Why Learn to Facet Gemstones?

Here are a few crucial reasons why hand faceted stones are more beautiful than commercial cut stones.

Reasons	Hand cut Gemstones	Commercial Cut Gemstones
Weight	Hand cut gemstones are cut for brilliance and this requires sacrificing the overall weight of the finished gemstone to have the most brililance or light return.	The gemstones are cut for weight because, commercially, they are sold by the carat, not by the brilliance.
Size	The gemstone is cut solely to preserve the perfect angles that will give the gemstone the greatest light return.	The gemstones are cut to make sure they fit calibrated sizes and will be cut too deeply or too shallowly to fit the mold.
Money	Gemcutters like myself are artists first and businessmen second. I want my gemstone babies to be beautiful. Then they will sell themselves.	Commercial gemcutters have to meet quotas of how many cut carats they sell compared to how many rough carats they used up. They are looking after their monetary requirements not the gemstone.

The Ideal Cut
The Ideal Cut Returns Light Through the Top of the Gemstone
Cut Too Shallow
A Shallow Cut Misdirects Light Through the Bottom of the Gemstone
Cut Too Deep
A Deep Cut Misdirects Light Through the Side of the Gemstone