Faceting Fundamentals

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
Faceting Foundations 2
Hand Preforming
Mastering the Mixed Cut

Theory and Practice

(coming soon)

The second set will give you a foundation in the essential gemological knowledge that every gemcutter needs to know. In addition, you will learn the nuances of facet design through a training in the GemCutStudio faceting software. To complement this knowledge, you will also learn how to build designs on the fly as well as recut stones to improve their look and beauty. This set will give you an eye for perfection and subtlety in your design and cutting.

Gemology for Gemcutters
Software Design Fundamentals
Radiating Rose Cuts
Recutting and Repairing

Specialized Solutions

(coming soon)

The next set of courses will grow your skills as a cutter by incorporating new designs as well as new solutions to common problems that we find in rough gem material. This course block will dive deep into pleochroic stones and their special needs, such as dark stones, emeralds, stones with a black or dark C-axis, as well as trichroic material.

Emeralds and the Emerald Cut
Optimizing Black C-Axis Designs
Orienting Trichroic Stones
Dressing Up a Square

Advanced Artistry

(coming soon)

The final set will round out your skillset so that you will know how to cut advanced designs, small calibrated shapes for the Swiss market, and more advanced recutting projects. After this set, you should be equipped to deal with any rough or poorly cut stone that comes your way.

Advanced Recuts and Repairs
Cutting Fancy Shapes
Precision Swiss Cutting
Material Specific Polishing Techniques