Faceting Gemstones for Fun and Profit

by Alex Knotts on December 22, 2013

in Faceting Classes

Can you Make a Living from Faceting

Yes, it is possible to make a living from your gemstone faceting and no one has done this faster than John Bailey of GemstoneArtist.com. In 2010, Bailey had his Faceting Boot Camp, July 8 – 13, with over 60 hours of classroom instruction in a close, friendly environment. His course is perfect for the beginner and experienced faceters alike.

This course is so much more than just “how to facet.” John includes vital information on how to value rough, saving you time, money and frustration when you buy rough that you’ll never sell because you overpaid. You’ll also learn basic Gemcad (and if you know Gemcad John is more than happy to teach more advanced concepts). This course is highly recommended by Kathryn Martyn, our club’s former secretary and current webmaster who attended the boot camp in both 2009 and 2010.

The course covers all of the following:

  • Faceting Machine Orientation
  • Rough evaluation
  • Rough Evaluation Lab
  • Gemstone orientation
  • Cold Dopping Methods & Tools
  • Hot Dopping Methods & Tools
  • Orientation & Cold Dopping Lab
  • Hot Dopping Methods & Tools Lab
  • Beginning Cutting & Polishing Sequencing
  • Advanced Polishing & Repair Cutting
  • Beginning Cutting & Polishing Lab
  • Intermediate Cutting & Polishing Lab
  • Training the Eye to See (Quality Control)
  • Beginning Design & Geometry Planning
  • Advanced Geometry & Design
  • Beginning Design & Geometry Planning Lab
  • Basic Gem Photography
  • The Well Fed Artist (Getting Paid)

Complete details are found at GemStoneArtist.com

John has several videos posted on YouTube as well, including the cutting sequence when he faceted Oregon’s largest flawless red sunstone

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