Faceting the Famed Polar Star Diamond

Long regarded as probably the most brilliant diamond ever facted, the 40-carat Polar Star poses few problems while cutting a duplicate made of YAG (a man-made garnet). The 4-fold cushion design features a butterfly culet reflective appearance.

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[ragemanchoo82]

Its a stellar brilliant like the Koh-I-Noor (its current form), Tiffany Yellow, Regent, Red Cross, etc. Some have broader stellar facets, like with the Koh-I-Noor and Regent, and some are more needle-like, like the T. Yellow and Red Cross. Its a neat cutting style that generally was only applied to diamonds over 3 carats in size. I'll see one in Christies or Sothebys auction catalogs once in a long while.

[jeriwykoff]

Yes, the squarish Polar Star shows the "winged 8" of the stellar culet arrangement more vividly that the modern 1090carat Koh-I-Noor (actually an oval cut). To get the steller arrangement, the London recutters increased the crown-pavilion total beyond the standard facet count to 66. The extra 8 facets above the usual 25 on the pavilion reflects the elevation to a somewhat flattened stellar motif. A quick flip and inspection for a "floral" culet hint reveals a stellar quickly.

[kght222]

i suspect this might have been answered in another posting of your's, but i wonder how a non gem crafter might create or obtain your're grinding machine. i admit to being a childish amateur in such things, but i am very interested in the machinery you used, and i wonder if this same set up could work with much softer crystals.