Old European Cut

5 Sep 2016By P. TorracaGemcutting

As you may know, the Old European Cut (OEC) design was a 19th century evolution of earlier, simpler designed use for diamonds. Eventually the OEC was superseded by better performing designs, especially by what we now call the Standard Round Brilliant (SRB). While it is completely true that the SRB optically out-performs the venerable OEC, … Read More

Recut Project: Untreated Yellow Sapphire Round

21 Oct 2015By P. TorracaGemcutting, Recut & Repair, Transformations

All large sapphires are rare. In today’s market, untreated sapphires of any fine color are very rare indeed. Sizable round, untreated, fine color sapphires? Well, suffice to say that they’re almost impossible to source when you want one. That’s why I invested in this large, untreated yellow sapphire at the AGTA show in Tucson this … Read More