How to Cut a Fantasy Gemstone

You can learn more about fantasy cuts here.

The first part of the fantasy cutting process is to cut a finished stone. The second part is to carve it. Typically, freeforms are used. Although the stone is a freeform, the techniques are the same as faceting any other stone.

Cutting A Fantasy Gemstone Pavilion

Start with the pavilion.

Step 1

Determine where the table will be placed and grind a flat for dopping as shown below.

Step 2

Dop the stone as shown here. I used a gel-type super glue with accelerator.

Step 3

Establish the shape of the finished stone by cutting a series of girdle facets at 90º to give you the outline. Be sure to write down the indexes used: 96 21 27 72.

It's nice to note that most fantasy gemstones are freeforms. This allows you to use all your rough and maximize yield. In this case, I used a 96-index gear. For demonstration purposes, I used both standard flat facets and a curved facet. The curve was cut by freewheeling the index gear and grinding it to a pleasantly shaped curve.

For your first attempt, stick to all flats. (Curves are...

Richard H. Winnick

View All Articles