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Faceting Classes & Instruction

 

The current Faceting class is being offered on Wednesday's at 6:00pm - 9:00pm.  Depending on the instructor, the class size is usually between 3 to 4 students.  Students are not required to purchase their own faceting machine for the class, and in fact our instructors recommended that you do not even consider such a purchase until you have finished the course.  The club has faceting machines available for use during the class.  Below is a partial list of course instruction, and some of what you will be learning during the classes.

  • Types and various uses of facet machines.
  • Different types of Flat Laps and their use in shaping your stone.
  • Dops and the use of Dop Wax or Epoxy.
  • Using and different types of Transfer Blocks.
  • Polishing Laps and Polishes.
  • What type of Rough (emeralds, diamonds, ruby, synthetic,etc.), should I cut.
  • Gemstone Faceting Terminology.
  • Beginning faceting instruction (students usually begin with the standard round brilliant as their first faceted stone), and about the  100's of cutting diagrams available.
  • Time required to cut a stone.
  • Learn about angles, critical angles, refractive index.
  • Cost of owning your own equipment.
  • Can I earn a living faceting stones?

Our instructors use the " meet-point method" to teach beginning faceting.  One way to think of meet-point, is by thinking of putting together triangles, squares, rectangles, or other combinations of varied shapes, with each meeting another at a specific point to form a facet design.  Below is an example of a what a faceting design (Simple Brilliance) looks like, which should give you some idea of how the meet-point method woks. 

Simple Brilliance by Jack Rowland - Courtesy of United States Faceters Guild     http://www.usfacetersguild.org/gem_designs/simple_brilliance/

 

 
 
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