A Beginner's Course for Faceting Stones
Featuring a course attend by
Doreen White
This is the latest course that Doreen has attended and covers the fundamental principles of faceting stones. Faceting is the art of cutting and polishing translucent gem stones. A common example of the technique is that applied to Diamonds. However, there are many other translucent gemstones, both precious, semiprecious, and synthetic, where this technique can be employed.
Courses are run by: The Gemmological Association
and Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain, Greville St, (round the corner
from Hatton Garden) in London.
Doreen's
course ran for two days, in which time she was taught the fundamentals
of faceting and produced this stone. The material is a synthetic
stone.
Synthetic material is probably the best to use when starting. It's not too expensive and you don't feel guilty about mucking up one of Nature's treasures should it all go wrong! Good quality "Facet Gem Rough" is priced £/$ per carat. One carat weighs 0.2 grammes. Get the point?
Please note: these pictures are not to scale. The stone is much smaller.
Perhaps the first thing to look for in any stone, is to look through the Table (the flat on top of the stone) at the Cutlet (the point at the bottom of the stone). You should see that the facets meet at a nice sharp point. Quite often, if you look, there appears to be a small round hole. Two problems come to mind, the first being the skill of the person cutting the stone. The second problem arising in jewellery, especially rings, where the jeweller has been careless when making the setting, such that the Cutlet is not not totally protected by the setting.
The problem comes later when checking the size with a Ring Stick, it is easy to chip the Cutlet off! Quite a common error, but your average Joe wouldn't notice, would they?
No real problems with Doreen's stone in this respect. Nice point for a first attempt! Sorry we never cleaned our greasy finger marks from the facets. (Most noticeable on the right of picture.)
Another
point to look for in a faceted stone is the GIRDLE. This is the widest
point of the stone and differentiates the top from the bottom.
Doreen's stone has a razor sharp Girdle, which is fine provided that you don't want to do anything with the stone.
If you wish to set the stone in jewellery,
then the stone setter has an added problem that the Girdle could chip
when the prongs of the setting are being pressured over. It is
more usual to have a light line around the Girdle to give the stone
some strength at this point. However, too thick a Girdle is also
nightmare to set, as is a lopsided one. When looking at a piece
of jewellery with faceted stones, check the Girdle and adjacent facets.
You quite often see them chipped! Oh dear, what the eye
don't see and the shops sell.
Once again Doreen loved the course. Yes, it's expensive, but what has been said about the last course applies to this one.
The Gemmological Association have a whole range of courses for different needs in respect of the Gem Stone industry. Their website address is: www.gagtl.ac.uk/gagtl
RC 06/01/2002