Concave Faceted Drawing

even distribution of light

 

Why do concave faceted gems look different and in some ways superior to flat faceted gems? In a nutshell, it is because three dimensional facets have a mathematically greater opportunity to reflect and return more of the ambient light to the observer in the form of brilliance.

Remember the person throwing the rock. When a concave three dimensional facet is used, the place that the light can leak out is minimized. As the direction of the light changes, or the viewing direction changes, the spot where light leakage changes and is minimized. With a traditional two dimensional flat facet the area of light leakage expands or contracts depending on the angle of viewing and angle of light entry.

 

Flat Faceted Drawing

uneven distribution of light

Of course, it is not all that simple, but it is interesting to note that an improperly cut, flat-faceted gemstone may only look good at one observation point under very good light. Even a properly cut flat-faceted gem tends to look its best either from a few vantage points in really good light or from a single vantage point in subdued light.
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