Introduction

Precision faceting one gemstone at a time takes both patience and dedication. Custom lapidaries want to excel at their craft. For us, making each and every gem is a work of art. After investing time and money in gem rough, design, and the best equipment, we’ll use our expertise and the finest faceting techniques to create gems that tell stories. In this article, I’ll introduce prospective clients to the terminology and stages of the custom faceting process.

Crown Jewel: An Opal Story

Sandra was passionate about opal. She saw some of my faceted opals online and contacted me. She wanted me to facet one of her favorite rough Ethiopian opal nodules. After we spoke, she sent me a link to her website. It featured a picture catalog of her outstanding collection, which included several museum-worthy opal specimens. The faceted opal wouldn’t be used in jewelry. Rather, it would be set in a prominent location in her collection cabinet.

Next, we seriously discussed the fragility of all opal rough and the possibility of the stone faulting during the faceting process. I’m very cautious about cutting other people’s stones. If a stone has structural problems, I’d rather return…