I wanted an earring design that would be fast to cut as well as a little different. The Tic Tac may look simple, but don’t let that fool you. This gem design has a lot of sparkle. [Reading time: 1 min]

 

You can find cutting instructions for the Tic Tac here.

Cutting Remarks

Tic Tac - matched set of pyrope garnets

A matched set of Tic Tacs, 7.5 x 5.6 mm deep, about 4.98 carats. Cut from dark pyrope garnets by Jeff Graham.

Note that I have large, distinctive facets on the crown. These create the “X” of the Tic Tac. I did this because as the stone I was cutting got darker, the more the reflection from the surface of the facet(s) tended to show. Instead, I wanted an interesting design to show on the crown.

I designed this cut for some dark blood-red garnets. These have come out of Africa lately. The finished stones show a lot of sparkle.

In 6-8 mm sizes, the Tic Tac makes an excellent earring design. On a very small stone, you can skip the P5 tier.

Enjoy cutting your “Tic Tac.”

Tic Tac - Array

Random – Cosine – ISO

Detailed faceting instructions by Jeff Graham available at The Rock Peddler