Diamond, Emerald and Sapphire Earrings

Unique Elements
Calibré-cut sapphires are rarely seen in modern jewelry, as they are extremely labor intensive and difficult to set. These earrings highlight the skill of the artisans.

Emerald The name emerald comes from the ancient Greek word for green and is the green to greenish blue variety of beryl. If a stone is “too light” to be an emerald, it is called a green beryl, although there is no agreement as to exactly where this distinction applies. Emeralds have been mined since 330BC and were used in Cleopatra’s jewelry, as well as by royalty throughout the world. Emerald is the birthstone of May and the stone of the 20th and 35th wedding anniversaries.

Sapphire Blue sapphire is a variety of corundum, a mineral species that also includes ruby. Sapphires can be blue, violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, multicolored as well as color change, most often going from blue to purple, as well as gray, black, or brown. Blue sapphire can have both green and violet undertones, as well as the more desirable pure blue. Trace elements of iron or titanium cause sapphire’s blue color, with iron resulting in an inky, darker tone than the often vivid blue resulting from titanium. When jewelers refer to sapphire without specifying color, this refers to blue sapphire. Sapphire is the September birthstone and the stone of the 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries.

Calibré-cut Calibré refers to faceted stones that are custom cut or calibrated in square, rectangular, or round shapes to fit together with no gaps between the stones. A hallmark of the art deco period, emerald, sapphire and ruby can be found as calibré -cut as well as fancy colored diamonds.

Baguette Cut The baguette-cut dates back to the art deco period of the 1930s. Cut in a long thin rectangle with 14 facets, this cut is named after its resemblance to the long thin French bread. Like the emerald cut, the baguette cut highlights the clarity of the stone.

Step Cut A Step-cut, which includes emerald and baguette-cuts, is a rectangular cut with faceting in steps. This style highlights the clarity and color of the stone. The Princess Cut features a straight sided rectangular outline with brilliant style faceting - a mix between step cut and brilliant cut. The "Calf's Head" is a less common step cut that resembles a triangle with the cut corners, thought to resemble a calf's head.