Release the full potential of the rough
The cutting of emerald and other coloured stones is considered as much an art as it is a science. Unlike the perfectly symmetrical cuts prized by the diamond market, coloured stones are usually cut in a more artisanal fashion. The job of the cutter is to cut the stone in a fashion that releases the full potential of the rough material.
Stones have been cut from their natural state to form desirable shapes for jewellery and tools since the dawn of time. The shaping of flint by early man is an early example of people fashioning stones to get the best out of them. Early examples of lapidary in South America include Pre Columbian jade carvings by local tribes.