DIAMOND CUTTING 25
in
a nearly square shape, with the corners somewhat rounded off, — the
object being to secure as much brilliancy and also to save as much
weight as possible. Diamonds are now cut, as every one knows,
practically round. The style of cutting may be described as follows:
The table on the top of the stone is surrounded by thirty-two small facets reaching from the table to the girdle, or edge of the stone. The back of the stone has a tiny facet at the top of the pyramid, formed by cutting, called the culet, surrounded
by twenty-four facets reaching from the culet to the girdle. Formerly
and even now in most of the ordinary cutting comparatively little
attention is paid to the girdle; but the better the quality of the
cutting the more attention is paid to the desirability of having the
girdle as thin as possible, and yet not so thin as to chip easily. This
object is attained in the patented polished girdle form of
cutting, which has an extra curved facet around the girdle. This
cutting is protected by patents in the United States and in foreign
countries, and in New England is sold direct only to the Smith
Patterson Company.
In
describing this cutting we will quote a letter of March 14, 1913, from
the holders of the patent, Messrs. Schenck & Van Haelen.
