New to step cuts

Did my first partial step cut last night, a "Squaretugese". The finished stone is not all what it should be but it looks very nice nonetheless.

I've never attempted a step cut before simply because the look of a full step cut just didn't appeal to me all that much. But a step crown with a non-step pavilion can look fantastic!

But the confusing thing for which I can find no instructions - when we cut the steps, do we simply estimate the width of each step and cut it accordingly? There are no obvious points to cut to that I can see, the only ones left a second tier ridiculously wider than the first. So I just ended up matching them up by eye. Is this how we are supposed to space steps in a step cut?

This sort?

Yep, very similar to that one AR. Except with corner facets cut in as well.

When i get home ill see if the info you need is in that text. I cant get a clear photo sorry

Lefty said:

Did my first partial step cut last night, a "Squaretugese". The finished stone is not all what it should be but it looks very nice nonetheless.

I've never attempted a step cut before simply because the look of a full step cut just didn't appeal to me all that much. But a step crown with a non-step pavilion can look fantastic!

But the confusing thing for which I can find no instructions - when we cut the steps, do we simply estimate the width of each step and cut it accordingly? There are no obvious points to cut to that I can see, the only ones left a second tier ridiculously wider than the first. So I just ended up matching them up by eye. Is this how we are supposed to space steps in a step cut?

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I think it's called a mixed cut???? Brilliant type cut on the bottom and step cut on top, good for coloured stones, saphs I think - . Where's Antony?

And yes you estimate.

Step cuts can be a pig. I like them. If you have an error on like an emerald cut it will show, a bit of a challenge

When you cut a step cut, you cut the size of each row of facet "by eyes" (or you can use a calliper).

I love the step cuts, and even more the mixed ones like the squaretuguese or the barion emerald.

They are also the easiest and the fastest cut you can do, and it is easy to modify them by intuition (add a few facets here, a new set of row on a different index here, etc...)

Yep, it came out very nice despite the mistakes I made. The step crown acts sort of like a set of windows that lets you look straight down into the pattern of reflections made by the non-step pavilion. A more complex crown tends to interact with that a lot more and break up images more.

So the mixed cuts with a step crown now appeal to me.

But now I can see where I would actually like to do a full step cut. It's where you have a bi-coloured piece of material. A fair portion of the amethyst crystals from Lowmead are amethyst in one section and smokey in another, I reckon it would look cool to have an emerald cut wih half each. In that case you would probably be wanting to show off the colour zoning, not necessarily be chasin maximum brilliance.

Did you post a photo Lefty?

AtomRat said:

Did you post a photo Lefty?

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Still waiting on my new computer AR. With luck I should have it this week. This little portable device is ok for some things but not much good for others.