Home >> Hobbies >> Gemology

How to Facet Garnet Gemstones

Throughout history the garnet has been a highly-prized gemstone. Garnets were used by some of the earliest jewelers and are even mentioned in the Bible. As well as the familiar deep red of almandine garnets, the garnet can be found in many other colors, from brown to orange, yellow and green. When faceted, the rich colors of the garnet become even more striking. The stone is noted for its brilliance. Faceting garnets and other gemstones may initially seem daunting, but with the proper equipment and practice it can be a fulfilling craft. Modern faceting machines and computer-aided design have greatly facilitated the process of gem-cutting, and garnets, in particular, are easy to shape.

Things You'll Need

Rough garnets to facet
Facet Machine
Laps: 260, 600, 1200 and Polish Lap
Transfer Block
Polishes
Loupe (10X)
Dial Caliper (mm)
Tweezers
Cutting diagrams & instructions.

Instructions

- 1
  Having selected a design, preform the rough garnet into an approximation of the shape desired for the finished piece. Preform the stones using the facet machine. Some gem cutters choose not to preform beyond smoothing a flat surface onto the stone. It is, however, normally easier to work from a stone preformed to a rough version of its final shape..
- 2
  Put a coarse grinding disc (called a "lap") on the faceting machine. Rough-cut the main facets to form the "pavilion" of the faceted garnet. Then fine-grind the facets you&'ve made using a finer lap. Place a polishing lap in the machine and polish the pavilion.
- 3
  Reposition the garnet in the faceting machine, so that the crown is uppermost and can be cut. Adjust the alignment if needed. Using a coarse lap, coarse-grind the crown facets taking care not to overcut them. Fine-grind them, and then fine-grind any other desired facets. Polish the crown facets in the order suggested by the instructions at hand.

Gemology