Combining All of Our Skills

This class combines all the skills we have learned in the previous three classes; the brilliant crown, the step cut bottom, hand shaping, using the cheater, and more in order to be able to cut the perfect mixed cut.

Over the course of five hours, you will learn how to cut the perfect mixed cut in two different shapes, the oval and the cushion. This is the most challenging project you will have attempted so far so all your knowledge and skill will be tested.

The Most Important Design

The mixed cut is the most popular design in the gem trade. If we look at jewelry and gem markets, we find the mixed cut used for almost ever type of shape; round, oval, cushion, pear, marquise, and more.

The Mastering the Mixed Cut course teaches you how to cut this essential design and how to adapt and transform it to fit any of the standard outline shapes, or maybe one that you've invented for yourself like an egg, a roval, or a half moon. After finishing this course, you will have two mixed cuts to show and a wealth of knowledge to help you in future cutting projects.

Completing this course also concludes the first group of Faceting Apprentice courses, Faceting Fundamentals, which means that you now have all the foundational skills that you need in order to cut any design in the future.

What You Will Learn

  • 1

    Oval Mixed Cut - 2 Hours

    • Introduction

    • Preform Analysis

    • Examining the Diagram

    • Introduction to Sintered Laps

    • Aligning to the Index Gear

    • Cutting the Oval Crown

    • Polishing the Oval Crown

    • Transferring

    • Cutting the Oval Pavilion

    • Polishing the Oval Pavilion

    • Undopping and Cleaning
  • 2

    Cushion Mixed Cut - 3 Hours

    • Introduction

    • Cutting the Crown

    • Polishing Crown

    • Transferring

    • Cutting the Pavilion

    • Polishing Pavilion

    • Conclusion

Mastering the Mixed Cut is part of the
Faceting Fundamentals course group

This first block of four courses teaches you all the essential skills you need to competently facet a stone: Understanding all the aspects of the handpiece machine, understanding how to manipulate the geometry of facets through the handpiece plate and cheater, polishing theory, wax dopping, glue transfers, and much more. These four courses and the designs that are cut in them serve as the foundation upon which the rest of the courses are built.

  • Faceting Foundations 1

    Discover all the essential information you need to get started as a gemcutter before beginning your first cutting project: the round brilliant.

  • Faceting Foundations 2

    Begin your second cutting project, the square step cut, while also learning more advanced foundational cutting techniques.

  • Hand Preforming

    Learn the traditional techniques for making the perfect hand-shaped outlines to prepare yourself for ovals, cushions, and fancy shapes.

  • Mastering the Mixed Cut

    Add to the techniques you've already learned during your next two projects, the oval and cushion mixed cuts, and complete your foundational training.

What You Will Need

The Faceting Apprentice courses require that you have a basic home faceting studio in order to follow along with the courses

  • A Faceting Machine; Handpiece or Mast-type

  • All the necessary tools for wax dopping, glue transfers, cutting and polishing laps, and more.

  • See our Studio Setup Guide video for a complete walkthrough on what you need.