Australian Facetors' Guild Limited

Hi Zoltan,

it depends on how dark the stone is.  I have some Kerala Garnets that are so saturated they look black when cut even though you can see light through them,  cut as a brilliant they are black.  I’m going to try 4 large reflector facets on the pavillion cut at 2degrees above the critical angle and a shallow crown that is mostly table.  This is to minimise the distance light has to travel through the stone.  If that doesn’t work, the only cut for them is a rose cut with no pavillion, it won’t matter.

but ordinary saturated garnets benefit from a low crown and pavillion with large reflector facets.

if you can get it from the net, Jeff Graham’s Lighthouse Cut was designed for dark garnet.

if you are cutting closed C tourmaline, chose a tourmaline cut to minimise reflection along the C axis which will darken the stone

regards

Gordon