It’s 2024, and unique unusual cut gemstones are all the rage, now and forever. As the gemstone industry is ever-changing and growing, new and exciting gemstones and cuts are being created. It’s okay if you don’t know all the different ones, that’s what we’re here for! 

Standard-cut gemstones are timeless classics, but if you’re looking for something a little more on the wild side, there are a plethora of unique gemstone cuts to consider! With fantastic names like Starbrite, RippleTop, Dreamscape, LightWeaver, ZigZag, and Sunburst, these unique stone cuts have us dazzled and daring to know more about them.

WAIT, THERE ARE MORE GEMSTONE CUTS THAN YOUR STANDARD ROUND/OVAL/PEAR/ ETC?

Round, oval, pear, oh my! Standard gem cuts are the more classically favored cuts. Some are self-explanatory like round, oval, or pear-shaped. Round cut emphasizes the bling-bling factor of the gem in a circular shape. The oval cut is a more elongated round cut, lengthening the finger and bringing an individual flair to the round cut. Pear-shape cut also referred to as a tear-drop cut, is shaped like a pear or tear, with the point facing out on the finger, facing in tends to make the finger look shorter, but it’s all up to the wearer!

Many more cuts are being dreamed up on the daily, the gemstone world is always innovating as explorers hunt for new gems! New high-tech machines are creating brilliant faceting and cutting of gems, and we fall in love with new unusual gemstone cuts every day.

New gems? New machines? Who does all this? One pioneer in creating new unique stone cuts is field expert John Dyer. John Dyer began hunting for rough gems in the 1990s and found that when he took them to be cut, the gems were so poorly cut, that he could hardly do a thing with them, let alone create or sell a ring with pride! John decided to take matters into his own hands, bought a gem cutting and faceting machine himself, and began to learn how to cut gemstones into brilliant, dazzling pieces of art. 

 In the years since then, John has won 60 international awards for his amazing, radiant unique cut gemstones that are a sight to behold. His eye for experimentation, creativity, and beauty for beauty’s sake have us thinking outside the box for our own engagement rings! 

WHY WE LOVE THESE UNIQUE UNUSUAL GEMSTONE CUTS

Here at Olivia Ewing Jewelry, we take pride in hand-crafting rings and wares as unique as each special couple’s love for each other. We expertly select gorgeous gems, forage for the perfect branch and stem bands for our collections, and treat each piece of jewelry with meticulous care. We know each priceless gift we provide should be exceptional. With that said, we adore these unique unusual gemstone cuts that breathe life (and love) into the wearer! 

STARBRITE CUT 

The Starbrite cut, like many of John’s creations, is pure art. This cut is reminiscent of a starburst, with cascading pinpoints that flow outward from the center of the gem. This cut fantastically plays with light! The cut is made with a special grooving technique on the pavilion of the gem, with straight grooves throughout. This technique keeps all eyes on this beauty, as it looks brilliant from all angles. This cut can work with any shape but is usually found in round, oval, cushion, or square gems. We love the way the gem is cut carefully, with facets coming together to showcase its radiance.

There are several stunning Starbrite cuts available in our partnership with John Dyer in varying hues from warm bicolor  Oregon sunstone, to the cool crisp sapphire, and rosy Malaya garnet.

RIPPLETOP CUT 

Photo via John Dyer Gems

We are riding this wave of unique stone cuts, next up with the RippleTop cut! This cut is having us swimming in a love as vast as the ocean it imitates. The RippleTop gem is cut so that the face of the stone is carved with waves to give it a flowing brilliance throughout. These unique cut gemstones have a demarcation or small line in the middle of the stone. This cut lets light ripple off the cascades it creates on either side, for a stone that will have wearers and admirers doing a double take! This stone cut would look amazing in many of our settings, including the Unity Solitaire setting, hand forged from real twigs. The stone will take center stage and would be a perfect fit!

Unity Solitaire Setting

DREAMSCAPE CUT

The  Dreamscape Cut is another unique unusual gemstone cut by John Dyer. This cut is wonderful for the daydreaming love of our lives. The Dreamscape namesake is because the fantasy cut is so multifaceted, it lets the wearer and gazer dream up images of what they see inside the gem itself. Each Dreamscape gem is completely custom. While the cut can be placed in many shapes, each has unique carving within. The clear, light blue sapphire in a free-form leaf shape of this particular piece lets the artistry of the gem cut shine through, captivating the wearer in reverie. We’re enamored with this unique stone cut that uses advanced carving and faceting techniques to become a ring worth dreaming about, indeed.

LIGHTWEAVER CUT

LightWeaver, we believe you can take us into the light! This unique stone cut works best with flat faceted gems to showcase the interlacing small grooves. The LightWeaver cut can be done in all stone shapes, but is found mostly in symmetrical stones and is cut so that shafts of light “weave” throughout the gem. Fractals of light may appear farther or closer depending upon reflection and perspective. Our personal perspective is that we have to have this gem in our jewelry collections ASAP! This unique gemstone cut would be beautifully at home within the Naples Half Halo setting ring. The ring is sculpted delicately from a twig with small buds nestled throughout, atop a branch of celestial gemstones that crown the center piece. Yes, please!

SHOP THE NAPLES HALF HALO RING SETTING 

ZIGZAG CUT

The ZigZag cut brings enthralling attention to an otherwise standard shaped rectangular or cushion style gem. This unique stone cut uses intricate grooving techniques to create rivets that zigzag throughout the length of the gemstone, making light bounce and adding brilliance. This intriguing cut has us zig zagging to find the perfect setting for it, like the Union Cluster ring setting. As the rectangular gems often look best in an east-west setting, this band provides that! The Union Cluster ring also boasts beautiful smaller baguette diamonds encrusted within the band for a beautiful marriage of both the ZigZag cut gem and romantic partners!

SHOP THE UNION CLUSTER SETTING 

SUNBURST CUT

The last of the unique gemstone cuts we want to drool over is the Sunburst cut. This scintillating orb is first cut from the rough gem into a pattern of flower or sun (hence the namesake) in facets that echo outward of a round shaped gemstone. Each cut is custom and unique to the rough gem it comes from to provide the utmost brightness.

This unique stone cut is similar to traditional round cuts which are always super popular for engagement rings, but they give off superior brilliance due to the octagonal table faceting. We love this cut for a step up from the traditional round cut engagement ring, especially in a setting like the Bluebell Solitaire ring! The Bluebell Solitaire lets the gem speak for itself mounted directly in the center of the ring forged from a Maine blueberry twig, alongside eight tiny accent stones.

SHOP THE BLUEBELL SOLITAIRE SETTING 

MATCH YOUR FAVORITE CUT WITH YOUR FAVORITE SETTING AT OLIVIA EWING JEWELRY

Unique, unusual gemstone cuts are gaining more and more traction in the jewelry world. As we've realized, we want jewelry that’s just as unique and special as we are! Maybe you want to keep the shape traditional, and go for a unique cut? We love the idea of mixing and matching gems for every finger! From standard to the more exotic- Starbrite, RippleTop, Dreamscape, LightWeaver, ZigZag, or Sunburst, John Dyer’s artful unique stone cuts have inspired us to get hitched and pick one immediately! Think about which one might be your favorite and build your own beautiful engagement ring with Olivia Ewing Jewelry today!

BUILD YOUR OWN ENGAGEMENT RING TODAY 

Meet the Author: Olivia Ewing