Raw Crystal: How to Clean & Identify Them, and Unravel Their Enigmatic Beauty People in modern times admire elaborately cut and polished gemstones. There are many ways in which gemstones and crystals are cut in today’s day and age, the two primary ways being cut into facets or cut into cabochons. However, long before the advanced techniques of cutting, processing, and shaping the precious crystals were developed, people, for millennia, used these precious stones in their natural rough form. Because our appreciation for aesthetics and style is kind of cyclical in nature, there is no wonder that the interest of the current generation in rough-cut gems and raw crystal jewelry is being reignited once again.