I was inspired by three American faceters who had purchased gem rough from me over the years. They kindly shared images of the gems they faceted from my gem rough and I would wonder how they did it! In particular I remember a Portuguese style round design I couldn’t get my eyes off. Later, I learned about the “Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore “ where I took a course in faceting. I learned on an Ultra Tec machine and then later purchased a Fac-Ette machine.

I was inspired by three American faceters who had purchased gem rough from me over the years. They kindly shared images of the gems they faceted from my gem rough and I would wonder how they did it! In particular I remember a Portuguese style round design I couldn’t get my eyes off. Later, I learned about the “Gem Cutters Guild of Baltimore “ where I took a course in faceting. I learned on an Ultra Tec machine and then later purchased a Fac-Ette machine.

Usually I get to work around 10am on weekdays. When I am not exporting and shipping gems, l normally get right into faceting and I will complete two pavilions (bottom of the gem) and two or three crowns (top of the gem) a day. Sometimes my office is very busy with people coming to show me gem rough from the mining regions and I don’t get any faceting done at all!

For rough that is more expensive like Tsavorite Garnet, I tend to use the shape of the rough as my guide. I might choose a pavilion which is a step cut and then finish the crown with a brilliant style. For rough that is less expensive, I will use a design diagram, which will give the best weight yield.

Some gem rough I just know what design I want to use right away, but there are other gems that, even after dopping it, my mind hasn’t settled on what design to use. Sometimes, it will take a while for a design to pop up in my head and the gem will just be waiting.