The length to width ratio of this emerald cut is a bit much, but I did not want to waste any of this medium toned, eye clean, rough, with that great, well saturated Namibian blue hue. It weighs just .99 carats.
Do I like to cut, large length to width ratio emerald cuts? Not really. Do I like to cut skinny emerald cuts? Not really. But when it comes to desiring top quality blues from Namibia I gladly go the extra mile or more to get some. This .99 carat emerald cut is an example of just how far I have to go to help satisfy my needs. The rough is related, but did not come in a lot of small pieces of rough that began to cause problems as soon as I started cutting my first round. I know that the round would be included, but I did not expect it to fall apart. I think that the recut I did on that initial effort must be the smallest I have ever done. Finally I was down to only one piece of rough left from the lot. It required an emerald cut and had the poorest color in the lot. It shattered on its way to completion and now sits in a storage box that will never be part of the collection. So why have I digress into a telling of the risks associated with cutting rough from a lot that did not included the rough that became this beautiful long thin emerald cut? Because I faced the same risks with cutting the posted emerald cut as I did with the lot I discussed. I have come to the conclusion that all Namibian blue is routinely heated in the rough and I really don’t have a problem with that, except it can lead to some beautiful material that is unstable.
The success story that is the posted emerald cut is beautiful and eye clean. Its long side facets turn into avenues of blue color that flash easily. It has a great medium tone level for this small a stone and not a drop of green. It weighs .99 carats and is happy in the collection.
Bruce
