Advanced Cutting Workshop
A one-week training to enhance your cutting skillset
Details
* Supportive learning environment
* Cut 4 Stones; 2 faceted stones and a set of matched pair preforms
* Small Groups
* Daily lectures and practical exercises
* All classes presented in English
* 5 day workshop (Monday -Friday, 9:30am-4:30pm)
* All machines, tools, and stones provided for the duration of the course
* Certificate of completion
* Students will take home the 4 stones they cut from scratch; two fully faceted stones and set of preformed matched pairs
* Cut 4 Stones; 2 faceted stones and a set of matched pair preforms
* Small Groups
* Daily lectures and practical exercises
* All classes presented in English
* 5 day workshop (Monday -Friday, 9:30am-4:30pm)
* All machines, tools, and stones provided for the duration of the course
* Certificate of completion
* Students will take home the 4 stones they cut from scratch; two fully faceted stones and set of preformed matched pairs
Combine Science and the
Art of Gemcutting
The Advanced Cutting Workshop is a one-week training course to add to your cutting skillset. Whether you've previously taken our Faceting Bootcamp course or learned to facet by another means, this course is sure to level up your gemcutting abilities.
The Advanced Cutting Workshop focuses on improvisation as an advanced form of cutting. Over the course of five days, you will complete three projects that will challenge you and push your gemcutting limits. We will cut from rough, as well as repair a broken stone without the use of diagrams. We will learn how to create a design from scratch (without the use of software) to best suit the shape of the rough or the repair. We will then execute the cut and build the design details as we go.
The Advanced Cutting Workshop focuses on improvisation as an advanced form of cutting. Over the course of five days, you will complete three projects that will challenge you and push your gemcutting limits. We will cut from rough, as well as repair a broken stone without the use of diagrams. We will learn how to create a design from scratch (without the use of software) to best suit the shape of the rough or the repair. We will then execute the cut and build the design details as we go.
In Theory and Practice
Aside from practical exercises, the theoretical side of the course adds to your knowledge of gemstones and cutting by combining traditional gemological knowledge with an advanced understanding of optics to help you understand WHY different cuts help or hurt the color and brightness of a stone as well as WHAT each of the traditional cutting styles does for light and dark toned stones.
This course will look at a number of different topics related to optics and color. We will discuss design aesthetics with a historic and scientific analysis of 25 classic cuts, along with an extensive exploration of color and how the cutter can manipulate and master it through cut design. The course will also demonstrate the CAD software GemCutStudio in order to modify the design of a pre-existing stone to prepare it for an optimal recut.
This course will look at a number of different topics related to optics and color. We will discuss design aesthetics with a historic and scientific analysis of 25 classic cuts, along with an extensive exploration of color and how the cutter can manipulate and master it through cut design. The course will also demonstrate the CAD software GemCutStudio in order to modify the design of a pre-existing stone to prepare it for an optimal recut.
Learning Objectives
*Facet a stone without a diagram in a way that perfectly suits the rough
*Repair and reshape broken stones without the use of a diagram
*Learn to make matched pairs by hand
*Discover how gemology is used in the process of cutting and recutting gemstones
*Learn the science that dictates whether a stone does or doesn’t perform well
*Understand why the quality of the cut matters and learn how an understanding of the gemological properties of different materials plays a critical role for the master cutter
*Compare a variety of cuts to determine how different designs can make or break a stone in terms of : beauty, brilliance, color, and more.
*Repair and reshape broken stones without the use of a diagram
*Learn to make matched pairs by hand
*Discover how gemology is used in the process of cutting and recutting gemstones
*Learn the science that dictates whether a stone does or doesn’t perform well
*Understand why the quality of the cut matters and learn how an understanding of the gemological properties of different materials plays a critical role for the master cutter
*Compare a variety of cuts to determine how different designs can make or break a stone in terms of : beauty, brilliance, color, and more.
Who Should Take This Course
This workshop is for experienced cutters who want to move beyond diagram cutting and learn to cut more intuitively.
It’s ideal for cutters who want to incorporate scientific understanding into their gemcutting process and then combine it with a trained eye and an educated design aesthetic.
Prerequisites:
Prior faceting experience is required. Students must be able to go through the entire process of faceting including; rough examination, preforming, dopping, cutting, and polishing. The course assumes that students are fully competent in these foundational skills and it is on these skills that the course builds from. Students who don't have these prerequisites are advised to sign up for our Faceting Bootcamp course.
The Advanced Cutting Workshop will be taught on handpiece-style faceting machines, though students with other types of faceting machine experience are welcome.
Prerequisites:
Prior faceting experience is required. Students must be able to go through the entire process of faceting including; rough examination, preforming, dopping, cutting, and polishing. The course assumes that students are fully competent in these foundational skills and it is on these skills that the course builds from. Students who don't have these prerequisites are advised to sign up for our Faceting Bootcamp course.
The Advanced Cutting Workshop will be taught on handpiece-style faceting machines, though students with other types of faceting machine experience are welcome.
2025 Course Schedule
(All classes are taught in English)
August 25 - 29, 2025, Lyon, France, Seats Available
October, 2025, Brooklyn, NY, at Brooklyn Metal Works, Seats Available
October, 2025, Brooklyn, NY, at Brooklyn Metal Works, Seats Available
Your Instructor
Justin K Prim is an American gemcutter and author. He has been cutting gemstones since 2013 and has trained under professional cutters in the United States, France, England, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Switzerland. To support his work as a gemcutter, he has attended gemology programs at GIA and AIGS. He has travelled around the world to various gem producing regions to learn about rough and has visited mines in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Europe, and the Americas.
Justin previously taught faceting at the Institute of Gem Trading in Bangkok as well as teaching gemology courses at AIGS Bangkok. He recently released his first book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, which collects the world's classic faceting wisdom and patterns and presents them in an easy to cut format. Aside from teaching and writing, Justin also gives talks around the world about faceting techniques and history.
To see Justin’s work, check out his Instagram profile: @justinkprim
Justin previously taught faceting at the Institute of Gem Trading in Bangkok as well as teaching gemology courses at AIGS Bangkok. He recently released his first book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, which collects the world's classic faceting wisdom and patterns and presents them in an easy to cut format. Aside from teaching and writing, Justin also gives talks around the world about faceting techniques and history.
To see Justin’s work, check out his Instagram profile: @justinkprim
