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Merelani Tribute Cut™
Published: March 2012
by Joseph Rocha and Tony Thompson, Jewelry Television® Jewelers and Lapidaries
Distinctly different in its design, the Merelani Tribute Cut is a fancy custom cutting design of the highest level. Resembling a Masaai warrior’s shield, the Merelani Tribute Cut has a total of 79 expertly finished facets, while a traditional triangular shield cut may have as few as 44 facets. The additional facets give the gemstone additional liveliness and brilliance. Considered a labor intensive cut, it requires the skills of an experienced lapidary to complete. The Merelani Tribute Cut has mirror-image symmetry and is geometrical in design, and if you view your gemstone closely, you will notice intricate star patterns within.
Jewelry Television® is now featuring the Merelani Tribute Cut in one of its legacy gemstones: tanzanite. This is one of the most unique custom cuts in Tanzanite that Jewelry Television has ever offered its customers. This Merelani Tribute Cut tanzanite can also be easily set into jewelry if you choose. Much like a warrior’s shield was historically passed down from generation to generation in his family, your Merelani Tribute Cut Tanzanite is destined to become a legacy gemstone in your family.
Read more about tanzanite in our Gemopedia™
History of the Shield Cut
Lapidary work is a specialized skill that has greatly evolved over the centuries. As technology progresses, lapidaries are able to take their art to a completely new level. Today, all gemstone shapes other than round are termed “fancy” shapes. One of the most intriguing fancy shapes is known as the shield cut. The shield cut is a triangular variation of the emerald cut and resembles a warrior’s shield in its design. Shield cuts are fashioned with a variety of different proportions, and their shapes and number of facets can vary.
Two of the world’s most famous diamonds are shield cut. One is the Guinea Star (a 89-carat D-Internally flawless diamond fashioned in a modified shield cut) that was discovered in Guinea in 1986. The diamond was cut from a piece of rough weighing just over 255 carats. Another famous shield cut is Florentine (a 137.28-carat fancy light yellow diamond from India).
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