It is the cut of a stone that transforms a rough stone into a sparkling and brilliantly colored gemstone. A good cut not only enhances the color and carat of the stone, but it also facilitates it to be set into a jewelry piece. A good and experienced gem cutter can bring out the best characteristics of a stone. Nowadays the cuts on the gemstones are being made by specialized machines but still it could not entirely replace the traditional cutting styles of a gemstone which is what that determines the actual value of a particular gemstone.

There is no ideal cut for colored gemstones like diamond. A brilliant cut of gem stone brings out the maximum carat weight, color intensity of the stone. A good cut can handle the play of light. The stones are either given faceted cuts or non-faceted ones called the cabochon cut.

The oldest and traditionally the most common cut is the cabochon cut. It has a flat base and slightly domed top. "Cabochon" comes form the French word "Caboche" which means head. Mostly, it is oval or round in shape but other shapes like triangles and rectangles can also be seen in this cut. Though any gemstone can be cut into cabochon shape, usually patterned gemstones are cut as this cut show off patterns in the stone. This cut is applied to stones like Jade, Agates. Rubies can also be cut in cabochon shape, mostly opaque ones, but many times these stones are cut with facets as it allows light to shine through. It is also given on gemstones where curved surface highlight characteristics of the stone like the cat's eye effect, star effect. Buff-top cut is a variant of cabochon cut. It has a domed top but a faceted pavilion, thus it is a mix of facet and non-facet (cabochon) cut. Cabochon cut works on rings, usually with a single stone; pendants and earrings.

Oval and round brilliant cuts provide brilliance and exquisite play of light. In a round brilliant cut, the number of facets is fifty seven. Originally developed for diamonds, round brilliant cut is used for other gemstones also. Among the faceted cuts, antique cushion cut, used in rubies and sapphires mainly, maximizes a gemstones luster. Another old faceted cut is Marquise cut which is almost a stretched oval shape.

Hand cut cabochons can be of all sizes and shapes and no two stones will be alike. Machine cut stones are all identical in shape and size and for jewelry; they can be used in all setting of standard size. Hand cut stones are useful when the standard cuts are not correct. As each stone is different, an artist can use his creativity and create wonderful pieces of jewelry.