Gemstone design
Every stone I cut starts as a design. Not a diagram borrowed from a book, but angles worked out for the material in hand and the piece of rough in front of me.
Modelling before cutting
Before I touch the rough, I model the gem in CAD software made for faceting, which simulates how light will move through the finished stone. That lets me test angles, symmetry, and proportions against the exact material I'm cutting, before committing to a single facet.
The material decides the design
That last part matters more than it sounds. Every species bends light differently, so a design that performs beautifully in quartz can fall flat in garnet. The angles that send light back to your eye depend on the refractive index of the material.
Designing for the specific stone, instead of reusing a generic pattern, is the difference between a gem that comes alive and one that just looks cut.
A design that performs beautifully in quartz can fall flat in garnet.
Working with what the rough gives you
Then there's the rough itself. Natural material shows up in awkward shapes, with inclusions and color zoning in inconvenient places. A good part of the work is finding the orientation that holds the most weight and the best color while still cutting a stone that performs.
Often that means designing something new for one specific piece of rough.
Who this is for
Collectors and jewelers who want something they can't find already made. People who own rough and want it cut a particular way. And other cutters who need a faceting plan built for a specific material and a specific piece, rather than a diagram pulled off a shelf.
If you have an idea, tell me what you're after and I'll give you an honest answer about what's possible.
Two ways to start.
If one of the standard designs suits you, order it and I'll cut it. If you want something designed from scratch, have rough of your own, or need a faceting plan for your own bench, that starts with a conversation.