Faceting Made Easy, Part 1: Gemstone

Properties
by Trevor Hannam

“Sapphire,” lime green with slight yellow and blue color, round brilliant cut, 0.92 cts, Nigeria. ©
Dan Stair Custom Gemstones. Used with permission.
Note: This is a six-part edited version of Trevor Hannam’s Faceting Made Easy, a general
introduction to faceting and a guide for learning to cut a standard brilliant gem. Part 1 covers
the Introduction and Chapters 1 and 13. These chapters review gemstone properties as they
relate to gem cutting. The International Gem Society thanks Mr. Hannam for permission to post
his work.

Table of Contents [hide]

 Introduction
 Light and its Properties
o The Speed of Light
o Refractive Index
o Dispersion
 The Polariscope
 Critical Angle
o Examples of Angles Cut Correctly and Incorrectly for the Gem’s Critical Angle
 Correct Cut
 Dark Center
 Fish Eye
 Pleochroism
 Gemstone Properties and Cutting Angles of Common Faceting Materials

Introduction

Have you ever read a book filled with so much technical jargon that it leaves you more confused
than when you started? I think we’ve all experienced this at one time or another. Personally, I
find learning from such books, without proper illustrations or explanations in everyday terms,
very frustrating and discouraging. Unless beginners can get instructors to help, most will just
give up.

That’s why I’ve written this book. Faceting Made Easy and the associated video contain detailed
instructions and illustrations for cutting the standard brilliant. Readers will also gain a working
knowledge of all parts of a faceting machine.

Faceting books and teachers often vary in their techniques. Most still advocate cutting the table
first. However, times change, and new ways to cut a standard brilliant emerge. This book just
presents another way of faceting, starting with the pavilion. As you read and learn, you’ll see the
wisdom of this technique. There are no hard and fast rules to faceting, just the basics. I
encourage beginners to experiment once they’ve mastered the standard brilliant.

I feel this book presents gem faceting in a manner that anyone can learn quickly. Soon, they’ll be
developing their own techniques for the art of gem cutting.

Light and its Properties

The Speed of Light

Light travels through the vacuum of space at 299,792 kilometers per second. As it passes through
air or a solid object, such as a piece of glass, it does two things: it slows down and changes
direction or bends.

Why does light slow down? Because it passes through denser material. For example, try driving
a car through water. Since water is denser than air, it slows us down.

Why does light bend? As light passes through glass, for example, the sudden reduction of speed
pulls it due to the higher density. Let’s go back to our driving example. We’re driving on a
sealed road. Up ahead, we see a small amount of water on the left hand side of the road. As we
hit this water at normal speed, the vehicle is immediately slowed down and pulled to the left.
This is exactly what happens when light passes through glass. This phenomenon is known as
refraction and occurs when light passes through all gemstones.

Refractive Index

A gem’s refractive index (RI) is the speed of light divided by the speed of light though the gem.

In some minerals, such as calcite, light entering crystals splits into two paths. This is known as
double refraction.
Minerals can be either singly refractive or doubly refractive. In singly refractive minerals, light
slows downs, refracts, and reflects internally. In doubly refractive materials, this process differs.
Light splits into two paths due to the mineral’s atomic structure and its two crystal axes of
different lengths.

You can see the effects of double refraction very well by examining calcite. If you place a piece
of clear calcite over some small print, you’ll clearly see the print doubled.
 Double
Refraction in a Calcite Crystal

Dispersion

When cut at the proper angles, a gem will reflect light internally many times. Then, it will return
the light through its table to the viewer’s eyes. This internal reflection and refraction produces
little explosions of color. The facets actually act like tiny prisms.

If passed through a prism, white light breaks down readily into the colors of a rainbow. As a kid,
I learned to remember this as a name: “Roy G. Biv.” Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo
and Violet. This phenomenon is known as dispersion.
The Polariscope

You can easily identify doubly refractive minerals by using a polariscope. Amateur faceters
definitely need this instrument.

A polariscope consists of two discs of polarized plastic separated by a mechanical support. A

light source is placed underneath one of the discs. Then, the gem is placed atop this disc, while
you look through the top disc. Next, turn the top disc until it reaches its darkest point. Now, turn
or rotate the gemstone in a 360° revolution in all directions until you see the best position of
refraction. With a doubly refractive gem, what you’ll see as the gem is turned is a change from
lightness to darkness of the polarized light. For uniaxial doubly refractive gems, you’ll see this
two times. For biaxial doubly refractive gems, you’ll see this four times. The axis of the
gemstone or rough is the part where the gem turns the least amount of light and dark.

The illustration below shows how a polariscope works.

Critical Angle

As the angle of light from a source to the surface of a gemstone increases, the angle of refraction
will also increase, until a point is reached where the light will run parallel with the surface of the
gemstone. The angle of incidence which causes the light to become parallel to the surface is
known as the critical angle.
If the angle of light exceeds the critical angle, the light source will become totally reflected.
Minerals with a small critical angle will lose less light than those with a larger critical angle.
Thus, gems with a smaller critical angle can prolong the internal reflection of light, producing
more sparkle and color.

The Performance of Light as the Angle of Incidence Increases

Examples of Angles Cut Correctly and Incorrectly for the Gem’s Critical Angle

Correct Cut

Let’s take a topaz, which has a critical angle of 37°, cut from 39° to 42°.
This gem has been cut correctly. The angles are correct for topaz. It has full, total reflection,
which produces those little explosions of color.
Dark Center
This gemstone has a dark center, caused by excessive leakage of light through the pavilion. This
is due to the fact that it was cut at an excessive angle of 50°.
Fish Eye

This gemstone has a “fish eye” effect. You can see straight through the center of the gem, and a
halo appears around the perimeter. Cutting the stone far too shallow, 35°, caused this effect.

Pleochroism

Certain minerals show different colors, caused by absorption, when light passes through different
directions in the stone.
If you turn a gem and see different colors from different directions, the mineral is referred to as
pleochroic. For example, if you look straight down a sapphire crystal, along its C axis, the gem
may appear blue. However, if you look at it side on, at 90°, the same crystal may appear green.
Gems that show two such colors are called dichroic.

The gem iolite also shows this phenomenon but can show three colors: blue, clear, and
yellowish. Such stones are called trichroic.

You can use an instrument called a dichroscope for viewing this effect. It’s made from a piece of
clear calcite and a lens situated in a small tube.
Gemstone Properties and Cutting Angles of Common Faceting Materials

COMMON
MOHS REFRACTIVE Critical PAVILION
FACETING CROWN Angle°
HARDNESS INDEX Angle° Angle°
MINERAL
M GM G S
Apatite 5 1.63 37 42 44 39 44 24
Beryl
(Aquamarine & 7.5 to 8.0 1.56 39 43 45 42 47 27
Morganite)
Chrysoberyl 8.5 1.74 34.5 42 44 39 44 24
Corundum
9 1.76 34 42 44 38 43 23
(Sapphire)
Corundum
9 1.76 34 40 42 38 43 23
(Synthetic)
Cubic Zirconia 8 2.16 27.4 41 43 35 40 20
Feldspar 5.0 to 7.0 1.56/1.57 41 43 45 42 47 27
Fluorite 4 1.43 44 45 47 43 48 28
Garnet
6.0 to 7.5 1.76/1.83 33.5 41 43 38 43 23
(Almandine)
Garnet
(Rhodolite – 7.0 to 7.5 1.75/1.76 31.5 39 41 35 40 20
Violet Red)
Garnet
6.5 to 7.0 1.742/1.748 35.5 41 43 38 43 23
(Grossular)
Garnet (Pyrope
7.25 1.74/1.75 35 41 43 38 43 23
– Red)
Moldavite
5.5 to 6 1.45/1.52 41 43 45 42 37 27
(Obsidian-Glass)
Glass & Pastes 5 to 6 1.45 + 40 43 45 41 36 26
Iolite 7.0 to 7.5 1.53/1.54 40.4 43 45 42 47 27
Lazulite 5 1.61 38 41 43 39 42 24
Opal 5.0 to 6.5 1.44/1.47 43 45 47 41 46 26
Peridot 6.5 to 7.0 1.65/1.69 37 42 44 39 44 24
Quartz 7 1.54/1.553 40 42 44 41 46 26
Spinel 8 1.71/1.736 35 41 43 40 45 25
Spodumene 6.5 to 7.0 1.66 37 41 43 39 44 24
Strontium
6 2.41 24.5 41 43 35 40 24
titanate
Topaz 8 1.61/1.62 37 41 43 39 44 24
Tourmaline 7.0 to 7.5 1.63/1.65 38 42 44 39 44 24
Yttrium 8.5 1.83 33 40 42 37 42 22
aluminium
garnet (YAG)
Zircon (High) 6.5 to 7.5 1.99 31 41 43 35 40 20
Faceting Made Easy, Part 2: Faceting
Machines and Equipment
by Trevor Hannam
The Halls MKII. Remember, no faceting machines, no matter how good, will work as well as
your eyes. The old saying, “Cut a little, look a lot,” always applies.
Note: This is a six-part edited version of Trevor Hannam’s Faceting Made Easy, a general
introduction to faceting and a guide for learning to cut a standard brilliant gem. Part 2 covers
Chapters 2, 3, and 4. These chapters cover the faceting machines and other equipment beginners
need to get started. The International Gem Society thanks Mr. Hannam for permission to post his
work.

Table of Contents [hide]

 Faceting Machines
o Gallery
o Parts and Terminology
 Quill and Alignment Tool
 Index Wheel and Cheater
 Protractor, Stop, and Angle Cheater
 The Post and Coarse Adjuster
 The Micro Height Adjuster
 Water Reservoir
 Speed Control and Motor
 Faceting Equipment
o Laps
 Copper Laps
 Metal Bonded Laps
 Polishing Laps
 Required Laps for Beginners
 Aluminum and Ceramic Laps
 Iron Laps
 Lucite Laps
o Diamond Powder
o Adhesives
o Dop Help
o Dop Stick Holder
o Faceting Wax
o Head Loupe
o Knife
o Olive Oil and Polish Extender
o Oven
o Spirit Lamp
o Refractol
o Calipers and Scales
o Miscellaneous Equipment
 Preparing a Pre-Polish Lap

Faceting Machines

Gallery
Take a look at the layouts of these different machines. You’ll learn what all the parts and terms
mean in the next section.

Today, all faceting machines can be considered marvels of modern engineering. Some are better
than others. Some offer more incentives with gimmicks and attachments. Ultimately, faceters
must decide what suits them best. Your main criteria should be ease of operation in the standard
cutting mode.
Ultra Tec Faceting Machine

Camper Series Faceting Machine

Gem Master G1 Faceting Machine

Parts and Terminology

Quill and Alignment Tool

The quill (sometimes called a “dop arm”) houses the mounted dop stick. It’s attached to the
toothed gear known as the index wheel. This quill has either a self-center chuck or a small set
screw to lock the dop stick in position.
Some faceting machines don’t have alignment notches built into the quill or transfer jig.
Alignment tools make life easier for aligning facets between the crown and pavilion. A good
machine should have at least one of these. The alignment tool allows for perfect realignment, in
case you must remove or replace the dop stick at any stage while cutting or polishing.

Index Wheel and Cheater

The index wheel, the large toothed gear, comes in a variety of indices. Normally, faceting
machines come with a 96 and/or a 46 index wheel as standard equipment. You should be able to
interchange these indices without difficulty. If not, beware!

With most machines, you can release the index wheel by pushing the arm of the spring retainer,
so you can move the quill in either direction. You can also lock this arm into position, so the
index wheel and quill can turn 360° for rounding.

By using the index cheater, you can get a small amount of movement, left or right of the main
setting. The cheater will allow for small errors in cutting or polishing. Normally, it has a center
mark to help you show direction (left or right) when cheating.
Protractor, Stop, and Angle Cheater

Probably the most important part of the machine, the protractor should have clear, engraved half-
degree divisions. It should also have a good marker, pointer, or face you can see and read from
nearly any direction when in normal operation.

The angle stop sets the quill to any angle between 0 and 90° on the protractor. It should move
freely between the stop and the set angle. Most machines incorporate a dial gauge and/or a small
indicator light to warn the operator when the stop is reached. The stop should be solid and held
firm by a locking device, so the quill can’t pass this point.
Some faceting machines might have an angle cheater located on the stop. You can screw this
small, tapered shaft in or out to adjust the angle by the 10th degree. However, be prepared. Many
machines out there don’t have angle cheaters. In fact, most faceters will say that you don’t need
an angle cheater.
The Post and Coarse Adjuster

The post is the main support for the head assembly and is 90° to the base plate. It can be either
fixed or adjustable along a slide fixed by a locking nut. On this post, you have a coarse adjuster,
a large knurled knob that releases or tightens the head assembly to the post. Thus, it allows you
to make coarse adjustments by raising or lowering the quill by hand.
The Micro Height Adjuster

Fitted to the head assembly or sometimes to the main post support, the micro height adjuster
should be adjustable within a span of approximately 25 mm. Normally, it’s marked in graduated
steps of 1 to 5 thousand increments. Some machines do have micrometers fitted as part of their
standard equipment.
Water Reservoir

Faceters should have a good reserve of water available. Normally, faceting machines have a 500
ml minimum capacity reservoir fitted to the side of the swarf tray. It should have a fitted stop
valve to allow control of the water flow. Also, you should be able to swing the container away
from the lap when necessary.
Speed Control and Motor

Although some faceting machines may have a hand crank, electric motors drive most machines.
These can be either 240 or 12/24 volt and are normally belt driven by stepped pulleys or variable
speed control.

If your machine uses a fixed 2 or 4 pole motor, it should be fitted with a stepped pulley system.
This allows you to change the speed manually. 100 rpm makes a good minimum speed. 1,400
rpm + makes a good fast speed.

A variable speed system, either 240 or 12/24 volt, makes the best choice. 12/24 volt is preferable
due to high torque and less noise.

Faceting Equipment
Your faceting machine should include dop sticks, a transfer jig, a 45° angle dop, and a flat dop.
Apparently, quite a few manufacturers don’t include flat dops in their kits. If you happen to be
one of the unlucky ones, don’t despair. A valve from an auto or bike shop will suffice quite well.
Just make sure that it has a 1/4” or 6 mm shank.

Other essential tools include small spanners, screwdrivers, and Allen wrenches (or hex keys).

Laps

You use a lap, a flat disc, to cut and polish gemstones.

Copper Laps

Nowadays, you can find a multitude of laps for sale, but none better than the good old copper
lap. The copper lap has been around for many decades. It makes an excellent pre-polish lap.
Many experienced faceters still prefer it. You have to charge this type of lap with diamond
powder. They’re cheap and easy to maintain.

Metal Bonded Laps

A metal bonded lap has diamond powder electroplated onto a thin copper disc glued to a master
lap made of aluminium. This type of lap costs more than copper laps. However, they cut flat and
true with good clean facet edges. From experience, I’ve found that the pre-polish lap does tend to
become dull very quickly. Therefore, I don’t recommend it for beginners until they gain more
experience. On the other hand, faceters must have coarse laps. They will last an extremely long
time and merit the few extra dollars to buy.

Polishing Laps

Polishing laps also come in a variety of types. These include aluminium, brass, ceramic, Lucite,
cast iron, iron, tin lead, type metal, and even timber. However, you can’t surpass the ever popular
tin lead lap for polishing and as a general purpose lap. If used with 50,000 grit diamond powder,
it will outperform all other laps due to the metal’s ability to polish most gemstones.

Required Laps for Beginners

 Coarse 100 to 180 grit disc, metal bonded type, to use for quick removal.
 Coarse 220 to 300 grit metal bonded type.
 Pre-polish 1,200 and/or 3,000 copper lap.
 Polish tin lead lap, made from 60/40 solder or type metal.

Aluminum and Ceramic Laps

Once you’ve established yourself as a faceter, try experimenting with other laps. They all work
very well. You’ll find the aluminum lap works extremely well for polishing sapphires. The
ceramic lap gives clean, flat, sharp facet edges. It’s best suited for gemstones with 8+ hardness.
Ceramic laps don’t make good general purpose laps. However, if you want to enter faceting
competitions, consider well this lap’s superiority over soft laps.

Iron Laps

Consider cast iron and iron laps as second best to tin lead laps. They give a good, crisp straight
edge. You’ll also find them well-suited for stones with 8+ hardness, like sapphire and topaz, that
require diamond powder and a good grade of olive oil. The lap’s coarseness or porosity of the
metal makes it a good holder of polish powder. From experience, I consider this lap type on par
with ceramic. They give precise, clean, flat facets. You’ll find it worthwhile persevering with
them until they’re worn in.

Lucite Laps

Faceters normally use Lucite laps, made of plastic, with cerium or tin oxide powders mixed with
water for polishing quartz. These laps must stay extremely wet while in use to prevent heat
buildup and facet edge rounding. (I’ve found quartz one of the most difficult minerals to polish.
Adding a small amount of vinegar to the polish mixture helps). Lucite laps require a very slow
speed to use.

Diamond Powder

Diamond grit used for gem cutting and polishing comes in sizes ranging from 0.1 to 100
microns. Nowadays, we mostly use synthetic diamond powder, which has a more consistent
particle size than screen sieved natural stones. Grit sizes of 80 to 325 normally come in a powder
form in 1 to 5 carat vials. On the other hand, 600 grit sizes and over can come in a variety of
containers, vials, syringes, and spray packs.

To start, beginners will need 1 carat of each of the following sizes: 1,200 grit, 3,000 grit, and
50,000 grit. The 1,200 and 3,000 grit are both the pre-polish grade. 1,200 grit serves as the all-
rounder for pre-polishing. Use the 3,000 grit for doing sapphires, since they suffer badly from
“orange peel” or over cutting due to planes of softness within the mineral. Use 50,000 grit for the
polishing stages. It also makes a good all-around polish powder. However, you can also use
100,000 grit for polishing, but facet polishing will take a little longer. In my experience, there is
virtually no difference between these polishing powders when it comes to viewing the finished
product.
Adhesives

5 minute/24 epoxies and super glues (cyanoacrylate or CA glues) are useful for faceting. All
faceters should have the following in their arsenals:

 Loctite 416 super glue.

 Epoxy adhesive such as “Tite On”/J-B Weld.
 A small tube of 5 minute Araldite.

Dop Help

You can buy a small container of dop help from any good lapidary supplier or make your own.
To make, you’ll need shellac flakes and methylated spirits. Paint or hardware stores carry shellac
flakes. Also, you’ll need a small glass container with a tight fitting lid (like a Promite container).
Fill the container half-way with shellac flakes. Then, pour methylated spirits onto the top until
the container is full. Next, shake the container vigorously for a few minutes once every day for 3
days. After letting it settle for a couple of days, pour the top part of the liquid into a small vial.
This makes an excellent, inexpensive dopping media for faceter’s wax that will last you for
years.

Dop Stick Holder

Beginners as well as any enthusiasts must have three or four dop stick holders. You can make
them from a 1” broom handle. Cut three or more pieces from the broom handle, each
approximately 30 mm long. Then, drill a 1/4” hole in the center to a depth of around 15 mm.
These essential pieces of equipment will hold your dop sticks upright for gluing, fixing, and
handling your gem stones. When you use hot wax, you’ll find them especially valuable.

Faceting Wax

Faceter’s dopping wax is made from a mixture of shellac flakes and red ceiling wax. Dopping
with wax has been around since “God was a little boy.” Many still regard faceting wax as the all-
purpose adhesive for gem faceting. Normally inexpensive, it comes in a bundle of five to six
sticks per pack. Occasionally, you can also use green wax. However, its softness can cause the
stone to shift while polishing due to heat buildup.

Head Loupe

You’ll need a head loupe of 3¼ power and/or a 5 to 10 power eye piece. (Preferably, get a
corrected one, so you won’t have distortion on the outer rim when viewing an object). Eyes
pieces from a pair of binoculars (7 × 50 or 10 × 50) can yield good, inexpensive lenses. You can
pick these up easily second hand, and they work extremely well.

Knife

Any small knife will work fine. Just make sure to dedicate it to the job, since you’ll use it for
heating, scraping, mixing, and applying adhesives.

Olive Oil and Polish Extender

Cooking grade olive oil will do fine. This oil works as a coating to hold and distribute the
diamond powder onto your pre-polish and polish laps.

When you mix olive oil with Shellite (1 part olive oil to 40 parts Shellite), you create an
excellent cutting oil extender for both the pre-polish and polish laps. In addition, it makes a very
good cleaner for the laps. Pour the extender into a small spray bottle (50 ml), as it will give better
coverage.
Oven

You can use a medium size jam tin, cut out to fit your spirit lamp, as a hot plate. Use it for
slowly heating your gem rough to accept dopping wax to transfer onto the dop sticks.

Beware of naked flames and use common sense.

Spirit Lamp

Almost any type of burner (even a candle) will work as a flame heater for heating wax and
transferring. However, you’ll find an alcohol lamp, like the one pictured below in the homemade
oven, your best bet. Compared to some other types, it has a clean flame and good heating ability.

Refractol

Refractol will help you see imperfections within a piece of rough. This oil has a refractive index
(RI) close to the mid-range of most minerals, approximately 1.57. When applied to rough with a
small, fine artist’s brush, it makes the surface extremely clear, like glass. This makes it easier to
view inclusions.
You can also purchase clove and cinnamon oil, as these have RIs of approximately 1.54 and
1.62, respectively. These will help you view rough with RIs lower or higher than 1.57.

Calipers and Scales

If you want to get into competitions, you’ll need a good pair of metric, plastic vernier calipers
with a gauge for measuring gemstones. Although calipers range in price from cheap to
expensive, get as good a pair as possible. (Ultimately, your pocket will make the decision).

Although not essential, a set of scales for weighing your finished gems has some benefits. Make
sure the scales can measure as low as 0.001 carat. (Remember, 5 carats to 1 gram).

Miscellaneous Equipment

 Keep soft tissues, like soft toilet rolls, handy. It’s a good idea to fix a toilet roll holder
close at hand when faceting.
 Methylated spirits and/or acetone make good dop stick cleaners. They also can clean up
super glue, etc.
 Always keep pen and paper at hand to write down information when faceting.
 A small 4” trim saw would make a good investment. However, you can do without it,
since most stones can be cut directly from the rough. An engineer could make a small
mandrel to take a small blade on the faceting machine. You could then use this to cut the
mains of gemstones, thus saving the expensive laps.
Preparing a Pre-Polish Lap

You can easily make up your pre-polish lap. Take a new copper lap and clean the surface with a
tissue with the extender fluid. Next, place a couple of drops of olive oil on your lap. With a clean
tissue, wipe it all over the lap until it’s almost dry.

Now, you need the vial of 1,200 grit diamond powder (pre-polish powder). Wipe a clean index
finger over the lap. This will leave a smear of oil on your finger. Open the 1,200 grit diamond
powder, place your index finger over the top and invert.
Invert again and lift your finger off the vial. You’ll now see a grey coating of powder on your
finger. Place your finger in different spots over the lap. Then, spread the powder as evenly as
possible over the laps surface with your finger.

You now have a prepared pre-polish lap. It will last a long time before the lap will need
resurfacing with diamond powder.
Faceting Made Easy, Part 3: Starting a
Standard Brilliant Cut
by Trevor Hannam

A set of cutter-quality topaz crystals, with classic sherry/orange color and scintillation. “Topaz
(Var. Imperial Topaz),” Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil. © Rob Lavinsky,
www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.

Note: This is a six-part edited version of Trevor Hannam’s Faceting Made Easy, a general
introduction to faceting and a guide for learning to cut a standard brilliant gem. Part 3 includes
Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8. These chapters cover selecting rough and dopping and rounding
techniques for a standard brilliant cut. The International Gem Society thanks Mr. Hannam for
permission to post his work.

Table of Contents [hide]

 Selecting the Rough

o Clarity
o Color
o Cleavage
  Standard Brilliant Cut Terminology
o The Crown
o The Pavilion
o The Girdle
o The Culet
 Dopping
o Dop Stick Size
o Preparing the Stone for Dopping
o Fixing the Stone to the Dop Stick
 Using Faceter’s Wax
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Epoxies
 Using Epoxies
 Super Glues
 Rounding to Form the Girdle
o Setting the Stone on the Quill
o Starting to Cut
o Checking Your Progress
o Rounding Difficulties
 Cutting the Girdle
o Checking for Inclusions and Flaws
o Cleanup and Changing Laps
 Pre-Polishing the Girdle
o Round Girdle or Faceted Girdle?
o Pre-Polishing Advice
o Caring for Your Pre-Polishing Lap

Selecting the Rough

For beginners, let’s start with a piece of topaz. With its good relative hardness and refractive
index (RI), this inexpensive mineral will produce gems with sparkling brilliance.

When choosing your rough, look at these three factors: clarity, color, and cleavage.

Clarity

Let’s say you have a piece of topaz that may not have the outward shape of a crystal. For
example, it may be water worn and impossible to see through. You need to evaluate its clarity or
clearness. Wetting it with water may help, but not enough to see any inclusions and internal
flaws. This is due to water’s RI (1.33) not being high enough. To view readily the inside of this
stone, you need a liquid with an RI closer to topaz’s (1.63). You’ll need Refractol or cinnamon
oil. With an artist’s brush, paint one of these liquids over the stone. You’ll then be able to see
right through the piece as if it were a piece of glass.

Look carefully into the stone with a five or ten power eye piece for any of the following:

 Cracks.
  Inclusions of other minerals.
 Cloud veils from ghost crystals.
 Small bubbles that may contain liquid.

Obviously, you want a near flawless stone. As Nature will have it, tis ‘nigh impossible.
However, the art of faceting allows you to find the flaws and hide them if they present problems.
With the proper gem orientation, you can conceal inclusions or flaws under the girdle facets.
Normally, you wouldn’t bother with such a stone, but special circumstances might factor into
your decision. (Perhaps the rough is a unique piece, has sentimental value, or commands a high
price). Barring special circumstances, you’d likely discard such a stone for a better piece.

Now, you’ve mapped out the interior of the rough. Next, you can consider possible orientations
and maximum recovery for the stone.

Color

Does the rough you’re examining have any color zoning? Is the color uniform, or is it lighter on
one side than the other?

Stones like amethyst, citrine, sapphire and blue topaz can have one or more bands of color. If
color is the most important value factor for what you’re cutting (and, normally, it is), then orient
such banded rough so that the pavilion of the standard brilliant, when cut, is fully within the
banding. Take care that the pavilion doesn’t protrude past this color zone point. This may lead to
a loss of the desired color.

Don’t confuse color banding with pleochroism in doubly refractive gems, such as sapphires. For
best color, particularly cornflower blue, orient sapphires along their C axis. Otherwise, you may
very well end up with a green sapphire. (See Part 1).

Cleavage

Topaz has a cleavage plane, which may or may not give you problems when polishing.

If your rough has a crystal shape or shows the cleavage plane easily, you’ll have no worries.
Orientation will be easy. However, what if you have a water-worn stone with no indication of the
cleavage plane? I suggest you just go ahead and orient the stone as if it had no cleavage. You
have about a thousand-to-one chance of placing a stone exactly on the cleavage line. This subject
has received far too much emphasis. Even if you’ve placed the cleavage on one of the facets to
be polished, you won’t have a real problem. In Part 5, we’ll discuss the hand polishing technique.

So, if your piece shows the cleavage (which is 90° from the C axis), orient the piece
approximately 5 to 6° away from the axis.
Standard Brilliant Cut Terminology

The first faceted stones appeared around the late 14th to 15th centuries. For some time after,
lapidaries passed down the knowledge of gem faceting as family secrets. Beginning in the 19th
century, however, the art of faceting became accessible to all amateurs and hobbyists. Today, of
course, enthusiasts can find many books on the subject, and many clubs are willing to teach this
art.

The standard brilliant cut starts with a piece of rough that you’ll round. Then, you’ll place a
combination of facets in geometrical patterns around the stone. Utilizing the optical properties of
the gem, they will produce a brilliance pleasing to any beholder.

The standard brilliant cut has 57 facets.

The Crown

The crown totals approximately 1/3 of the height of the finished gem. It consists of 33 facets: 8
main facets, 16 girdle facets, 8 star facets, and 1 table facet.

The Pavilion

The pavilion totals approximately 2/3 of the height of the finished gem. It consists of 24 facets: 8
main facets and 16 girdle facets.

The Girdle

The maximum girdle height of a standard brilliant cut must not exceed 5% of the finished gem’s
height.

The Culet

In some circumstances, you can cut the culet as a small, flat facet to prevent it from fracturing.
At times, this is considered good practice.
Standard Brilliant Cut Terminology

Dopping

Dopping is one of the most important parts of faceting. You must learn to do this correctly.
There’s nothing worse, especially for a beginner, than having a gem fall off the dop at a crucial
point due to improper dopping.

Dop Stick Size

Select the right dop stick for the stone, approximately 50 to 60% of the size of the finished
article. This will come to you with trial and error. After a while, you’ll be able to estimate with
some accuracy the correct dop stick for the job.

Preparing the Stone for Dopping

Once you’ve oriented the stone properly, grind a small flat surface on the stone to accommodate
the dop stick. Do this by placing the coarse lap (220 grit) onto the faceting machine’s master lap.
Turn on the water container tap so a reasonable flow runs onto the center area of the lap surface.
Set the machine’s speed to high.

Bring the stone to the surface of the spinning lap. Using light pressure, proceed to cut a small flat
surface for dopping.

Wet a piece of toilet tissue with methylated spirits and clean the ground area. (Don’t forget to
turn off the water and the machine. Also, leave the lap on the machine for the next phase of
faceting). Paint this cleaned area with a very thin film of dop help. The dop help will act as a
binder for the transition of wax to metal.

Fixing the Stone to the Dop Stick

Some stones have considerable heat sensitivity. For these, use modern epoxies, like Tite On or
Weld-It, which cure fully in 4 hours. (See the section on “Using Epoxies,” below).

Using Faceter’s Wax

Set up your heater oven. Place the stone, painted side up, onto the oven’s top. Then, place the
spirit lamp underneath the oven and light it.

With experience, you’ll learn to gauge the right amount of heat. In the meantime, use the
following technique as a guideline. Keep lifting the stone with your fingers until you can only
hold it for a couple of seconds. That will indicate you’ve reached approximately the right
temperature.

While the stone is warming, place your selected dop stick in one of your dop stick holders.

Heat the end of the dop stick by placing the end into the flame. When reasonably hot, bring the
faceter’s wax into the flame with the dop stick. Then, melt some of the wax onto the surface to
form a small ball of melted wax. During this procedure, you may have to keep the dop stick
moving around to retain the wax on the end. Continue to heat until the wax just catches fire. This
indicates you’ve reached the right temperature for fixing.

Immediately place the waxed end of the dop stick onto the surface of the stone’s painted side.
Lift the combination from the oven and gently, before it cools, move the stone around until it’s in
the right position. BE VERY CAREFUL HERE AS THE STONE IS QUITE WARM! (Now
you can appreciate the benefits of dop stick holders).
Put the dopped stone aside to cool down and prepare your faceting machine for the next phase of
your work.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Epoxies

Epoxies offer faceters a simpler alternative to wax. Both epoxies and super glues (401
cyanoacrylate) are very reliable and have the advantage of working at room temperatures.
They’re also better at keeping stones from shifting due to heat buildup during transferring. They
will save you many a burnt finger, which I readily appreciate.

On the other hand, epoxies and cyanoacrylates can present problems, too, particularly when
removing the adhesives from a stone. MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) thinners and/or acetone will
help release most epoxies and super glues. However, heat remains the best option for prying a
gem away from the dop stick. For another approach, place the dop and gem in a freezer for 15-20
minutes, then pry them apart. (This may not always work).

Using Epoxies

Make sure you’ve cleaned the ground-flat area on your stone with methylated spirits. Clean the
head of your dop stick thoroughly, too. You may even have to use a piece of wet and dry silicon
carbide paper or similar to clean it.

For Tite On or Weld-It, mix well together equal parts base and hardener. Place a small amount
on the dop stick and press into the flat area of your stone. Set aside for at least a ½ hour for best
results.

Super Glues

I don’t really recommend using super glue for initial stone dopping. However, if a stone falls off
the dop while cutting, you can use super glue to reattach it easily. I have found super glues far
better suited for transferring dopped stones. (See Part 5).

In summary, wax has the advantage over epoxy with quick drying times. This means you could
be faceting in just a few minutes after dopping. However, if you can wait, I recommend using
epoxy. It’s up to you!

Rounding to Form the Girdle

For generations, most faceting instructors have taught their students to first cut the crown, then
the pavilion. Here, we’ll do the pavilion first and the crown and table facets last.

This approach allows both amateurs and professionals to estimate more accurately the depth of
material left for the crown. In addition, gem cutters will have better control over facet placement
and hiding flaws under facets, as well as an easier time with the pavilion/crown transfer on the
transfer jig.
However, this technique does have a downside. The table facet (the last one cut) must be “sat”
on the star facets. So, it must meet at every point. (Consider this good practice for when you
venture into the art of meetpoint faceting).

Setting the Stone on the Quill

Set the index wheel of your faceting machine into free wheel and the protractor to 90°. Place
your coarse lap (220 grit) onto the master lap and secure the nut firmly.

Now, place the dop stick with the dopped stone into the chuck of the quill. Some faceting
machines, like the Halls, have specially shaped dop sticks that fit directly into the quill. If your
machine doesn’t have this facility, just place the dop 2/3 of the way into the chuck. Tighten the
chuck firmly.

Lift the gate of the swarf tray and undo the coarse height adjusting wheel to free the head
assembly. Next, carefully lower the head so the dopped stone rests lightly on the coarse lap’s
edge. Then, re-tighten the coarse adjuster. Refer to the diagram below.

Starting to Cut

Now, raise the stone slightly off the lap by using the micro height adjuster.

Start the machine at fast speed. Then, turn on the water at a reasonable rate, so it flows outward
from the center of the lap.
Slowly lower the quill with your micro height adjuster until you hear it grinding against the lap.

Rotate the gem/quill assembly slowly in a counterclockwise direction. (That is, against the
rotation of the lap). Until you’ve gained some experience with rounding, stick to the
counterclockwise direction. Otherwise, the lap might grab the gem and throw it off.

Keep turning until you hear a change in the grinding. This happens as you near the bottom of the
stop. (The stop marks the maximum cutting depth. It’s designed so you can’t cut any farther than
where you’ve set the angle).

Checking Your Progress

Lift the stone off the lap and look at what’s happening. You’ll notice some parts of the stone
have been ground but not others. Still, at this point, you should see some rounding effect.

Continue lowering and grinding until the stone begins to look reasonably round. Always stop and
examine your work until you feel comfortable with what you’re doing.

Keep rounding by lowering and cutting until you hear the action of the cutting stop. Check your
progress until you think it’s right. Your vernier calipers will come in handy for checking if the
gem is out of round.

Mastering the art of rounding takes a bit of practice. “Near enough is good enough” doesn’t
apply here. You must strive to get it perfect. Any variation, no matter how small, can cause
errors in your facet sizes that will progressively get worse. Everyone has difficulties getting it
right, so don’t feel put off. Practice makes perfect.

Rounding Difficulties

If you have difficulties with rounding, it’s likely due to using too much pressure at parts, which
causes over-cutting. To solve this problem, I suggest you recut the stone in steps using a 1,200
grit pre-polish lap. (See the section on “Pre-Polishing the Girdle,” below). Do this by using the
index gear set at 2 indices every cut. Using a 96 index wheel will produce the 48 facets needed.

Cutting the Girdle

Leave the assembly in the same position and place your index gear on 96. Lower the quill until
cutting resumes and cut to the stop. Then, go to index 2. (Since you’ve now established the
depth, you don’t need to lower the quill again). Repeat for all other indices (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc.,)
until you’re back at index 96. Always try and use the same pressure. This will help prevent over-
cutting (pushing past the stop).

When you finish, you should have 48 tiny parallel facets, as shown below. This now called the
girdle. (Please note, these are not the girdle facets defined in the “Standard Brilliant Cut
Terminology” section. Parts 4 and 5 will cover those facets in the pavilion and crown sections).
Checking for Inclusions and Flaws

Don’t forget to turn off your water when you finish.

You’ve now formed your gemstone’s girdle. It was hard, but you got there. Raise your quill
away from the machine, remove the coarse lap, and place it in its holder.

At this point, check for inclusions and flaws you could have missed when viewing the rough.
Paint a little Refractol on the surface and do another check. If you see some inclusions or flaws,
try and hide them under the girdle facets. Alternatively, they might cut out when you do the
pavilion. You must decide now whether you should go on or not.

Cleanup and Changing Laps

Clean everything, including the gemstone still in the quill. Cleanliness is most important during
these lap changes. Make sure to clean wherever your hand rested against the swarf tray. Any
contamination going forward can ruin all your work as well as the laps.

Next, we put on the pre-polish lap. (Review how to prepare this lap). Don’t use water yet on this
newly prepared lap.

Pre-Polishing the Girdle

As before, lower the quill until it just touches the lap. Then, lift the quill from the lap and start
the machine. This time, use only slow to moderate speed. (You don’t want to throw off all your
diamond powder).

Round Girdle or Faceted Girdle?

Whether you’re doing the girdle the “round” way or the faceted way, use very light pressure until
you gain more experience.

If you’re rounding the girdle, set the index wheel to “free wheel.” It should be turned against the
rotation (counterclockwise).

If you’re faceting the girdle (see the “Cutting the Girdle” section, above), start on index 96, then
go to 2, and progressively cut every 2 indices until you complete all facets.

Pre-Polishing Advice

Remember, at this stage, we’re just trying to remove the scratches from the last lap. Since newly
prepared laps cut fast, you don’t need to remove much material. When the facets look satiny all
over, they’re done.

If the lap seems too dry, add a couple of drops of cleaner or polish extender onto it. Spread it
with a finger. This may get a bit messy with the oil, but that’s why you have the tissues handy.

Always clean the stone every time you need to look at it.

Check to make sure you have the girdle as round as you can get it. Once that’s done, lift the quill
and put away your pre-polish lap.

Caring for Your Pre-Polishing Lap

You may have noticed you didn’t need to use water at this time. This is because you’re using the
gem to push diamond powder into the copper lap, just like when you rolled the coarse lap. Later
though, this won’t be the case. Since the diamond is already pushed in, the oil becomes fouled
and forms a barrier. This makes the lap more difficult to use. In this case, wash the lap with hot,
soapy water to remove all the swarf. From that stage forward, you’ll use water as a lubricant.

By using the lap in this manner, you’ll get the most benefit from the pre-polish powder. With a
measly amount of diamond powder, you’ll be able to do 3, 4, or more gemstones.

The next step for the standard brilliant cut is the pavilion.
Faceting Made Easy, Part 4: Pavilion Cutting
and Polishing
by Trevor Hannam
Note: This is a six-part edited version of Trevor Hannam’s Faceting Made Easy, a general
introduction to faceting and a guide for learning to cut a standard brilliant gem. Part 4 includes
Chapters 9 and 10. These chapters cover pavilion cutting and polishing. The International Gem
Society thanks Mr. Hannam for permission to post his work.

Table of Contents [hide]

 Pavilion Cutting
o The Eight Mains Complex
 Pre-Polishing the Eight Mains
o Cutting the Pavilion Girdle Facets
 Girdle Facet Cutting Order
o Cleanup Procedures
 Polishing
o Polishing Agents and Lap Combinations
o Polishing Order Reverses Cutting Order
o Preparing Your Polish Lap
o Polishing the Girdle Facets
 Adjusting the Polishing Contact Area
 Polishing and Lighting
 Girdle Facet Indices
o Polishing the Main Facets

Pavilion Cutting

Set the new angle on the protractor to 42°. This is the appropriate pavilion main angle for a topaz
gem. Reset the index to 96 if you have not done so.

Place the coarse lap on the master lap. Don’t forget to clean everything prior.

Now, you’re ready to cut what’s known as the “Eight Complex.” These are the first eight facets
you’ll cut. I recommend cutting them opposite to one another. This will reduce the chances of
progressive errors, which you must avoid.

The Eight Mains Complex

Using your coarse adjuster, lower the head assembly so that the gemstone just touches the lap.
Then, lock it into position. Next, turn on the machine and water, at a moderate rate, and lower
the quill by the height adjuster.

When cutting or polishing, always use a sweeping motion across the full surface of the lap. This
prevents lap wear (forming a groove) as well as harsh scratches and striations on the gem’s
surface.

Cut the first facet to the stop, then have a look. You’ll notice a small facet starting to cut into the
gemstone. Lower the quill a little more and, again, cut to the stop.
Now, lift the quill and change the index to the number directly opposite on the index wheel. So,
for 96, that would be 48. Again, cut this facet to the stop.

See a large chisel point starting to form the pavilion? So far, so good. Go ahead and cut the other
six main facets. Follow the “opposite index” cutting order: 24, then 72; 12, then 60; and 36, then
84. (See the diagram, below).

Familiarize yourself with what’s happening to your gem. You should see the mains forming a
perfect point. Continue with the same technique: lower a little, cut, and look, until the mains
come to a perfect point. (Make sure you don’t have any chisel points at the pavilion point, since
these will cause errors in the girdle facets). The “pavilion point” is now commonly called the
culet.

You’ve just completed roughing in the first major facets of your gemstone. Well done!

Pre-Polishing the Eight Mains

Now, switch over to the pre-polish lap. Lift the quill away from the lap. Put away the coarse lap
and clean the machine, as before. Make sure you also clean the gemstone and quill with toilet
tissue wetted with methylated spirits. This prevents cross-contamination from coarser grits.
Put on the pre-polish lap. (You should be an old hand at this now).

Again, readjust the quill so it just touches the lap. Repeat all the procedures for the Eight Mains,
above.

When doing these larger facets, you may find it necessary to add a couple more drops of
extender. Also, remember that the pre-polish lap cuts extremely fast when new. You only need a
little pressure to achieve that satiny look.

Make sure that all the facets come to an exact point (no chisel points) and no scratches are visible
under a 25 or 40 watt lamp.

You’ve now completed the eight mains of the pavilion. You’ll do all the other pavilion facets on
the pre-polish lap, so leave it on the master lap.

Cutting the Pavilion Girdle Facets

You’ll find cutting the girdle facets a little harder than the eight mains. They definitely require
the “cut a little, look a lot” approach.

Set the index to 3 and the angle to 44°. This is the appropriate girdle facet angle for topaz
(normally 2° more than the main angle).

The girdle facets will extend about ½ to ⅔ of the way to the culet. These sixteen facets will meet
adjoining facets at the center on the main facets. (See the diagram, below).

Re-lubricate the lap with cleaner/extender and start your machine (assuming you’ve made the
necessary coarse adjustments for the new angle).
Using the micro height adjuster, bring down the quill until the gemstone just touches the lap. Cut
a little, then look to see what’s happening. You should see the beginnings of a small triangle.

Now, change the index number to 93 and repeat this step. You now should have something like
two triangles approaching one another, as shown below. Lower the quill a little more and repeat
the exact same procedures as above.
You should definitely notice the two triangles cutting higher up towards the culet and closer
together at the base line. If so, just repeat the above procedure until the facets meet dead center
of the mains, as shown below. You’ll also notice the height has automatically adjusted to about
½ to ⅔ of the way to the culet. You’ve just established the correct adjustments for the rest of the
girdle facets. Therefore, don’t alter the height or any other adjustments.
Girdle Facet Cutting Order

Just like you did with the pavilion mains, you’ll have to cut the remaining girdle facets in
“opposite index” cutting order. After 3-93, the next set you’ll do is indices 45-51. Follow the
cutting procedures above. After those, go on to do indices 21-27 and 69-75. The next four pairs
will be easier, since all you have to do is meet the points of the adjacent pairs. These indices are
9-15, 33-39, 57-63, and 81-87. (See the “Order of Cutting – Pavilion Girdle Facets” diagram).

Congratulations! You’ve just successfully cut the whole pavilion.

Cleanup Procedures
Take off the pre-polish lap and put it away. Clean the gemstone and quill thoroughly with a
tissue dampened with methylated spirits. These bits will be covered with oil, copper oxide, and
diamond powder that hasn’t been rubbed in during cutting.

Clean around the swarf tray, too. Pay special attention to the areas your hand touched. If you
contaminate your polish lap, consider it ruined. The cost of re-lathing a lap doesn’t run cheap
nowadays.

Polishing

Both professionals and amateurs will tell you that cutting a stone is relatively easy compared to
polishing. An art in itself, gem polishing can be considered the most important part of faceting.
Unless you get it right, it just won’t do.

Gems with microscopic scratches, grooves, and lap striations (due to polishing in one spot on a
turning lap) will lose a lot of brilliance. Light reflection requires a good polished surface. If light
hits a well polished surface, it will be totally reflected. However, if it strikes a poorly polished
surface, light will be sent in all directions. Most will be lost outside of the gem, thus producing a
less brilliant gem that looks hazy or fuzzy. So you see, brilliance and scintillation require a good
polish.
Always strive for perfection in polishing, since in the end it will definitely pay off. If at first you
don’t succeed, try, try again.

Polishing Agents and Lap Combinations

Nowadays, you can try many different combinations of laps and polishing agents. In my opinion,
none work better than the old reliable tin/lead lap (60/40 solder) and 50,000 grit diamond
powder. Of course, one day you might encounter a gem that seems to defy this and all other
combinations. In those situations, hand lapping will save your bacon. (It’s saved mine many a
time). We’ll discuss this method in Part 5. Learn it and you, too, can acquire a technique of your
own.

Diamond powder doesn’t tend to “ball” and cause scratching on a gem’s polished surface. This is
one of its main advantages over using other polishing agents, like Linde A, with a tin/lead lap.
As a result, you don’t have to score the lap, as other combinations may require. Furthermore,
since you won’t use water during the polishing stages, this is a dry lap. This economical
combination makes far less mess.

Olive oil (in the polish extender) is used for preparing the polish lap, since diamond powder has
a great affinity for oil.

Polishing Order Reverses Cutting Order

Polishing goes in reverse cutting order. For pavilion cutting, you did the eight mains, then the
girdle facets. For polishing, you’ll do the girdle facets first, then the mains. There is a reason
for this reversal. Since diamond powder is an abrasive polish, it cuts a little when polishing. This
causes facet over-cutting. When you do the girdle facets, you’ll notice they ride up on each other,
due to this over-cutting. However, when you go on to do the main facets, you’ll notice the girdle
facets cutting back towards the true girdle line.

Preparing Your Polish Lap

Put your tin/lead polishing lap on the master lap. Clean its surface thoroughly with the extender.
Then, wipe the surface dry with a piece of tissue.

You may notice that the lap appears greasy. That thin, olive oil film left on the lap acts as the
base to which the diamond powder will adhere.

Now, get out your 50,000 grit diamond powder vial and open it. Next, wipe a clean index finger
over the lap. This will leave a smear of oil on your finger. Place your index finger over the top of
the vial and invert. Invert the vial again, then wipe the grey powder sticking to your finger over
the polishing lap’s surface thoroughly.

In theory, this process should polish your whole stone. In practice, however, it doesn’t, due to the
oxides from the tin and lead fouling the lap.
Polishing the Girdle Facets

If you haven’t already, set the index wheel to 3. Leave the angle at 44°. Lower the quill with the
coarse height adjuster so that it just touches the lap and tighten into place. Lift the quill aside and
turn on the faceting machine at a low speed.

Using the micro height adjuster, raise or lower the quill until you can just hear (or feel) the
gemstone touch the lap. Then, lift it off again. Now, disconnect the stop by setting the angle to
around 25° or so. Doing this relieves pressure from the angle stop. Thus, you can’t stress or bend
the assembly out of shape by pushing past the stop when you must raise the quill. We certainly
cut to the stop, but NEVER polish on the stop. Until you’re thoroughly versed with gem
cutting, DON’T DO IT.

Put the gemstone against the lap gently, then work it across the surface for about two seconds.
Now, lift the quill, clean the facet with a piece of tissue, and check on the polishing. Depending
on size, the girdle facets should only take about 5 seconds to polish.

Never polish longer than several seconds at a time. This creates a heat build-up in the gem
that may cause it to shift.

Adjusting the Polishing Contact Area

Let’s say something doesn’t look right. For example, only the tops of the facets appear to be
polishing. What do you do?

By lowering the mast assembly a very small amount with the micro height adjuster, you’ll alter
the polishing contact area. As a result, the bottom half will now come into better contact with the
polishing agent.

Remember this: If it’s polishing high, lower the height. If it’s polishing low, increase the height.
Now that you have full contact on the surface, try it again for a second. You should see much
better results.

Polishing and Lighting

Now, how can you tell if that facet is really polished? Can you see that facet clearly? If you’re
using a 60 watt bulb, you may very well be “blinding yourself.”

Before we go any further, let’s go over your lighting for polishing purposes.

Use a single 40 watt standard clear household bulb, or 12 volt 21 candle power, preferably with a
dimmer control. From experience, I’ve found using fancy lights and high wattages is a big
mistake. Too bright a light can actually mask scratches on a gem so that you can’t see them.

You’re looking for shadows across the scratches, not a blinding brilliance that will strain your
eyes. Try to get the reflection of the filament on a facet. When you do this, if the facet has
scratches, they’ll jump out at you as sure as you’re reading this. Low wattage illumination will
best help you find scratches.
Girdle Facet Indices

Congratulations! You’ve polished and completed the first facet. You still have a ways to go,
however. Now, do the rest of the girdle facets just like you did the first one. Just change the
indices. Since the facets have been already been cut and set, you don’t have to polish in
“opposite index” order.

The indices are: 3 (completed), 9, 15, 21, 27, 33, 39, 45, 51, 57, 63, 69, 75, 81, 87, and 93.

Polishing the Main Facets

Once you’ve finished the girdle facets, reset the faceting machine to do the “Eight Complex”
main facets. Change the angle back to 42°. Otherwise, set up and start polishing as you did for
the girdle facets. (Remember to disconnect the stop again when the set-up is complete. You don’t
want to stress the quill).

As you polish the mains, you’ll notice the point will cut down to the girdle line to meet as three
points. In addition, you’ll find that polishing larger facets takes longer.

If the polish stops working well, go ahead and redo the polish lap as outlined in the section,
“Preparing Your Polish Lap.”

When you’ve completed the pavilion, clean the gemstone and quill with toilet tissue and
methylated spirits. Then, remove the dop stick from the quill.
Faceting Made Easy, Part 5: Gemstone
Transferring and Crown Cutting
by Trevor Hannam

“Tanzanite,” round brilliant cut, purplish, greenish blue, 0.86 cts, Tanzania. © Dan Stair Custom
Gemstones. Used with permission.
Note: This is a six-part edited version of Trevor Hannam’s Faceting Made Easy, a general
introduction to faceting and a guide for learning to cut a standard brilliant gem. Part 5 includes
Chapters 11 and 12. These chapters cover gemstone transferring techniques and crown cutting.
The International Gem Society thanks Mr. Hannam for permission to post his work.

Table of Contents [hide]

 Gemstone Transferring Techniques

o Check Your Transfer Block and Dop Sticks
o Cleaning and Preparing Dops for Gemstone Transferring
o Transferring the Dop Sticks
 Gemstone Transferring with Super Glue
 Gemstone Transferring with Epoxy
o Separating the Dop Stick from the Gemstone
 Cutting the Crown Facets
o The Girdle Facet
o Cutting the Crown Mains
 Pre-Polishing the Crown Mains
o Cutting the Crown Girdles
o Cutting the Star Facets
 Pre-Polishing the Star Facets
 Polishing the Crown Facets
o Polishing the Star Facets
 Adjusting the Polishing Contact Area
o Polishing the Crown Girdle Facets
o Polishing the Crown Main Facets
o Cleanup Procedures
 The Table Facet
o Setting up the 45° Angle Dop
 Adjusting the 45° Angle Dop
o Cutting the Table Facet
o Polishing the Table
 Hand Polishing/Lapping
 Your First Cut Stone

Gemstone Transferring Techniques

You must have a transfer jig, like the typical one illustrated below. (Most faceting machines
include one). You’ll need it for transferring your gemstone from one dop to another. After
cutting the pavilion, you’ll need to move the gem to another dop, this time with the crown facing
up. A transfer jig is a very efficient and accurate way to do this without losing facet alignment.
Check Your Transfer Block and Dop Sticks

Make sure to check your transfer block’s alignment. Put a couple of dops of the same size in the
holders, then bring them together. Run a fingernail across where they join. If your nail digs in at
the junction at one point but not at another, have an engineer examine the transfer block’s
alignment. (First, check your dop sticks for bending, which could also cause the misalignment).

A dop stick alignment tool or a transfer jig with adapters makes aligning the main facets much
easier.

Cleaning and Preparing Dops for Gemstone Transferring

Clean the pavilion with a little methylated spirits and toilet tissue. Brush a little dop help on the
gem, and I do mean a little. If you use too much, it takes a long time to dry. This will cause the
gem to shift due to the longer heating time required to dry it.

Place the dop stick with the gem into one of the transfer blocks (normally, the one on the left).
Then, select the opposite dop, which should have a cone-shaped end to fit the pavilion. (It should
also be about ½ to ¾ the diameter of the gem). Melt a small amount of wax into the cone of the
dop stick. When cool, place it in the other (right) side of the transfer block. (See the diagram
below).
Transferring the Dop Sticks

For successful gemstone transferring from one dop to another, you’ll need to heat the dop
without the gem to melt the wax on its cone end. You’ll also need to slightly heat the gem on the
other dop, but not to the point where it gets hot enough to soften the wax holding it on the dop.
That would cause the gemstone to shift.

When you get the heat right, you’ll slide the heated dop stick into the one holding the gem. Then,
the melted wax can grab and hold the gem.

Sounds tough, right? Once you’ve had a few goes, it’s not all that difficult. (You can practice by
transferring a piece of rough topaz from one dop to another).

Now, on to the real thing. With the spirit lamp lighted and flame settled, begin heating the dop
stick close to the end near the wax. (Remember, not the dop with the gemstone).
As the wax starts melting, apply the heat slightly to the gemstone, while not losing the heat from
the melted wax. When the wax starts to get very runny and catches fire, quickly press the heated
dop against the gemstone. Speed is critical here. Otherwise, the transfer won’t work. If you allow
the wax to cool, it won’t grab the stone.
This may sound like you need a medical degree or eight hands. However, with patience and
practice, gemstone transferring will become easy.

Let the whole assembly cool down for ten to fifteen minutes. Then, remove the assembly from
the transfer jig by releasing and removing the pressure plates and undoing any locking screws in
the slides. Now, test the join. The assembly must be firm, but don’t use too much pressure. Since
waxes can’t take too much pressure, the join will come apart.

Gemstone Transferring with Super Glue

Cyanoacrylates or super glues, such as Loctite 401, are instant, one-part adhesives made for
porous, difficult to bond materials. It also has good gap filling properties. At high strength, it
bonds wax to brass, alloy, or steel with very fast fixing times of 5 to 30 seconds. Full curing
takes 10 to 12 minutes. You can use another favorite, Loctite 406, but it has no gap filling
properties. So, if you use this, get a close mated surface

Set up the gemstone just as described in the section on “Cleaning and Preparing Dops for
Gemstone Transferring.” However, DO NOT apply any dop help to the stone. In this application,
you don’t want the wax to grab and hold the stone.
Apply heat slowly to the coned dop (not the one with the gem) until the wax softens and starts
melting. Remove the heat and push the dop stick into the gemstone. Lock up the wing nuts and
let the assembly cool down. This will only take a couple of minutes.

Loosen the wing nut holding the coned dop only, then pull it away from the gemstone. You
might have to exert some small amount of force here. However, the dop will normally come
away easily. You’ll see an impressed version of the gemstone in the wax.

Now, apply a very small amount of super glue to the impression. Don’t overdo the super glue.
Too much will cause a weak joint. Press the dop stick hard against the gemstone and lock the
wing nut. After a few minutes, it’ll be completely cured. You can now go to the section on
“Separating the Dop Stick from the Gemstone.” The same removal procedures apply to all forms
of dopping.

Gemstone Transferring with Epoxy

Epoxies make a faceter’s life easier. They alleviate the problems associated with melting wax
shifts. Prying dop sticks away from the gemstone requires the same technique used in wax
transferring. The only disadvantage to using epoxy is its longer setting time. Otherwise,
transferring with epoxy uses the same technique as wax or super glue, except you don’t use heat
for fixing the gem or the dop stick.

Separating the Dop Stick from the Gemstone

If your faceting machine has dop stick locating areas built into the transfer block and quill, you
won’t need to use the alignment tool. The alignment of the dop sticks occurs automatically.

Next, heat up the dop stick (not the one you just transferred, the other one), until the wax softens
enough to remove. This also takes a little practice, since you’re trying to heat one side to soften
the wax just enough to remove it without transferring any heat at all to the other side. See the
diagram below.
Once you’ve separated the dops, scrape away the wax very carefully. Then, clean the gemstone
with toilet tissue moistened with methylated spirits.

Cutting the Crown Facets

Put the transferred dop stick (the one with the gem) into the quill. Locate the alignment notch
and tighten the quill nut or screw firmly. Adjust the angle of the protractor to 39°. This is the
appropriate crown main angle for topaz. Place the index gear on 96.

Place the coarse lap (220 grit copper lap) onto the master lap and lock it into place. Adjust the
coarse height adjuster to lower the quill and gemstone so that the gem just touches the lap. Then,
lift it off.

Once again, you’re cutting the “Eight Mains” complex, this time on the crown. However, there is
a difference here. The cutting will only progress to a certain level to form the girdle facet.

The Girdle Facet

Your girdle may be round or step cut, depending on your choices when rounding the stone.

Remember, the girdle can’t exceed 5% of the total height of the finished gemstone. At this point,
you might wonder how you can determine this, having only done the rounding and the pavilion.
It so happens you can use a simple formula.
To calculate the maximum girdle height, multiply the diameter of the gem, after rounding, by
0.034. For example, take a gemstone with a diameter of 10 mm, after rounding. Multiply 10 mm
by 0.034 and you have 0.34 mm. This formula will give you the approximate girdle height for a
standard brilliant gem with a total height of ⅓ crown and ⅔ pavilion.

The girdle of your first standard brilliant hasn’t been polished. Personally, I like the frosted
girdle look, but you might prefer a polished girdle. In competition cutting, however, it’s a must.
If you choose to polish the girdle, do it before gemstone transferring.
Cutting the Crown Mains

Turn on your faceting machine and set it at fast speed. Set your water flow to a moderate rate,
just fast enough to keep the lap wet when turning.

Start cutting the crown mains as you did the pavilion mains, with a sweeping action across the
lap. Keep lowering with the micro height adjuster and cutting until you get to approximately 5%.
You stop here because you still have to cut on the pre-polish. This will take up approximately 1
to 2% of the height, leaving you around 3%. Once you’ve cut this first facet to the set level, you
no longer have to readjust the machine for the other seven facets.

Proceed with the opposite index: 48. Then, continue following the “opposite index” cutting
order. Do indices 24, 72, 12, 60, 36, and 84. When cutting the eight mains, you might find that
the facets don’t come to a point. If so, don’t worry. You still have to do the star facets and table.

Once you’ve completed the eight mains, stop the machine and clean the area thoroughly. Don’t
forget to clean the stone.

Pre-Polishing the Crown Mains

Take your pre-polish lap and give it a good clean. Scrub it with detergent and water. After all
that cutting, the 1,200 grit diamond powder has been pushed into the copper lap. It’s ready for
using water only as the lubricant.
Place the pre-polish lap on the master lap and lower the quill so that the gem just touches the lap.
Then, lift it off and start the faceting machine. Set a moderate speed. By now, you know the drill!
Repeat all the previous steps for doing the mains. Pay particular attention to the facets for that
satiny finish.

You might also find that the pre-polish lap cuts extremely fast. So, watch that you don’t cut too
deep. The girdle thickness must be even all the way around, otherwise you’ll get progressive
errors. You might not notice this until you’ve completed the girdle facets.

OK! You’ve finished the crown mains. Good work! You’ve come a long way since first putting
the stone on the dop stick. Now come those crown girdle facets.

Cutting the Crown Girdles

Keep the pre-polish lap on the master lap, since you’ll use it to cut the crown girdle facets. Reset
the angle of the protractor to 44°. This is the appropriate crown girdle angle for topaz. (The angle
for crown girdle facets is normally plus 5° to that of the crown mains).

Readjust the machine height so that the gem just touches the lap. (You should be an old hand at
this now). Start cutting the crown girdle facets as you did the pavilion girdle facets. Always
adjust the micro height a little bit at a time. Don’t try to cut past the stop. Remember: “Cut a
little, look a lot.” Cut in “opposite index” order for the following indices: 3-93, 45-51, 21-27, 69-
75. Cut the remaining indices in this order: 9-15, 33-39, 57-63, and 81-87. Your completed
girdles should look like those in the following diagram.
So far, so good. You’ve done the crown main and girdles. Now, you have to cut the stars to meet
the girdle facets. Change your lap to the coarse one.

Cutting the Star Facets

For topaz, you’ll cut the star facets at an angle of 24°. (To calculate this, subtract 15° from the
crown main facet angle). You’ll need to cut the eight star facets so they meet at the apex of the
crown girdle facets. The star facets index numbers are, in this order: 6, 18, 30, 42, 54, 66, 78, and
90. (These indices differ from those of the mains and girdles).
Adjust the protractor angle to 24° and set the index to number 6. Adjust the machine height as
you’ve learned, then turn on the power and water. Since you’re using the coarse lap, you’ll need
a faster water rate.

Lower the quill so that the gem just touches the lap. Cut a little, lift up, and look at what’s
happening. You should see an inverted triangle or star with its apex coming down to meet the
girdle facet’s apex. Use caution when cutting down to meet other facets. Since you’re using the
coarse lap, leave a small amount of material for the pre-polish to cut for the final meets.
Otherwise, you’ll have to redo the whole crown, as the stars would then cut into the girdle facets.

After you’ve cut the first star facet close to the girdle apex, change index and do the next set.
You don’t need to do opposites, since you’re cutting these facets to meet existing points. When
you finish the star facets, clean the machine thoroughly, then put on the pre-polish lap. Set the
quill to suit the new lap. Don’t forget! The index start is 6, and the angle stays the same.

Pre-Polishing the Star Facets

Slowly, pre-polish the star facets to meet the girdle facets. You only need to cut a small amount.
Bring the apex of the star facet down to meet the apex of the girdle facet. This technique is
commonly known as meetpoint. This will make good training for when you go on to cutting oval
brilliants.

Your eight finished stars should look like those in the “Star Facets – Order of Cutting” diagram
above.

Polishing the Crown Facets

Set up the polish lap. Remember to clean the gemstone and machine at this point.
Polishing the Star Facets

As you have done many times before, set the stone to the lap. The protractor angle does make
this one a bit more difficult to set up. Just remember, adjust first with the coarse, then with the
micro height adjuster. Just touch the lap with the stone. Also, remember to release the stop to
prevent stress to the quill, just as you did when polishing the pavilion facets.

Start the lap on low speed and proceed to sweep a couple of times across the lap. If you haven’t
placed the index on 6, you’ll notice straight away. The gem will either cut into the lap or make a
horrible, grating noise. However, this won’t harm the facet, other than slightly rounding it. You
can polish this out.

Adjusting the Polishing Contact Area

Now, check the facet. Let’s say you notice the facet isn’t polishing well. Apparently, the facet
isn’t set properly. Once again, the polishing is showing on the right side and slightly down.

To fix this problem, look at the polish and determine which way the gem has to rotate to get the
left side to polish. In this case, it actually has to move towards you as you look at it. To do this,
turn the index cheater counterclockwise. This will bring more of the left side of the gem into
contact with the lap surface.
Redo the facet across the lap a couple of times and check again. You should now see the facet
polishing towards the left side. (You may even have to give the cheater another little turn to the
left). As you use the cheater, always turn it a small amount.

You’ve now moved the facet closer to the lap. It’s polishing, but not the lower part. If you recall,
you faced a similar problem when polishing the pavilion girdles. As you did then, lower the
mast’s height to bring the bottom of the facet into contact with the lap. Just use the micro height
adjuster and give it a nudge so the head lowers a fraction. (Normally, counterclockwise lowers).
Try again and you should have it!

Once you have this set up, do all the other facets in reverse order: 90, 78, 66, 54, 42, 30, and 18.

The polishing technique we’ve just discussed is a solution to a worst case scenario. Most times
after setting up, you’ll do very little cheating.
Polishing the Crown Girdle Facets

Reset the head assembly now, as if you were going to cut the crown girdle facets: angle 44°,
index 93. Don’t forget to disconnect the stop after set up.

Polishing the Crown Main Facets

After you complete the crown girdle facets, do the crown main facets. (As an old hand, you
should find this relatively easy now). Set up with angle 39° and index 84. Work in reverse order.

While polishing the mains, you should have noticed the slight over-cuts from the previous
polishings now coming back to form the meets of the triangles.

Cleanup Procedures

Now that you’ve finished polishing, put away the polish lap and remove the gemstone dop stick
from the quill.

The Table Facet

You’ve almost finished your first gemstone. Only one facet remains: the very big crown table.
I’m presenting this as another worst case scenario, in which you must use the cheater for both
cutting and polishing. (By now, this should give you no problems).

Setting up the 45° Angle Dop

Since the crown facet is relatively large, place the coarse lap on the master lap. Select the 45°
angle or “D” dop. (Some faceting machine sets refer to this as a “table adapter”). When set at 45°
on the protractor, the gemstone should be perpendicular to the lap surface, which makes the
crown facet parallel with the lap surface.

Place the gemstone/dop stick assembly in the 45° angle dop and tighten. When fitting the stone
into the angle dop, eye ball one of the crown mains so that it’s at 90° to an end of the angle dop.
This will help keep all the facets in their correct order.
Although most 45° angle dops are accurate, some are not. If you have an inaccurate dop, i.e.,
your gemstone isn’t perpendicular to the lap at 45°, use the following procedure.

Adjusting the 45° Angle Dop

Place the flat dop into the 45° angle dop, then tighten the nut so it holds the dop stick firm. Place
the angle dop into the quill, but don’t tighten the nut.

Set the angle protractor to, say, 44° and the index to 96.

Lower the assembly onto the lap, making sure the angle dop doesn’t fall out of the quill. Lower
the flat dop until it lies relatively flat against the lap.
Take a side view and move the height adjuster up/down. Check that the flat dop is totally flat
against the lap’s surface. While holding the flat dop against the lap, lock the nut on the quill in
place.
Re-check for flatness and, if necessary, readjust using height adjuster and index cheaters. Now,
look at the angle and record the reading for future reference. (For example, it could read 44.5°).
Lock the stop in place at 44.5°. The flat dop is now parallel with the lap surface. (Check once
more to be sure).

You should use this technique every time you cut a stone. However, you can just set the
protractor to your recorded angle, such as 44.5°, since you’ve already determined the angle
adjustment for your transfer jig. This process makes the crown table facet exactly 90° to the
girdle.

Lift the quill, and remove the flat dop from the 45° angle dop. Place the gemstone/dop stick
assembly in the 45° angle dop and tighten. Now, go back to the “Setting up the 45° Angle Dop”
section above and proceed normally.

Cutting the Table Facet

The table facet may look difficult. Nevertheless, it’s extremely simple and shouldn’t prove to be
a problem. You’ll cut this facet to meet precisely only eight star/girdle facets.
Set up the machine normally, so that the gemstone just touches the lap. Lift off, turn on the
water, and start the machine. Lower the quill and cut a little. (Again, “cut a little, look a lot,”
because you can’t afford to over-cut the table).

You should see the beginnings of a facet moving towards the points of the star/girdle facets.
Lower the height a fraction and cut a little more. Check again. When you’ve nearly approached
the meets, stop and change to the pre-polish lap. Clean up and set up your lap as usual.

Remember why you must do this? You can’t cut directly to the meets, as you will certainly over-
cut at the next stage. Always leave the meets short to allow for the next stage.

Lower the quill to the lap once again and cut a little more. (How much further? Just a little
more). Remember, you may be cutting past the stop, so just watch that all is well here. Are all
the points going to meet true? You’ll know as you get closer to the meets. If not, use the
cheaters. The cuts must all meet simultaneously. You may cut very close to the meets with the
pre-polish lap, since the polish lap will remove very little material from such a large facet.

When you’ve finished the table, the stars will be equilateral triangles with all their points
touching the facets alongside them.
Polishing the Table

This facet may take a little longer to polish because of its large size. Set up the polish lap and
clean the machine and gemstone. Clean the polish lap and give it a recharge.

Lower the stone and wipe across the lap. Check the progress of the polish. Don’t forget to release
the stop when polishing. Use the index cheater and micro height adjuster to adjust the facet
contact to the surface to polish evenly.
Hand Polishing/Lapping

Here comes that worst case scenario I mentioned earlier: the table doesn’t seem to be polishing.
In fact, the facet seems to be flaking with a slight ripple effect. This is due to polishing on the
cleavage. To make the polishing work, you must hand polish.

Turn off the faceting machine so the lap stops spinning. Wipe the gem across the surface of the
lap by hand. Check your progress. You’ll see a remarkable polish! Keep at it, and you’re done.

Hand polishing is quite easy. You’ll soon develop your own technique that suits you.

Your First Cut Stone

Take the gem and dop stick out of the quill. Heat the end near the gem so you can pry it off.

Clean thoroughly with tissue and methylated spirits.

Now, admire the beauty of your first cut gemstone. Well done!
Faceting Made Easy, Part 6: Gemstone
Design Cuts
by Trevor Hannam

Note: This is a six-part edited version of Trevor Hannam’s Faceting Made Easy, a general
introduction to faceting and a guide for learning to cut a standard brilliant gem. Part 6 includes
the gemstone design cuts section as well as the bibliography. The International Gem Society
thanks Mr. Hannam for permission to post his work.

Table of Contents [hide]

  The Emerald Cut
o Pavilion
o Crown
 Table
o Notes on the Emerald Cut
 Spidered Heart
o Pavilion
o Crown
 Table
 The “Ollen” Cut: A Twist with a Difference
o Pavilion
o Crown
 Champagne Glass
o Crown
o Stem
o Pavilion (Bowl)
o Base
 The Kaytre Cut
o Pavilion
o Crown
o Notes on the Kaytre Cut
 The Kaytre 5 Cut
o Pavilion
o Crown
 Bibliography

The Emerald Cut

The emerald cut is basically designed for medium to dark colored stones or those with a low
refractive index (RI). Although the depth of this gemstone design will enhance lighter colored
stones, it does nothing for brilliance or scintillation.

Angles shown are for quartz. The best gemstone proportion ratio is 1.5 to 1.

Pavilion

1. 90° 96-48-24-72
2. 63° 96-48-24-72
3. 43° 96-48-24-72
4. 53° 96-48-24-72
5. 53° 12-36-60-84
6. 63° 12-36-60-84
7. 90° 12-36-60-84

Cut the midway and corner facets with a 1,200 lap. Polish in reverse order.
Crown

1. 55° Girdle, Indices 96-48-24-72-12-36-60-84. (Cut these facets to establish a girdle

height 5% that of finished gem height).
2. 42° Mains, Indices 96-48-24-72-12-36-60-84
3. 27° Stars, Indices 96-48-24-72-12-36-60-84

Polish in reverse order.

Table

Table (4), use 45° angle dop. Set it up parallel with the lap surface. Then, set angle to 90°. Cut
and polish.
Notes on the Emerald Cut

You might encounter just one problem doing the emerald cut. Small amounts of pressure on
either side of the stone will cause slight over or under-cutting of facets. Since this causes non-
parallel facets, you may have to use the index cheater often. Make adjustments to get all meets so
that the lines turn out parallel.

If you follow the cutting sequences above, you shouldn’t encounter any real problems.

Cut the corner facets last. How the angles work out for you will determine them.

If the stone’s size is under 10 mm, cut the center main facets with the 1,200 pre-polish lap.
Otherwise, use the coarse lap for larger stones.

Spidered Heart
You can use this type of step cut for just about all gem shapes and sizes. The spidered heart suits
medium to dark stones particularly well, especially garnets.

79 facets, 96 index. Angles shown are for quartz.

Pavilion

1. 63° index as marked.

2. 53° index as marked.
3. 43° index as marked.

Polish in reverse order.

Crown

1. 52° index as marked.

2. 42° index as marked.
3. 27° index as marked.
Polish in reverse order.

Table

Cut and polish the table last, using the 45° angle dop.
The “Ollen” Cut: A Twist with a Difference

This cut, designed by Trevor Hannam, produces some interesting patterns with scintillation. It
does appear to suit colored stones with RIs from 1.60 to 1.70.
When rounding, square the stone. Indexing: 96-12-24, etc. Follow the sequences shown and you
should have no trouble.

Angles shown are for topaz.

Pavilion

1. 55° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
2. 50° 01-13-25-37-49-61-73-85
3. 48° 01-13-25-37-49-61-73-85
4. 44° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
5. 40° 06-18-30-42-54-66-78-90
Crown

1. 60° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
2. 50° 95-11-23-35-47-59-71-83
3. 45° 95-11-23-35-47-59-71-83
4. 35° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
5. 28° 06-18-30-42-54-66-78-90

NOTE: Cut the table last.

Champagne Glass

This gemstone design by Trevor Hannam can be rounded or cut direct from rough material with
no preform. Its angles will suit all gems, as brilliance isn’t the object here. Either Cairngorm
(very dark brown) or slightly smoky quartz gives a very realistic finish to the glass. You’ll find
this cut amazingly easy. If you prefer, you can alter the indices to produce diamond-shape facets
instead of rectangular facets.

Crown

1. 75° 96-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90

2. 40° 96-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90

Polish in reverse order.

Cut the table on the 45° angle dop to approximately 70-90%. (85% is good).

Polish the table and then transfer. Use a medium size dop stick, then put it aside.
Stem
Preferably, use a round and long piece of quartz crystal. To determine the required length,
measure the total crown width, then use 60% of the width for the length. The champagne stem
will be tapered (large end on the dop stick). Round the stem to 15% of the total crown diameter.

1. 86° 96-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90

Polish, then cut the tapered stem flat with the 1,200 pre-polish lap, using the 45° angle dop. This
will accommodate the base (bottom bit) of the glass.

Transfer to a cone dop stick and put aside.

You may find the stem a bit tricky due to its length and small diameter. Polish carefully.
Pavilion (Bowl)

1. 75° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90

2. 50° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90
3. 35° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90
4. 20° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90
5. 10° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90

All facets should come to a point.

Using the 45° angle dop, cut a small, flat facet with the 1,200 pre-polish lap to match the stem’s
width. This is the largest part of the stem (15%).

Place the glass and stem dops in the transfer jig and align. Then, using 24-hour Araldite or
Loctite UV cement (which requires ultraviolet light to set), push them together. If you use
Araldite, set them aside for 24 hours. If you use the UV cement, leave them in sunlight for 30
minutes to set.

Remove the fixture from the transfer jig. Then, take the dop stick off the end of the stem only.

Using the 45° angle dop, cut a flat surface with the 1,200 pre-polish lap.
Base

Round a stone to approximately 50% of total width, using a coarse lap only.

Using the 45° angle dop, cut a flat table, polish, and transfer.

1. 45° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90. Cut this down so the

diameter is approximately 45% of total crown width.
2. 20° 90-06-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84 and 90

All facets should come to a point.

Using the 45° angle dop, cut a flat on the 1,200 pre-polish lap to match the narrow width on the
stem. Using the transfer jig, place the glass and stem together and align. Cement as above and
remove from jig when set. Clean up with tissues and methylated spirits.
The Kaytre Cut
Designed by Trevor Hannam.

113 facets, 96 index. Angles shown are for quartz.

Pavilion

1. 54° 96-06, 12-18, 24-30, 36-42, 48-54, 60-66, 72-78, 84-90

2. 90° Use the same index as No 1.
3. 47° Use the same index as No 1.
4. 42° 3-9, 15-21, 27-33, 39-45, 51-57, 63-69, 75-81, 87-93
Crown

1. 47° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
2. 44° 3-9, 15-21, 27-33, 39-45, 51-57, 63-69, 75-81, 87-93
3. 39° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
4. 34° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
5. 24° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
6. Table done last. Use the 45° angle dop. Cut and polish.

Polish in reverse order.

Notes on the Kaytre Cut
You may notice that the facets (39°) on the girdle, index 3-9,15-21, etc, are slightly raised. This
leaves a slightly uneven girdle. If this proves a problem, cut a small triangular facet on indexes 6,
18, 30, 42, 54, 66, 78, and 90. Cut to even girdle and meet with No. 3/4 apex.

The Kaytre 5 Cut

Designed by Trevor Hannam.

105 facets, 96 index. Angles shown are for quartz.

Pavilion

1. 49° 3-9, 15-21, 27-33, 39-45, 51-57, 63-69, 75-81, 87-93

2. 90° Index as above to form the girdle.
3. 43° 96-6-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84-90
Crown

1. 46° 3-9-15-21-27-33-39-45-51-57-63-69-75-81-87-93
2. 42° 96-6-12-18-24-30-36-42-48-54-60-66-72-78-84-90
3. 36° 3-9-15-21-27-33-39-45-51-57-63-69-75-81-87-93
4. 26° 96-12-24-36-48-60-72-84
5. Table, using 45° angle dop, cut and polish.

Polish in reverse order.

Bibliography

Hardy, R. Allen. The Jewelry Repair Manual. Second Edition, 1986.

M.D.R. Manufacturing Co., Inc. The Book of Gem Cuts: Volumes 1, 2, and 3. 1971.

Lyman, Kennie, Ed. Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Gems and Precious Stones. 1986.

Schumann, Walter. Gemstones of the World. 1984.

Sinkankas, John. Gem Cutting: A Lapidary’s Manual. 1962.

Talent, John. Guide to Australian Minerals. 1970.

Vargas, Glenn and Martha. Diagrams for Faceting: Volumes 1, 2, and 3.

Description of Gem Materials. Second Edition.

Faceting for Amateurs. Second Edition, Revised.

Webster, Robert. Gemmologists’ Compendium. Fifth Edition. 1975.

Wykoff, Gerald. Beyond the Glitter. 1982.

Making and Using the Calibrated Jamb Peg. Multimedia CD. 2004.

The Techniques of Master Faceting. 1985.