When a gemstone is desired to be used in jewelry, it is cut depending on the size and shape of the rough, as well as the desired piece of jewelry to be made. As a rule of thumb, a cut gemstone will reduce the mass (described in the carat) by about 50 percent.

Typical cuts include:

baguette
brilliant
briolette
cabochon
emerald
heart brilliant
kite
marquise
oval brilliant
pear brilliant
princess
radiant
round
square emerald
trapezoid
trilliant or trillion

There are several techniques available to work with gemstones. Specifically, sawing, grinding, sanding, lapping, polishing, grilling, and tumbling.