Faceting Bootcamp
Our two week, in-person gemcutting experience
Upgrade your creative and professional skillset in only two weeks.
Our Faceting Bootcamp 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. From that point it’s up to you where you will take your new skillset. Whether you open your own gemcutting business or cut stones as a favorite past time, the opportunities will be open to you after you graduate from Faceting Bootcamp.
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. From that point it’s up to you where you will take your new skillset. Whether you open your own gemcutting business or cut stones as a favorite past time, the opportunities will be open to you after you graduate from Faceting Bootcamp.
Who Should Take This Course
The Faceting Bootcamp course 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.
The course has been developed for both hobbyists and gem trade professionals who want to develop new skills in order to improve their cutting practice. Whether you’re a professional who wants to work with cutting factories and bespoke cutters and buy cut stones in the market, or you’re a hobbyist looking to learn the art of cutting and recutting, the Faceting Bootcamp intensive course has something valuable to offer you.
The course has been developed for both hobbyists and gem trade professionals who want to develop new skills in order to improve their cutting practice. Whether you’re a professional who wants to work with cutting factories and bespoke cutters and buy cut stones in the market, or you’re a hobbyist looking to learn the art of cutting and recutting, the Faceting Bootcamp intensive course has something valuable to offer you.
What's Included in the Class?
*The course lasts 10 days, Monday-Friday, 9:30am-4:30pm.
*Each class day includes a morning lecture, demonstrations, as well as morning and afternoon cutting sessions.
*Students will be provided with all the machines, tools, and gems needed to complete the course.
*Students will take home the four faceted stones that they cut, as well as a workbook, practice preforms, and a certificate of completion.
*Each class day includes a morning lecture, demonstrations, as well as morning and afternoon cutting sessions.
*Students will be provided with all the machines, tools, and gems needed to complete the course.
*Students will take home the four faceted stones that they cut, as well as a workbook, practice preforms, and a certificate of completion.
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, Thailand, Sri Lanka, the UK, 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 round the world about faceting history.
To see Justin’s work, check out his Instagram profile: @justinkprim
Victoria Raynaud is 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
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 round the world about faceting history.
To see Justin’s work, check out his Instagram profile: @justinkprim
Victoria Raynaud is 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
