Gem engraving, setting, and cutting

The most ancient technique of stone engraving, intaglio-incised carving, was probably first used to produce seals. The art is believed to have originated in southern Mesopotamia and was highly developed by the 4th millennium BCE. During the Hellenistic Age (c. 323–30 BCE) intaglio surface engraving gave rise to the idea of carving stones in relief, exploiting the different coloured layers of certain minerals to create contrasting figures (cameo): the background was cut down to the lower level, of a different colour or shade, in order to make the subject stand out chromatically. The stones that have properties suited for this purpose are sardonyx, agate, and onyx.

The cameo is usually one of the components for necklaces, bracelets, and rings or is included in medallions with a jeweled frame. The art of cameo in jewelry was most highly developed during three periods: the late republican to early imperial period in Rome, the Renaissance, and the Neoclassical period in the 18th century.

The evolution of techniques of setting has followed that of stonecutting. The insertion of gems in jewelry can be done in various ways. The setting can have a round, square, oval, or rectangular collet (rim); in periods in which gems were mounted in their own irregular shapes, the collet followed this form. Usually, on the inside of the collet a short distance from the edge, there is a protrusion on which the stone rests. The edge is pounded down around the gem to ensure its stability. In coronet settings the form may be conical or pyramidal, solid or pierced. The edge is first shaped into a row of teeth, which are later hammered down onto the gem in order to hold it in place. Until fairly recently, nearly all gems were mounted on a metal base, and transparent stones, according to their colour, were placed on a gold or silver base to increase the amount of light reflected. As new cuts were developed for stones, setting techniques also progressed, especially for those jewels in which important stones like diamonds, emeralds, and rubies form the main theme. The tendency was to leave the stones as visible as possible (especially in rivière necklaces and bracelets made only of diamonds) by mounting them with a very small ring of white gold or platinum fitted closely against the back of the stone. Three claws, attached to this ring, hold the stone in place.

Pearls, like some coloured stones, in ancient Classical times were pierced with a drill, the hole going half or all the way through according to whether the pearls were to be strung on a necklace or fastened onto a jewel.

Until the 15th century, stones were only polished or the part to be left visible was rounded into a dome shape called cabochon. The cutting known as faceting gradually developed from the first attempts in the 15th century, probably in France and the Netherlands. During the 16th century the simple rose cut began to be used, after which there were no new developments until 1640, when, under the patronage of Jules Cardinal Mazarin, the first brilliant cut was carried out (also called the Mazarin cut). Toward the end of that century, a Venetian succeeded in obtaining the triple brilliant cut, which is still used. The numerous cuts used for diamonds today are usually applied to other precious and semiprecious transparent stones as well. For emeralds, rubies, and other coloured stones the square or rectangular cut with a stepped bulb or the cabochon cut are usually used.