We are amateur faceters who have just taken our first class. We are
looking for advice on what folks on Orchid would recommend for the
type/brand of faceting machine to buy and where our best sources are. We
are trying to avoid the hype of any specific vendor and just get advice
from those of you who facet professionally or who have been doing it for
awhile for fun. Which manufacturers and models do you recommend? We also
would like advice on machines where the stone is held in place by the
machine so that you don’t have to hold the dopping mechanisms for each
facet - can just set each facet and do other work while the stone is
cutting. Or are we pricing ourselves out of the market? Thanks so much!
Our friend, Shael, at dakotah designs will forward on the to
us! Katie and Christina -stone hungry
Katie and Christina,
There is a very active online group of faceters that communicate through
the online Faceter’s Digest - I think the membership is over 800 people now
- some of whom are very accomplished and very willing to help those with
less experience. Sign up on the webpage at
http://pw1.netcom.com/~nndewbre/faceter.html. There is another online
digest at www.gemking.com about which I know very little.
Be forewarned! Faceters are very opinionated about their machines.
Expect strong and contradictory responses to requests for advice.
Good luck!
Linda
To Stone hungry,
I have both an ultra Tec and Graves and both are very good machines but I
would say that most of my work is done on an old workhorse Graves. I like
the ability to raise a lower the faceting head without turning a threaded
screw. But I have found in my long years of working with tools if you
stick with one and get good at it it will be the best machine. I come from
a background of diamond cutting and was very hindered by the rigidity of al
faceting machines but stuck with one machine and have become smooth with
one.
All the advise I can give you right now is try not to be bogged down with
cutting numbers and do use your eye to get the best results.
Ron Kreml