“Lapidary art : loss of material is high but all this dust is worth the result !”
I suggest listing the fundamental tools to get started in the art of faceting.
We will talk about mast machines, but be aware that there are also other types of machines: flat lap (e.g., Raytech), traditional French machines (Evention), etc.
At the time of writing, information is not abundant or easily accessible. This article aims to outline the main points to guide you through your first steps.
Of course, you will first need a faceting machine to get started.
There are different models, here are 3 examples in photos of American machines created by different companies:
- Facetron from Jarvi Tool Co :
- Graves mark 5XL from Graves :
- Ultratec V5 from Ultratec :
To summarize, a faceting machine consists of different elements :
A flat disk support rotated by a motor with variable speed.
A faceting head that allows cutting facets at different angles.
A water reservoir to evacuate cutting debris by centrifugation and possibly cool the gemstone during cutting.
A splash bowl to contain water and cutting debris.
A lamp on or next to the machine to provide good lighting during the cutting process.
Dops: small metal parts (often brass or aluminum) onto which the rough stone is glued and then inserted into the faceting head. Usually delivered with the machine.
A dop transfer block to cut the second part of the stone while maintaining symmetry after transfer. Usually delivered with the machine.
Diamond laps. To begin with, 2 or 3 laps are enough: a 260 (or 360) which are “coarse” laps for preforming, a 600 and a 1200 (pre-polish). Note that the pre-polish lap must be of excellent quality; this will make polishing easier.
An alcohol lamp to glue your stones with wax. Just fill it with denatured alcohol and insert a wick.
Wax to glue stones to your dops. I recommend high-temperature wax for strong adhesion and a higher melting point: this reduces the risk of shifting during polishing.
A polishing lap, of which there is a wide variety. Personally, I work with a lap I make myself, the . Other examples: tin/lead, copper, plexiglass, etc.
Diamond paste or diamond powder, cerium oxide, aluminum oxide (also called Lind A), etc. Depending on the polishing lap you choose, I recommend starting with diamond because it is versatile (paste or powder). You can always explore oxides later.
A cloth to wipe your stone and check the quality of the polish on your facets and meets.
A loupe to see more closely, preferably the reference for gemstones: 10X triplet, aplanatic (no distortion) and achromatic (no color aberration).
Finally, you will need some roughs to practice! You can also start with pieces of glass, which are easy to find and inexpensive.
You now know the minimum equipment required to work on your first projects. Feel free to leave me a comment, it will be read carefully.
Happy faceting, and I wish you much enjoyment in your projects.
All our stones are certified by Julien Boemo (FGA), gemologist graduated from the international Gem-A school in London.
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