[Jewelry making - Article 00132] - Re: [Orchid] Finish behind stones

[Noel Yovovich]

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>     Noel, I believe that this is true primarily for diamonds. 

    I don't wish to beat a dead horse, but in my study of faceting, the
    process is all about cutting the stone at the proper angles to bounce
    the light around inside and back out the top. Light from the back,
    if visible, tends to obscure the "sparkle" the faceting creates, just
    as light shining in through a window will prevent you from seeing
    your reflection off the inside. 

    The higher the refractivity of the stone, the more brilliance it can
    have, if properly cut, so diamonds do this very well and quartz
    somewhat less so, but the principle is always the same. Very dark
    stones may be cut at the "wrong" angle to allow more light through so
    they appear lighter, at the expense of brilliance. "Windowing",
    where some facets at the culet are too shallow, allows light directly
    through-- a flaw in the cut. Most of the time in jewelry there isn't
    much light available from the back, except maybe in earrings, so the
    window will look dark, not bright, and may show the color of the
    metal through, so if this is yellow gold, it may make the stone look
    muddy or "off". 

    Likewise, gluing a stone in tends to negate the effect of the
    pavilion facets, making the stone dull-looking by allowing the light
    to leak out the back. 

    OK, got a little carried away there, but I figure it is better to
    offer reasoning and information that to just say "Does not!" "Does
    too!" ;>) 

Noel


 
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