It’s Been Too Long and I Forgot How to Facet

Many people learn faceting then get busy and don’t practice for a long time, and when they decide to get back into it, suddenly they think, “Hey, how did I used to do that?” Well, fear not. There are so many awesome videos, on YouTube for instance such as this one by John Bailey at GemstoneArtist:

Do a search on YouTube for faceting and you’ll find many videos.

Don’t Forget the Library

There are also plenty of great books that will help refresh your mind. Our club, Columbia Willamette Faceters’ Guild has an extensive library (if you are a member), and you can often find a few at the library. You may also just want to invest in a book or two. Some ideas to get you started (you may remember you already have these on your shelf at home?):

• Learn to Facet the Right Way, by Jeff Graham. Can be purchased at Faceters.com in the book section.
• Faceting for Amateurs, by Glen and Martha Vargus is also considered a good starter book

You can often find these books used at far lower prices than you may see posted on Amazon so don’t let those crazy prices scare you away from a book.  Here is a link to a search on Amazon for the single word “faceting.” Hopefully that’ll help get you started.

And lastly (for now) here is a “How to Get Started in Gemstone Faceting” tutorial that may help from GemCutter.com. If anyone has other ideas or suggestions please post in the comments.

Related posts:

1. Faceting Gemstones for Fun and Profit

Yes, it is possible to make a living from your gemstone faceting and no one has done this faster than John Bailey of GemstoneArtist.com. This year, 2010, Bailey will hold ONE boot-camp-style Faceting class.

July 8 – 13, with over 60 hours of classroom instruction in a close, friendly environment. This course is perfect for the beginner and experienced faceters alike.

This course is so much more than just “how to facet.” John includes vital information on how to value rough, saving you time, money and frustration when you buy rough that you’ll never sell because you overpaid. You’ll also learn basic Gemcad (and if you know Gemcad John is more than happy to teach more advanced concepts). This course is highly recommended by Kathryn Martyn, our club’s secretary and webmaster who attended the boot camp in 2009 and plans to attend this year as well.

The course includes all of the following

• Faceting Machine Orientation
• Rough evaluation
• Rough Evaluation Lab
• Gemstone orientation
• Cold Dopping Methods & Tools
• Hot Dopping Methods & Tools
• Orientation & Cold Dopping Lab
• Hot Dopping Methods & Tools Lab
• Beginning Cutting & Polishing Sequencing
• Advanced Polishing & Repair Cutting
• Beginning Cutting & Polishing Lab
• Intermediate Cutting & Polishing Lab
• Training the Eye to See (Quality Control)
• Beginning Design & Geometry Planning
• Advanced Geometry & Design
• Beginning Design & Geometry Planning Lab
• Basic Gem Photography
• The Well Fed Artist (Getting Paid)

Complete details are found at GemStoneArtist.com

John has several videos posted on YouTube as well, including the cutting sequence when he faceted Oregon’s largest flawless red sunstone

Related posts:

1. Faceting Design Contest
2. Learn Wire Wrapping – 2-Day Intensive Gresham, Oregon

The Columbia-Willamette Faceters’ Guild in conjunction with the Rice Northwest Museum offer a number of educational programs promoting the art of gem faceting. following are class descriptions and details.

Beginning Gemstone Faceting

This class introduces the theory and techniques of faceting gemstones. During the course, students will facet one or two gemstones with material and equipment provided by the Columbia-Willamette Faceters’ Guild. Students will gain sufficient knowledge and techniques to continue faceting on their own.

Winter 2009 Classes

All classes are held Saturday afternoons from 1:00 – 5:00 PM at the Rice Museum and run five weeks.
Where: Rice Northwest Museum
When: Saturday 1 – 5 PM
Cost: $135.00

Classes fill fast so please submit your request as soon as you can to be guaranteed a seat. For more information or to register, contact the Rice Northwest Museum at (503) 647-2418 or visit the Rice Northwest Museum Website

If there’s something you’d like to learn about faceting, just ask. We’ll find out for you or point you in the right direction.

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