Facet

Facets (/ˈfæsɪt/) are flat faces on geometric shapes. The organization of naturally occurring facets was key to early developments in crystallography, since they reflect the underlying symmetry of the crystal structure. Gemstones commonly have facets cut into them in order to improve their appearance by allowing them to reflect light. The earliest diamond cutting techniques were simply to polish the natural shape of rough diamonds, often octahedral crystals. It wasn't until the 14th century that faceting, the process of cutting and polishing a gemstone to create multiple flat surfaces or facets, was first developed in Europe.^[1]