Faceting Bootcamp Mountain Retreat
An unforgettable two week gemcutting experience in a historical gemcutting region in the mountains of France
Learn the Art of Gemcutting in the Historic French Jura
Come and join us for a one of a kind, world-class gemcutting experience. For the first time ever, we are offering our Faceting Bootcamp course as a retreat in the historic gemcutting region of the French Jura mountains.
Your experience begins at the Geneva airport. We will pick up all five class members (with optional spouses) on Sunday afternoon and take you up to our mountain retreat, outside of the town of Les Rousses, in the Haut-Jura. This area of the Jura has been the historic home of gemcutting for hundreds of years.
Each student will get their own room with a private bathroom. The facility has rooms for class, eating, and relaxing. During your stay, all meals will be prepared by our in-house French chef. Aside from the Faceting Bootcamp course that we typically offer (Monday-Friday, 9:30-4:30), this experience will also offer additional activities such as a visits to the local lapidary museums in Lamoura and Mijoux, a walking tour in the lapidary center Septmoncel, as well as full day in Saint Claude to explore local shops, cafes, as well as the Pipes and Diamonds Museum.
Your experience begins at the Geneva airport. We will pick up all five class members (with optional spouses) on Sunday afternoon and take you up to our mountain retreat, outside of the town of Les Rousses, in the Haut-Jura. This area of the Jura has been the historic home of gemcutting for hundreds of years.
Each student will get their own room with a private bathroom. The facility has rooms for class, eating, and relaxing. During your stay, all meals will be prepared by our in-house French chef. Aside from the Faceting Bootcamp course that we typically offer (Monday-Friday, 9:30-4:30), this experience will also offer additional activities such as a visits to the local lapidary museums in Lamoura and Mijoux, a walking tour in the lapidary center Septmoncel, as well as full day in Saint Claude to explore local shops, cafes, as well as the Pipes and Diamonds Museum.
Details
* 10 class days of Faceting Bootcamp (Monday-Friday, 9:30am-4:30pm)
* Housing for the duration of the retreat
* A private chef for all meals
* Pickup and drop-off at the Geneva airport
* Weekend expedition to local gemcutting museums
* Occasional evening events
* Supportive learning environment in beautiful surroundings
* Cut 4 stones in a variety of designs and materials
* Small groups
* Daily lectures and practical exercises
* All classes presented in English
* All machines, tools, and stones provided
* Certificate of completion
* Students will take home the four faceted stones that they cut, as well as a workbook and practice preforms
* Housing for the duration of the retreat
* A private chef for all meals
* Pickup and drop-off at the Geneva airport
* Weekend expedition to local gemcutting museums
* Occasional evening events
* Supportive learning environment in beautiful surroundings
* Cut 4 stones in a variety of designs and materials
* Small groups
* Daily lectures and practical exercises
* All classes presented in English
* All machines, tools, and stones provided
* Certificate of completion
* Students will take home the four faceted stones that they cut, as well as a workbook and practice preforms
The Course
During the weekdays, you will be learning the art of gemcutting with our time-tested Faceting Bootcamp course. This two week course is the fastest way to get your gemcutting practice up and running. We start with the absolute basics, so that anyone can start cutting, even if they have with no prior lapidary knowledge. Over the course of two weeks, you will cut four stones. The first three will be from natural rough gem material and the final stone will be a recut where you will learn to improve the beauty and value of an already faceted stone.
The course covers everything you need to know to get started in cutting gemstones, from practical skills like hand shaping to more advanced aspects of the business like understanding different sectors of the gemcutting market. As we proceed deeper into the course, you will develop the skills needed to be able to facet gemstones on a professional level. You will not only learn the basic techniques for cutting and polishing gems, such as the operation of the handpiece-style faceting machine, wax dopping, hand preforming, polishing theory, and glue transfers, but also advanced techniques such as how to manipulate the facet geometry, how and when to use the cheater, as well as the art of recutting. The course is taught in small groups by two professional gemcutters, to ensure that each student gets the most out of this intensive learning experience.
After completing the course, you'll understand all the steps that a stone must go through to get from the rough to the polished state. You'll also be able to identify which gemstones can have their value and beauty increased through recutting and repolishing. Upon graduation, a certificate will be issued to you, attesting to your new skills and professional experience.
If you want to learn gemcutting while also having an unforgettable experience in the historic home of French gemcutting, this is the experience you are looking for.
The course covers everything you need to know to get started in cutting gemstones, from practical skills like hand shaping to more advanced aspects of the business like understanding different sectors of the gemcutting market. As we proceed deeper into the course, you will develop the skills needed to be able to facet gemstones on a professional level. You will not only learn the basic techniques for cutting and polishing gems, such as the operation of the handpiece-style faceting machine, wax dopping, hand preforming, polishing theory, and glue transfers, but also advanced techniques such as how to manipulate the facet geometry, how and when to use the cheater, as well as the art of recutting. The course is taught in small groups by two professional gemcutters, to ensure that each student gets the most out of this intensive learning experience.
After completing the course, you'll understand all the steps that a stone must go through to get from the rough to the polished state. You'll also be able to identify which gemstones can have their value and beauty increased through recutting and repolishing. Upon graduation, a certificate will be issued to you, attesting to your new skills and professional experience.
If you want to learn gemcutting while also having an unforgettable experience in the historic home of French gemcutting, this is the experience you are looking for.
Accommodation
Housing
For the duration of the Mountain Retreat, you will be staying in a fully renovated house. Each student will have their own bedroom, equipped with its own bathroom, TV, and balcony. In addition, there is also a gym, a sauna, a pool table, and a cozy mountain living room. You are going to feel inspired while learning to cut stones in this rustic house.
Food
During your stay, an in-house French chef will be providing a home-cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner, using local and seasonal veggies, meats, breads, and cheeses. In addition, a homemade afternoon snack will also be provided. All dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
Note: This is a remote area in the mountains with no public transportation options. You don't need a car for the class and activities we are planning for you, however if you (or a spouse) plan to do your own extra events at nights or on the weekends, you might want to consider renting a car at the Geneva airport.
For the duration of the Mountain Retreat, you will be staying in a fully renovated house. Each student will have their own bedroom, equipped with its own bathroom, TV, and balcony. In addition, there is also a gym, a sauna, a pool table, and a cozy mountain living room. You are going to feel inspired while learning to cut stones in this rustic house.
Food
During your stay, an in-house French chef will be providing a home-cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner, using local and seasonal veggies, meats, breads, and cheeses. In addition, a homemade afternoon snack will also be provided. All dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
Note: This is a remote area in the mountains with no public transportation options. You don't need a car for the class and activities we are planning for you, however if you (or a spouse) plan to do your own extra events at nights or on the weekends, you might want to consider renting a car at the Geneva airport.
Activities
Aside from your faceting education, we also want to immerse you in the local gemcutting history with some extra (optional) activities:
* A Saturday self-guided adventure in the local capital city of Saint Claude, where you can explore local shops, cafes, museums, a cathedral, and the Museum of Pipes and Diamonds.
* A Sunday adventure consisting of two lapidary museums in local gemcutting towns, plus a walking tour of the heart of the ancient gemcutting region, Septmoncel.
* A visit to a local fruitiere (cheese maker & seller) to get delicious local cheeses that you can take home with you.
* Our final dinner celebration at a local restaurant where we can try the most important regional dish of the Jura: FONDUE!
* In the evenings, if you feel that you need a drink or more snacks, there is a great brasserie that serves local wine and absinthe, that's only a 12 minute walk away.
* A Saturday self-guided adventure in the local capital city of Saint Claude, where you can explore local shops, cafes, museums, a cathedral, and the Museum of Pipes and Diamonds.
* A Sunday adventure consisting of two lapidary museums in local gemcutting towns, plus a walking tour of the heart of the ancient gemcutting region, Septmoncel.
* A visit to a local fruitiere (cheese maker & seller) to get delicious local cheeses that you can take home with you.
* Our final dinner celebration at a local restaurant where we can try the most important regional dish of the Jura: FONDUE!
* In the evenings, if you feel that you need a drink or more snacks, there is a great brasserie that serves local wine and absinthe, that's only a 12 minute walk away.
Who Should Take This Course
The Faceting Bootcamp Mountain Retreat can be taken by those who have tried gemstone cutting before, as well as those with no cutting experience at all. We will provide all the practical and gemological information you need to become an intelligent gemstone buyer, as well as a competent gemstone cutter.
This experience is ideal for someone that wants to learn gemcutting while also having a unique experience, discovering the historical gemcutting region in the French Jura Mountains. Though we will be learning on the Sri Lankan Handpiece machine, we will be immersed in the culture, history, and cuisine of French gemcutting.
This experience is ideal for someone that wants to learn gemcutting while also having a unique experience, discovering the historical gemcutting region in the French Jura Mountains. Though we will be learning on the Sri Lankan Handpiece machine, we will be immersed in the culture, history, and cuisine of French gemcutting.
Your Instructors
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
Victoria Raynaud is a French gemcutter and gemologist. She learned gemcutting through an apprenticeship in Geneva and worked as a professional lapidary for three years in Switzerland, specializing in the cutting of small, precision-cut stones for the Swiss watch industry. She has also worked as a sample fabrication specialist and analyst in both GIA and DANAT, inside departments focused on origin determination research.
She has attended gemology programs at both Gem-A in Canada and GIA in Bangkok. Victoria has taught gemcutting in Bahrain and Thailand and is able to teach in multiple languages and on multiple machines. She speaks French and English and has travelled on gemstone field expeditions to Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
To see Victoria’s work, check out her Instagram profile: @victoriaraynaud
She has attended gemology programs at both Gem-A in Canada and GIA in Bangkok. Victoria has taught gemcutting in Bahrain and Thailand and is able to teach in multiple languages and on multiple machines. She speaks French and English and has travelled on gemstone field expeditions to Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar.
To see Victoria’s work, check out her Instagram profile: @victoriaraynaud
