The Maya Drop gemstone design by Marco Voltolini is my all-time favorite gemstone to facet because it is an easy gemstone to cut. It is a round brilliant with a few indices missing on the top and bottom, giving it an elongated appearance. This scheme makes for a simple cutting process with only one catch. If you are accustomed to faceting round brilliant designs, you need to be careful not to add facets between the elongated top and bottom. To remind yourself to skip these index numbers, circle them on your design after you print it out – 6, 36, 60, & 90. This will remind you not to facet indexes 96, 42, 48, & 54.
Faceting Variety
The Maya Drop gemstone design can be faceted in a variety of different materials, from quartz to garnet, without concern about changing the angles for optimization. It can be set either facing up or down by your jeweler. The drop shape is not so drastic that a round halo of diamonds or other gemstones looks out of place.
For this Maya Drop gemstone design, I embellished the original design with a series of concave facets in the pavilion and the girdle. The Maya lends itself well to the addition of and experimentation with concave facets.
The Maya Drop gemstone design can be cut with a double crown since both the pavilion and crown break facets align easily with the girdle facets. This method works wonderfully with opaque material such as opal, lapis and tiger’s eye. Concave facets can also be added to the girdle of a double crown made with opaque material.
In my faceting classes, the Maya Drop gemstone design is frequently chosen by students for their second gemstone for faceting. We facet it in either citrine or amethyst while adding concave facets to the girdle, so the student can experience the joy of using the ULTRA TEC Fantasy machine.
I hope this design becomes a favorite of yours, too!
Maya Drop Gemstone Design
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This story about the Maya Drop gemstone design previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story & photos by Mark Oros.
