All Things Faceting

[Steve]

Wow............Oh Yes.................

[Eu_citzen]

Wow it is most beautiful:) What cut is that? I think I kept my diagram book but I dont remember all the cut names. Would you mind doing a little polishing around my eyes and mouth:)

Thank you! It is my own design, so far I just call it NT Oval. (NT= No Table)

Thanks Steve!

[lonelygems]

Thank you for sharing Willie.....my problem is i can't find good equipment in Indonesia, there is one or two type but not good precision....i plan to build one adjustable to my need to facet an opaque material   

[Eu_citzen]

Daniel, I know the feeling.
I had to import mine from the US, although it still lacked precision IMHO.

In the future I to plan to build my own to - but that's a later project.

[39don]

I use to do a lttle faceting but it was so time consuming and one could purchase it for much less than I could, most times, buy the rough for.

This was faceted from a broken Champagne colored Smokey Quartz crystal and finished out at around 10 to 15 carats. I found less than 30 miles from where I live. I had the mounting made by a guy in Knoxville, Tennessee in the mid 1970's. The cut is a Fairy Wand cut and has 130 facets total. It has 8 points around the crown containing 10 crown facet meets each which look like a Fairy's wand sparkling.  It took me close to 40 hours to cut.

Don

[lonelygems]

Extremely perfection Don.....absolutely nice piece, 40 hours is a big investment of time.....

[Eu_citzen]

Very nice Don! I'm a slow cutter myself - I take my time. Mostly longer then I'd like to! LOL

This one below took me about 32 hours, colour shifting garnet.
Was my first time cutting a cushion.

[39don]

Thanks Daniel and Willie. I have a few more mounted stones I'll post later.

Willie you have a nice garnet going there, from what I can see you have the meets nailed......      

The hours required to get the facets right is to much for me anymore. Once I started faceting a stone it was hard for me to stop so when it came time to go to bed most of the time it was late. The wife was mad as h-ll cause all she could hear was scratch scratch, scratch scratch everytime I put the arm down to start grinding again. So outside the faceting machine went and almost me toooooo.          

Don

[lonelygems]

You cuts pro Willie....no doubt.....

Thanks Daniel and Willie. I have a few more mounted stones I'll post later.

Willie you have a nice garnet going there, from what I can see you have the meets nailed......     

The hours required to get the facets right is to much for me anymore. Once I started faceting a stone it was hard for me to stop so when it came time to go to bed most of the time it was late. The wife was mad as h-ll cause all she could hear was scratch scratch, scratch scratch everytime I put the arm down to start grinding again. So outside the faceting machine went and almost me toooooo.          

Don

and don't replace that with saw unit......yo may get real out   
I was ussually polished my cabs at late night too but no more unless it's urgent....

[Eu_citzen]

Thanks Don, I try to keep 90+% of the meets nailed, I suppose that's what takes the most time. That and finding the inspiration, I do a lot of my designs myself and have a lot of test cutting in front of me..

To me it looks you did the same? At least from the pics it looks good.

And for today we can enjoy an apatite in a design I call "blue Ice".
Reminds me of my days in the cold north.



Them soft gems can be a real pain to polish, I made myself a vinyl lap for that purpose.
Though I know some use the same lap for most everything, only difference in pressure and speed. Some day I'll try to delve deeper into it.

LOL @ the wife! What machine did you have?

Daniel, thanks! I'm my own biggest sceptic, lol! I still see myself as an amatuer!

[ScarlettoSara]

I am loving this whole thread. That last one is so bootiful:)

[Helene]

Nice work and very time consuming to get the points to meet exactly.  Did a little many years ago also.  I would always do my last cut a little short, so when I polished the points would not overlap, but be right on.  One little mistake and you have to almost recut every facet.  Not a job for the faint of heart -- I say the same for getting older.
Thanks for sharing all those little stars.

[lonelygems]

You're humble Willie.....you good, this faceted apetite really looks like a blue ice to me......

[Eu_citzen]

My gosh Sara, your changing your nickname every second day now??

Thanks either way. :)

Helene, I do the same, only reliable way IMHO to lessen the work needed.
Otherwise its quickly done to over cut one facet.
And LOL @ getting older.. Worst part is both are rather time consuming!

Thank you Daniel, I'm having a lot of fun in posting in this thread, finding a lot of pics and stones I forgot about!! And yes, I'm quite humble.

For today we have a hexagonal cushion, I like to title it "Morning Fog".
At least for the "frosted" version where some facets in the bottom (pavilion) are left unpolished.
I designed it specifically for a quartz, one of the first in my area to ever be faceting quality! I now have at least 3 different variations of it. One of my favourite designs.

[ScarlettoSara]

awww I love it:) I have more faces than Eve. It is the way I entertain myself dear Willie:)