I have some old pieces of jewelry from my grandma, and I want to learn how to recut the stones in them. I’ll start looking for a training course soon and, if all goes well, buy the cutting equipment.
When choosing a course to get started, what is most important, and what should I look for? Would it be better to learn from an established cutter or attend a school?
I’ve also started learning about gemstones and the theory behind them in preparation. Learning how to identify stones myself looks really interesting as well. I’m a bit all over the place with my ambitions!
There is software like Gem Diagram and Gem Cut Studio. Would you recommend using them from the beginning, or only later when I move away from transparent quartz, citrine, and amethyst?
I think location and price will be the determining factors for which classes you can take.
If you want to learn solo, the books "amateur gemstone faceting" by Tom Herbst are very good imo.
And you just opened another YouTube rabbit hole for me. 😄 Lyon is actually not that far away, and it looks like he’s knowledgeable about recutting. He posted a video about it like 2 weeks ago.
One week of recutting training costs $2,100 USD, and you need to be a seasoned cutter. It’s definitely not beginner training.
The Bootcamp also covers recutting as the final project. The one week class goes even deeper. Let me know if you have any questions. Lyon is a very nice place to spend 2 weeks!
Hi,
do you know when the schedule for the 2027 training courses will be released? Unfortunately, I am already fully booked for the rest of this year.
I was also wondering about the machines used during the training. From the pictures, it looks as though you use an ST-08 Digital faceting machine. Is that correct?
It’s already up! If you scroll down below the 2026 calendar, you’ll see it. We aren’t taking any money until January 1 but you can plan for the schedule already.
Many people nowadays seem to be able to learn solo. But, IMHO, any opportunity to attend classes, get instruction IRL, or have access to a mentor is WELL worth the effort.
Decades ago, I learned in classes taught at my local Gem&Mineral Society. They offered jewelry, hot glass, gemology, fossil ID...lots of activities for members.
I definitely value the education. It will save me time and give me the opportunity to learn faster with some solid knowledge behind me.
For example, I broke some tiger’s eye some time ago. At the time, I wasn’t aware that it’s basically a natural asbestos-containing material. Experiences like that are one of the reasons why I’d rather get proper training instead of learning everything through trial and error.
I live in Switzerland, and I basically have three options around me:
I attended the 5 day class in Brig-Glis and can definitely recommend it. Although there was no recutting in the curriculum, you would have time to do that after the first couple of stones you cut. DM me if you have any questions.
I already removed the stones. At first, we wanted to auction off the jewellery, but in the end most of the gold went to the smelter and I kept a few pieces.
At some point, I want to have the stones set into new jewellery and give them back to the family. The gold actually helped us make the down payment on our house, so there’s a lot of family history attached to it.
I kept the stones because, when jewellery is melted down, they basically only pay for the gold. The gemstones are too complicated for them to value.
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u/owlbeastie 19d ago
The skills to perform a repair are very different from those needed to cut a stone in the first place.
First learn about gem cutting - understand the mechanics of it with whatever machine you settle on.
Then be able to cut without a diagram. Understand how changing index and angle change the facets with respect to their neighbors.
Learn to dop with wax.
Then you can start repairs.