Today is National Jewel Day, a holiday for shiny things. I generally like to leave my family out of this, but my mom is a gemologist so I have to give her a shout out today. Jewels are cut and polished precious stones. As expensive and glorious the real thing can be, I'm a modest guy, and I'd rather read about precious gems than have to worry about not losing them.
One fascinating thing about jewelry is the different facets a jewel can have. And better still, some gemstone cuts can get kinda crazy. While there will always be the pears and princess and cushions cuts, there's some amazing results from jewelers trying some different shapes and facets out. I would also like to say, I don't expect to ever own any because prices are "yowch", but I love how Tanzanite looks.
I adore jewels. I have a pretty amethyst engagement ring, and honestly it's more visually interesting than any diamond could try to be, even with the fanciest cuts possible.