Eye cuts

Back to Index of Topical cuts

An overview by Jón Olaf Svane (NojFalo)

Eyes are fascinating. Gems with an eye has been a cherished Talisman for many a century. Eye shaped stones or eye patterns in colour or structure has been used. Most esteemed are the eye agates, where the coloured bands forms the eyes, the more eye-like the better. Agates with 3 white and coloured bands depicting the eyeball, iris and pupil are the highest esteemed. In facetting both the "picture" of an eye and the shape of an eye has been used for designing gemcuts.

Eye cut facetted stones fall in 2 general designs. Those depicting the usual navette shape, that everyone connects with eyes, and "round" designs with a pattern resembling a special iris and pupil like the feline vertical pupil or a figurative eye like the bull's eye of the game of darts.

To me the real "eye cuts" are those with the shape and general appearance of an eye. This also - to some degree - includes the standard navette shape or marquises and many lozenge shapes. Of those there are abundant around trying to solve the problems with length/width ratio and lack of reflections in the ends of long cuts. I've included 2 "Brillant Marquise" by 2 different designers of different ages just for completion.

Should you have any questions, I may be contacted via -

Cut By Date Remarks
In the following if not else stated, the pictures are renderings of the cuts in BOG (Better Optimizer for Gemray) done by me.
Of lately GemCutStudio has emerged, giving you the possibility of designing and rendering at once.
To do justice to the gemcutters, photos of actual cut gems links to a higher resolution picture of the stone. Just click the picture, and use the back button to return.
Designs with a Dvue number is available from facetdiagrams.org as long as they are open.
Aerial Vision
 Andrew Ian Brown From Andrew's "A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 3", p86, October 2020" Andrew's working title for this design was "Perception Flyeye".
Available through Amazon.com.
An Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane May, 22nd 2020.
Available here in 4 different versions: 16 fold Quartz 16 fold CubicZirconia 24 fold Quartz 24 fold CubicZirconia		 From trying to simplify "Eye Experiment #3"
Aquarian Eye
 Loren Brown 2018 RSA Gem's Faceting designs  
Aztec Eye

Courtesy Jeff Graham		 Jeff Graham Gram Faceting Books - Addition #5, 2001  
Big Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane March 23. 2003
Available Here		  
Brillant Marquise
 Eduard Werner Facetier Mar 67, Nr 15 Dvue#03.003
Brillant Marquise 1.40

 Courtesy Jeff Graham		 Jeff Graham Gram Faceting Books - Addition #4, 1999  
Buddha's Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane May 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From Idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Bull's Eye
 Alan Pobanz Diag. for Facetting v2 (1983), p92 Dvue#09.116
Bull's eye

with unfrosted crown rows		 Mary M. Rafferty
 

with frosted crown rows		 Amer. Gemcutter, Aug. 92, p29 Dvue#01.479
Cat Eye
 Jeff Fords 2001 Bob's Rockshop - Rockshops.com - OPLC Faceters Companion CD
Cat's Eye
 R.L. Pocklington Lapidary Journal, Oct. 76, p1658 Dvue#01.181
Checkered Eye
 Glenn & Martha Vargas Diag. for Facetting v3 (1987), p131 Dvue#44.036
Cleopatra's Eye

Courtesy R. Reagan, 3DLapidary.com		 Bob Keller Bob's Rockshop (Rockhounds.com/Rockshop), Dec. 1999 Picture by jfellerone (Yahoo-id) on USFG Faceters List.
Crosshair Eye

Crosshair Eye cut in CZ by Tony Collins.
 Tony Collins In Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs", January 2019.
Tony Collins Posted this diagram for the Crosshair Eye.		  
Cut Corner Diamond Barion

Courtesy Barry		      
Cut Corner Diamond Sparkler
Michael P. Williams Lapidary Journal, 19??, p492  
Cyclops
Terry Lee Martin "Gems-by-Design" May 2005  
Cylon Eye
 Arya Akhavan Available on Facebook Group "USFG - United States Faceters Guild", May 2024  
Dan'sing Eye
 Dan Clayton Dan Clayton's homepage, 2002  
Dark Eye
 Dan Clayton Dan Clayton's homepage, 2002 With a culet to form the dark pupil of the eye.
Diamond Eye
 Loren Brown 2019 RSA Gem's Faceting designs  
Diamond Eye 1.50
 Jeff Graham 2003, Gram Faceting Books - Addition #8  
Diamond Eye 2.00
 Jeff Graham 2003, Gram Faceting Books - Addition #8  
Dragon Eye
 Tony Collins July 2020.
Available from Gemology Project - Design search		  
Dragon's Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From Idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Eagle-Eye (FVS-141)

 Fred W. vanSant Star Cuts III (1989), p141 (Dvue#44.049 - has been retracted)
Eagle-Eye mod

 Lionel Ba Unpublished  
Several other of FVS's Star cuts have a design similar to Eagle-Eye, and may show an eye. (FVS-83, FVS119, FVS139, FVS156, FVS157, FVS-167, FVS184). A lot of FVS's designs are now available through facetdiagrams.org.
Egypt Eye
Jeff Ford (AFMS-faceterslist archives)14 Dec. 2000 as "Fords Pharao's Eye"

15 Mar. 2001 as "Egypt Eye".

Jeff changed the name, since his version has very diffrent angles than the original.

 Jeff Ford's version of the Pharaoh's Eye.
Eye Experiment #3
 Jón Olaf Svane

Cut in citrine (24.3 mm long) by Jón Olaf Svane, May 2020		 April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From Idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Eye Experiment #4
 Jón Olaf Svane May 2019. Cutting instructions available here!  
Eye of 007
 Jeff Ford USFG Faceters List, 12 Apr. 2001 I just love the Bond movie intros, a SRB variation with a James Bond theme says Jeff.
Eye of 007 - 2
Jeff Ford (Mod. By Jim Perkins) USFG Faceters List,17 Apr. 2001 A variation of "007eye" with angles suggested by Jim Perkins, WOW, avg. brightness from 65.2 to 94.2, Thanks Jim, design by Jeff Ford
Eye of Horus
 Nancy Attaway OMF design gifted to Smithsonian Museum of Natural History 2005. Picture from http://www.attawaygems.com/
Eye of Horus
 Arya Akhavan August 2013
Available from Gemology Project - Design search		  
Eye of Jupiter
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From Idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Eye of Ra
 Willie Klaja Feb. 10. 2013
Customgemstonestudio.com is no longer active. Now available through Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs"		  
Eye of spring
 Gary Henson Amer. Gemcutter, Jan 97, p29 Dvue#08.116
Eye of the Eagle
 Jim Perkins May 2011
Now available through facetdiagrams.org. Formerly available through the experimental site Facetlab.xyz, which no longer exists.		  
Eye of the Idol
 Michael Gray Diag. for Facetting v2 (1983), p35 Dvue#44.027
Eye of the Marquise
 Sture Smeds July 2023. Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs"  
Eye of the Storm
 Robert W. Strickland September 12th 2017. Published in USFG Newsletter September 2017.  
Eye of The Sun
 A. V. Veerak Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs"  
Eye of the Tiger
 Bob Gray Amer. Gemcutter, Apr 89, p21 Dvue#41.044
Eye of Zeus' Jerry L. Capps Lapidary Journal? I miss this one?
Eye of Zul
 Arya Akhavan March 2013
Available from Gemology Project - Design search		  
Eye of Zyklop
 Axel Gaschler March 2023 A customisation from Bob Keller's Cleopatras Eye and Andrew Brown's Perception into this just short of 250 ct's Cubic Zirkonia. The design is available her.
Fire Dragon Eye Cut
 Martin J. Prinsloo About 2018. Unpublished
Fisheye Brilliant Checkerboard
 Ottorino Invernizzi Available through Facetdiagrams.org  
Flat Eye

Courtesy Jeff Graham		 Jeff Graham Gram Faceting Books - Addition #2, 1998  
Fly Eye
 Robert W. Strickland Available through Facetdiagrams.org  
Foresight
 Andrew Ian Brown From Andrew's "A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 3", p94, October 2020" Available through Amazon.com.
Fusion Eye 22 11
 Andrew Ian Brown From Andrew's "A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 3", p92, October 2020" Available through Amazon.com.
FVS Pharao's Eye
 Redesign by Fred van Sant Bob's Rockshop, Dec. 1999 - Jan. 2000 Redesigned meetpoint version
Dvue#03.011a
Gaijin
 John Bailey 2006
Gemstoneartist.com once had a design page, where it figured. They now refer to Facetingacademy.com where the promised design-page still isn't there.
It may be found on the WaybackMachine web archive.		  
Komarov's Eye
 Aleksej Komarov 2019 This one I retrofitted from a video by Aleksej Komarov of an Amethyst. The horisontal oval pupil makes it different.
Komarov's Eye - Split mains
 Aleksej Komarov 2019 I tried splitting the mains to avoid the bowtie so evident in the plain Komarov Eye.
Left Eye
 John Bailey 2006
Gemstoneartist.com once had a design page, where it figured. They now refer to Facetingacademy.com where the promised design-page still isn't there.
It may be found on the WaybackMachine web archive.		  
Lightning Eye of Zul

Lithium Niobate - Ce
Testcut by Akhavan on Reddit		 Arya Akhavan Eventually available at Gemology Project Not yet published
Lizard Eye
 Scott W. Laborie June 2019, Gemology Project  
Lion's Eye
 Jeff Graham 2006, Gram Faceting Books - Addition #12  
Mystical Eye
 Andrew Ian Brown December 2022. A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 5, p140-141. Available through Amazon.com
Naval
 Anders Österlund January 2020. Cutting instructions was available on ztrix.se under his "Faceting Designs"!  
Ojo
 Jeff Graham 2006, Gram Faceting Books - Addition #12  
Ojo Glitter
 Jeff Graham 2006, Gram Faceting Books - Addition #12  
Palantir
 Dan Clayton Dan Clayton's homepage, 2002  
Perception

Photo Andrew Brown, Faceting Design		 Andrew Ian Brown From Andrew's homepage 2020 Cutting intruction is available in his free design section.
Pharaoh's Eye

Crown as pictured in the original publication of the design


BOG rendering of Long&Steele's version of "Pharao's Eye"

 Gems of the world











GemCutStudio render of my version of "Pharao's Eye"		 Facetier, May. 69, Nr 37 Dvue2#03.011 - Long&Steele's version of Pharao's Eye

Original design looks different. At Bob's Rockshop used to be design considerations for FVS Pharao's Eye.

I find that the inward bulging of the girdle near the long end of this cut is applied only to make the cut more eyelike. The description of Steele&Long of this cut calls for an uneven girdle. And the end facets as pictured would point the girdle towards the end of the design.
Private Eye
 John Bailey 2006, Gemstoneartist.com once had a design page, where it figured. They now refer to Facetingacademy.com where the promised design-page still isn't there.
It may be found on the WaybackMachine web archive.		  
Quick & Easy
 Bill Raby Lapidary Journal, October 1995, p.162 Dvue#29.030
Radiant Eye of Zul
 Arya Akhavan March 2014
Available from Gemology Project - Design search		  
Regal Eye of Zul
 Arya Akhavan USFG Newsletter September 2018 p36  
Reptile Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane Aug. 6. 2003. Published in Danske Facetslibere vol 5.1  
Right Eye
 John Bailey 2006, Gemstoneartist.com once had a design page, where it figured. They now refer to Facetingacademy.com where the promised design-page still isn't there.
It may be found on the WaybackMachine web archive.		  
Rising Eye
 Arya Akhavan Oktober 2018. Available from Oregon Sunstone Guide on their Faceting Designs page.  
Shiva's Eye

Photo: Sergey Pryanechnikov		 Victor Tuzlukov 2012
Design unpublished		 From Victor Tuzlukov's page on Facebook
Shiwa's Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From Idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Soul Eye
 Andrew Ian Brown December 2022. A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 5, p84-85. Available through Amazon.com
Split Vision
 Anders Österlund May 2021. Cutting instructions was available on ztrix.se under his "Faceting Designs"!  
St Patty's Eye
 Janice Healy Facets, Jun 87, p3 Dvue#29.019
Star in Marquise Eye
 Charles W. Covill Covill Original Designs, (1994), p2-16 Dvue#03.093

The leak in pavillion is done deliberately to allow for frosting the facets round the central star.
Stargazing
 Andrew Ian Brown A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 1, p138-139, May 2019 Available through Amazon.com.
Submariner
 Andrew Ian Brown From Andrew's "A Collection of My Best Gemstone Facetting Designs, Vol 3", p90, October 2020" Available through Amazon.com.
Sun Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From Idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Sunstone Eye
 Loren Brown Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs", 2018  
Swarovski Eye
 Retrofit by Jón Olaf Svane 2019.
I made this for aquamarine, the rendering looking really quite all right.
Glas Beadwork found on "https://www.artbeads.com" and "https://www.beadaholique.com", where it's attributed to Swarovski, Austria.
Whether really originating from Swarovski, I don't know.
Symbolic Eye
 Murray Thompson Diag. for Facetting v3 (1987), p125 Dvue#44.030
Tanzanian Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2023. Cutting instructions available here!
On an online museum of gemstones, I stumpled apon this Tanzanian Scapolite - 97 Ct big. I had to try retrofit it.
Taurus' Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2023. Cutting instructions available here!
Astrologists apparantly asigns an eye for each constellation. I wanted to replicate this stylized version of the Bull's Eye - Taurus' Eye
The All Seeing Eye
 John Bailey Gemstoneartist.com once had a design page, where it figured. They now refer to Facetingacademy.com where the promised design-page still isn't there.
It may be found on the WaybackMachine web archive.		 "The All Seeing Eye" has been used through the ages for the eye of the God of choice of many religions.
The Dark Eye of the Soul
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
The Eye
 H. Larson & R.H. Long   Dvue#03.056, Else unpublished.
Pavillon as Pharao's Eye, but new crown.
The Eye of Odin

Cut and photography: Phan Thŕnh Trung		 Phan Thŕnh Trung Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs", October 2020 Unpublished
The Golden Eye of Tomahawk Creek

Cut and photography: Ty Houston		 Ty Houston Ty Houston Gemstones posted a video on Facebook August 13th 2021 Design unpublished
The Verdant Eye
 Steve Moriarty 2019 Undisclosed design evolved through cutting mistakes when cutting Veerak's "Eye of The Sun" design.
Third Eye
 John Bailey 2007
Gemstoneartist.com once had a design page, where it figured. They now refer to Facetingacademy.com where the promised design-page still isn't there.
It may be found on the WaybackMachine web archive.		  
Third Eye
 Michael R. Cichocki Facetier, Apr. 73, Nr 84 Dvue#03.014
Vindöga

From Anders Österlunds test cut in garnet - click to see full picture.		 Anders Österlund - ztrix.se Available via Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs", May 2021 Vindöga is Swedish for Wind eye
Window of the Soul
 Dan Clayton Dan Clayton's homepage, 2002  
Wisdom Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane April 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
From idea developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
I'm not entirely happy with this one. It's utterly difficult to go from roundish stars to the triangle of the center piece. Trying to cut it, you should just frost in the triangle design as last step.
Wizard's Eye
 Dan Clayton Dan Clayton's homepage, 2002 Dan Clayton's homepage no longer available.
Yin Yang Eye
 Hoŕng Trŕm modified existing cut - Cleopatra's Eye - with Yin Yang symbol. Facebook Group "Faceting Diagrams & Gemstone Designs", July 2021  
Zebra's Eye
 Walt Heitland Meet Points, Sep 95, p5 Dvue#40.042
Zebra's Twisted Eye
 Walt Heitland Meet Points, Sep 95, p6 Dvue#40.044
Zeus' Eye
 Jón Olaf Svane May 2019. Cutting instructions available here!
Work in progress 2019. From ideas developed whilst surfing for eyes of the Gods
Notes: DVue2# is usable as facetdiagrams.org search criteria, as DVue2# is maintained in the new database. Though not all designs are open for distribution.
Gregg Glenn's and Dan Clayton's homepages are now no longer available. Their content may have been saved by Web-archive functions.
Bob Keller's Rockhounds.com/Rockshop is on and off not available, and may likewise be sought on Web-archive

Opdateret d. 23. September 2021