Lapidary and Faceting Guides, Tips and Instructions
How-to articles on a wide variety of faceting techniques.
So You Wanna Cut Something New? Gem Faceting Advice
Cutting gem materials you've never worked before can be exciting but also frustrating. Some faceting advice can help you create...
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Gem Rough Orientation: Looking Beyond the Obvious Cut
Gem rough orientation isn't always simple. Sometimes the obvious cut may not be the best choice. Learn how orienting rough...
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Turkish Purple Jade Jewelry
What is Turkish purple jade? Learn about the qualities of this rare, beautiful, and versatile gemstone and see it transformed...
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Should You Cut the Gem Pavilion First?
Experts might successfully cut gems crown first, but cutting pavilion first is usually the best and most practical method. Read...
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Choosing the Right Cut: A Faceter’s Guide
Choosing the right cut for a piece of gem rough is an art. Learn how to balance brilliance with color...
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Simple Design Ideas for Freeform Gems
You can learn gem carving by practicing simple designs. Let the native shapes of stones inspire freeform gems you can...
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Tin, Corian, and Ceramic Lap Testing
Which laps and polishes can produce the flattest facets and sharpest edges on gemstones? Our lap testing compares tin, Corian,...
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Gemstone Polishing Laps and Techniques
No single gemstone polishing method will work for all people or all stones. Our guide will help you choose laps...
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Cutting Star and Cat’s Eye Gems
Learn how to cut star and cat's eye gems. Once you understand how asterism and chatoyancy work, you'll find unexpected...
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How to Polish Gems with Compact Discs
Similar to plastic Lexan laps, compact discs can be used to experiment with polishing gems. Learn some useful techniques and...
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How to Correct Faceting Mistakes
Faceting mistakes can cost gem cutters time and money. Learn some techniques for fixing common errors and making your repairs...
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Gram Wagon Wheel Gem Design
Can an apex crown improve a gem's tilt brightness? See how a gram wagon wheel gem design will affect your...
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Cutting Problem Gem Rough for the Best Color
Problem gem rough can challenge novice faceters. Learn how to judge colors so you can orient such a stone and...
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Cabochon Carving Tools and Techniques
Whether you're creating a simple gem accent or an exquisite cameo, the tools and techniques of cabochon carving are the...
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Gemstone Dopping Techniques
A novice gem cutter needs to master various dopping techniques for cabbing and faceting gemstones. Learn how to attach gem...
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Split Mains and Odd Symmetry Gemstone Designs
Do gems with split mains and odd symmetry perform well? Learn the difference between these designs and more popular ones...
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Optical Dish Carving
Optical dishes are concave facets used in fantasy-cut gems. Learn this optical dish carving technique for creating your own unique...
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How to Cut a Fantasy Gemstone
Curious about cutting a fantasy gemstone? This beginner's guide will walk you through the steps and show you the tools...
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How to Measure Gem Girdle Thickness
Cutting the right size girdle for a gem can be difficult. Learn how girdles and jewelry settings affect each other...
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Getting the Best Gem Yield from a Crystal
Cutting crystals for the best gem yield is a critical skill for faceters. This walkthrough can help novices learn how...
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Odd Symmetry Designs for Gemstones
Gems with odd symmetry designs include popular trillions as well as unusual 7-sided stones. Learn the limitations and possibilities of...
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The White Paper Test and Rough Gem Buying
How can gem cutters predict the color that gem rough will likely show when cut? Learn how the simple white...
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How to Identify Synthetic Rough in Gemstone Parcels
Telling synthetic rough from natural stones in a gem parcel can be challenging. These tips can help you find some...
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Retroreflection and Gemstone Brilliance
How is a faceted gem like a retroreflecting prism? Learn to distinguish gemstone brilliance from scintillation and how gem cutters...
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Can You Cut a Gem Design for Tilt Brightness?
Can you create and cut a gem design to make the most of a stone's tilt brightness? Learn whether your...
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Should Beginners Practice Faceting on Natural or Synthetic Quartz?
Natural and synthetic quartz rough are both inexpensive. Nevertheless, learn why novice faceters should practice with the natural material in...
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Angles for Cutting Garnets
Cutting garnets and other color saturated gems for brilliance can be challenging. Here's some advice for choosing the best angles...
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Barion Cut Designs for Colored Gemstones
Barion cut designs aren't just for diamonds. Jeff Graham offers some advice for faceting this style as well as choosing...
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Choosing Faceting Angles
With so many recommended faceting angles, new gem cutters can have a hard time choosing one. Learn the basic guidelines...
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Cutting Natural Rough Stones: The Breaks
If you’re cutting natural rough gems, learn to expect fractures. Stress from an unknown flaw can break out during roughing,...
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How to Describe a Tourmaline Crystal by its C Axis
A tourmaline crystal can show many color combos. This system for grading the C axis of rough can help faceters...
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A Beginner’s Guide To Common Gemstone Heat Treatments
Gemstone heat treatments can increase the beauty and value of many rough pieces. Learn how to conduct the most common...
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How to Cut a True Checkerboard Heart
A checkerboard heart design is a great choice for a red or pink gem. Jeff Graham takes novice cutters through...
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Inclusion Management and Gemstone Faceting
Inclusion management is one of the most challenging aspects of gemstone faceting. Learn when to remove and when to keep...
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Carving Techniques for Handling Inclusions in Transparent Gems
Inclusions don't have to result in a loss of mass or value when cutting transparent gems. Learn how to manage...
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How to Cut a Simple Portuguese Gem Design
Learn how to cut Jeff Graham’s Simple Portuguese gem design with this step-by-step photo guide. This modified classic works well...
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Emerald Treatments and Alternatives
Emerald treatments, such as oiling, are very common. Learn what these techniques do, how emeralds are graded, and what gems...
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Tips for Cabbing and Carving Opals
Opal cabochons can fetch high prices but may be difficult to cut. These tips for carving opals can help gem...
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Gemstone Certificates
Can you rely on gemstone certificates to reveal everything that can affect the value of pricey gems? Learn what to...
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Product Review: Hyper-Edge Gem Faceting Laps
Hyper-Edge gem faceting laps will save you time and money. In particular, learn how the 1,500-grit lap compares with other...
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Why All Gem Designs are Compromises
All gem designs balance multiple factors that affect the stone’s appearance. Before tweaking a design, consider the overall goal for...
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What is a Princess Cut Diamond?
What constitutes a princess cut? Jeff Graham examines a variety of diamonds sold as examples of this design and identifies...
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Miscellaneous Gems: Polishing Survey Results
The IGS survey results for polishing miscellaneous gems include recommendations for popular stones as well as gems seen less frequently...
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Opal Polishing Survey Results
Take a look at the IGS member survey results for opal polishing. You'll find recommendations for polishes, laps, and techniques...
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Peridot Polishing Survey Results
Popular jewelry stones, peridots can actually vary in hardness. Our IGS member survey results can help you choose the right...
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Corundum Polishing Survey Results
The corundum gem family includes ever popular rubies and sapphires. Our IGS member survey results offer some corundum polishing recommendations....
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Cubic Zirconia Polishing Survey Results
Cubic zirconia is the most popular diamond simulant currently available. You can find polishing recommendations for this material in our...
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How to Polish Gems of 7-8 Hardness: Survey Results
Some very popular jewelry stones, such as beryl, quartz, and topaz, fall in the 7-8 hardness range. You can find...
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