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Writer's pictureErfinderwerkstatt

Machining method "Faceting“


Ein facettierter Turmalin eingefasst mithilfe von Messingdraht und einem gedrechseltem Grenadil
Faceted Watermelon Tourmaline

In gemmology, the word faceting means the cutting of a gemstone to give it facets.


gemstone in order to provide it with facets. For this purpose, existing corners and edges are provided with flat surfaces. The smaller the gemstone, the trickier this process becomes.


In order to simplify the work of jewellery designers and to speed up the manufacturing process, there are

there are already many prefabricated facet diagrams.

Of course, this is a very practical solution, but since I prefer to work creatively rather than pragmatically and

my goal is to turn each gemstone into a unique piece, I prefer to use cuts that I have

I prefer to use cuts that I have designed myself. This requires a lot of effort After the design has been worked out on the PC, the handwork continues.

The gemstone is attached to a dopstick that is about 2/3 as big as the gemstone should be in the end. Especially when working with particularly small gems, this work already presents a challenge. My trick is to slightly roughen the metal stick beforehand so that the gemstone adheres better to it.


Spinell umdoppen um andere Seite zu facettieren
Attach spinel to dopstick

Then the actual faceting can begin and the jewellery can be shaped.

A cut gemstone usually consists of a crown, a round list and a pavilion.

The crown is the upper part that first catches the viewer's eye.


Citrin facettieren
Citrine in progress

The round list is the area with the largest diameter, which surrounds the gemstone in the middle like a belt. The pavilion is the lower part, which usually disappears into the setting of the finished piece of jewellery.

If the stone is to be fixed in a piece of wood, I do without the round list and instead grind

the underside of the gemstone conically round and rough instead (max. 1,200 grit). Another

possibility is to grind the round list itself round and rough and polish the other sides in a

cabochon style.

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