The term facet describes a special surface that creates special light effects in jewellery, especially in gemstones, due to its characteristic shape. Facet comes from the French and means "small diamond surface". In Latin, facies stands for "side" or "front". Facets are the small surfaces on stones that are cut in such a way that the light refracts in them in a special way, creating unique effects. The sparkle of a gemstone is always due to its facets and the associated refraction of light. The facets of a gemstone are created during the cutting process, an activity that is later partly responsible for the value of the stone. If a gemstone is not cut round or smooth, then during the cutting process it is provided with angular sides, the facets, which refract the light in many different ways and give each gemstone its special character, its fire. The smoothly polished surfaces of the facets have been known in gemstone working since the 15th century and there are now different facet cuts used for different stones in jewellery making: Brilliant cut, rose cut, oval cut, penduloque, stair cut, emerald cut and scissor cut.
