Parts of a Faceted Gemstone: Table, Crown, Girdle, Pavilion and Culet (With Diagrams)

Every faceted gemstone, from a 3 mm ruby in a stud earring to a 15-carat sapphire, is built from the same five parts: the table, the crown, the girdle, the pavilion and the culet. Learn those five words and you can read any gemstone listing, understand a lab report and see why two stones of the same colour and weight can look completely different.

This guide walks through each part with diagrams we drew for it, names all 57 or 58 facets of a round brilliant, compares the main cut families and shows real stones from our own inventory so you can see each idea in a gem you could hold.

The table

The table is the largest facet on the stone, the flat window on top. It is where you look into the gem, and in most cuts it is the facet that faces you when the stone is set. Table size is usually given as a percentage of the stone's width. A large table shows off colour and makes the stone face up big; a smaller table leaves more room for the crown facets that throw sparkle.

Because the table is the flattest, most exposed surface, it is also where you will first notice wear. Small nicks along its edges are common on antique stones and can usually be polished away.

The crown

The crown is everything above the girdle: the table plus the ring of facets that slope down to the edge. Those sloping facets bend light as it enters and leaves the stone, splitting it into the flashes of colour gemmologists call dispersion, or "fire". The angle between the crown facets and the girdle plane is the crown angle. A steeper crown generally gives more fire and scintillation; a very flat crown can look glassy.

The girdle

The girdle is the thin band around the stone's widest point. It is the edge the setting grips, so it matters for durability as much as for looks. A girdle that is too thin can chip when the stone is set; one that is too thick adds weight without adding beauty. Girdles can be left frosted (unpolished), polished smooth or cut with tiny facets of their own.

When a listing gives a stone's size in millimetres, the first numbers are measured across the girdle. Our 0.60 ct emerald-cut ruby, for example, is 6 x 3.8 mm across its girdle.

The pavilion

The pavilion is the lower part of the stone, from the girdle down to the culet. It is hidden once the gem is set, but it does more for brightness than any other section. Its job is to act like a set of angled mirrors: light that enters through the table should bounce off the pavilion facets and come back up to your eye. The angle of those facets, the pavilion angle, decides whether that happens.

Simplified light paths for a ruby or sapphire at three pavilion angles.

If the pavilion is too shallow, light falls straight through the bottom. You see it as a pale, washed-out patch in the middle of the stone called a window: hold the gem over printed text and you can read through it. If the pavilion is too deep, light reflects once and then escapes out the far side, leaving dark areas called extinction. A deep stone also carries extra weight below the girdle, so it can look smaller than its carat weight suggests.

The diagram above is a simplified two-dimensional model for a ruby or sapphire. Real stones are three-dimensional and light comes from every direction, but the principle holds, and it is the most useful single idea for judging a coloured stone by eye.

The culet

The culet is the very bottom of the stone. In most modern cuts it is simply a point where the pavilion facets meet. Some stones have a tiny flat facet there to protect the point from chipping; in older cuts it can be large enough to see through the table as a small circle. Step cuts such as the emerald cut usually end not in a point but in a line, called the keel.

Facet names: the 57 or 58 facets of a round brilliant

The round brilliant is the most studied cut in the world, and every one of its facets has a name. There are 33 on the crown and 24 on the pavilion, for 57 in total, or 58 if the culet is polished as a facet.

Facet names of a round brilliant: 33 on the crown, 24 on the pavilion.

• Table (1): the flat top facet.
• Star facets (8): small triangles around the table's edge.
• Bezel or kite facets (8): the large kite shapes that run from the table to the girdle.
• Upper girdle facets (16): pairs of triangles along the girdle edge of the crown.
• Pavilion main facets (8): long facets running from the girdle down to the culet.
• Lower girdle facets (16): pairs of long triangles between the pavilion mains.
• Culet (0 or 1): a point, or a tiny facet, at the bottom.

Kite and star facets catching the light on the crown of our 1.09 ct AGL-certified Ceylon sapphire.

Step cuts: the emerald cut and its relatives

Not every faceted stone is a brilliant. A step cut is built from long, parallel facets arranged in rows, like the steps of a staircase, around a large table. The emerald cut is the best-known example: a rectangle with its corners clipped off. Those corner facets are not decoration; they protect the weakest points of the stone from knocks, which is one reason the shape suits emeralds so well.

The parts of a step cut, as used for emerald cuts and baguettes.

Step cuts trade sparkle for clarity of colour. Instead of hundreds of tiny flashes, you see broad, calm planes of colour that open and close as the stone moves, often called a "hall of mirrors" effect. Because the large table shows the inside of the stone so clearly, step cuts are also the least forgiving of inclusions.

Left: the parallel steps of a 0.60 ct emerald-cut ruby. Right: step-cut rubies waiting for the bench in our first drop.

The five families of gemstone cut

Almost every faceted stone belongs to one of four families, and the fifth option, the cabochon, has no facets at all.

Brilliant, step, mixed, rose and cabochon, face-up and in profile.

• Brilliant cuts use triangular and kite-shaped facets to break light into sparkle. Rounds, cushions and princess cuts belong here.
• Step cuts use parallel rows of facets: emerald cuts, baguettes, Asscher cuts and the tapered "bullet" cuts popular in the 1930s.
• Mixed cuts combine a brilliant-style crown with a step-cut pavilion. Most coloured ovals and cushions are mixed cuts, because the step pavilion holds colour and weight while the brilliant crown adds life.
• Rose cuts are domes of triangular facets on a flat base with no pavilion at all. They are among the oldest faceting styles and have a soft, candle-lit glow. Our guide to antique gemstone cuts goes deeper into rose, old mine and old European cuts.
• Cabochons are polished into a smooth dome with no facets. Star sapphires, star rubies and most opaque gems are cut this way.

Left: a 1930s rose-cut sapphire, all crown and no pavilion. Right: a pair of sapphire cabochons, smooth and unfaceted.

Why coloured gemstones are cut differently from diamonds

Diamond cutting has precise "ideal" proportions, because diamonds are colourless and valued for brilliance. Coloured stones are different. The cutter's first job is to show the best colour, and the second is to save as much of a rare rough crystal as possible. A deep pavilion can intensify a pale sapphire's colour; a shallower one can lighten a very dark one. Many fine sapphires and rubies are cut in their country of origin with a slightly bulged pavilion to keep weight, and that is normal.

So when you judge a coloured stone, don't look for textbook angles. Look for three things instead: even colour across the face, no large window in the centre and no big dark areas. For more on choosing a specific stone, see our guides to natural blue sapphire and loose emeralds.

How to use this when you buy a gemstone

• Read the measurements. Listings and lab reports give size as length x width x depth in millimetres. Divide the depth by the width to get the depth percentage. A very low figure hints at a shallow, windowed stone; a very high one hints at hidden weight below the girdle.
• Ask for a side view. A photo of the pavilion tells you more about how a stone was cut than any face-up shot. We include angled and side views on our loose gemstones wherever we can.
• Check the girdle on old stones. Antique and vintage gems often have thicker, hand-finished girdles and small edge nicks. That is part of their history, but worth knowing before setting.
• Match the cut to the setting. A deep stone needs a taller setting; a rose cut or a shallow stone can sit low, which suits everyday rings.

Every gemstone we sell is natural, and every treatment is disclosed on its listing. Read our guide to gemstone treatment labels to see exactly what each one means.

Frequently asked questions

What are the parts of a faceted gemstone called?

The five main parts are the table (the flat top facet), the crown (the upper section), the girdle (the outer edge at the widest point), the pavilion (the lower section) and the culet (the point or tiny facet at the bottom). Step cuts usually end in a line called the keel instead of a culet point.

What does "faceted" mean for a gemstone?

A faceted gemstone has been cut and polished into many flat surfaces, called facets, arranged at angles that reflect and refract light. The alternative is a cabochon, which is polished into a smooth dome.

What is the difference between a faceted stone and a smooth stone?

Faceted stones are cut with flat facets to create brightness and sparkle, which needs transparent material. Smooth stones, or cabochons, are domed and polished. That suits stones that are translucent or opaque, or that show an optical effect such as a star.

How many facets does a gemstone have?

A standard round brilliant has 57 facets, or 58 if the culet is polished as a facet. Other cuts vary widely: a simple rose cut may have a couple of dozen, while some modern designer cuts have over a hundred.

Are faceted gemstones worth more?

Not automatically. Faceting needs clean, transparent material, so a faceted stone is often worth more per carat than a cabochon of the same gem. But value depends mainly on the gem itself, its colour, clarity, size and treatment. A fine star sapphire cabochon can be worth far more than a faceted stone of lower quality.

Which part of a gemstone is the most important for brightness?

The pavilion. Its angles decide whether light entering through the table is reflected back to your eye or leaks out of the bottom.