An octagon cut and an emerald cut can sometimes be very difficult to tell apart. When viewed from the top, if the octagon cut has slightly truncated corners, it is actually indistinguishable from an emerald cut. The difference only becomes apparent when you look at the side profile and see that the parallel facets are not of an equal distance. Just like the emerald cut, the octagon cut has facets running parallel to its girdle both above and below.
Its culet does not arrive at a single point as in a round brilliant cut; instead its facets on the pavilion join along a ridge, similar to the top of a roof on a house.
Recently, modern-looking octagon cuts with equal length sides (when viewed from the top) have become more fashionable. Although rarely used for Diamonds, they are becoming increasingly popular for coloured gemstones such as Topaz, Amethyst, Citrine and Smokey Quartz.
With a large table facet, the cut is ideal for showing off gems that have great colour and clarity as the eye tends to be drawn into the gem. There is no precise standard for the cut, but nearly all of the gems we have sold feature 41, 49 or 57 facets.
