Common Books About Stones and Faceting

Common Books About Stones and Faceting

There are quite a few out there that are books about stones and faceting, but to start with I would recommend that you keep it simple. So here is a list of commonly available books and some comments on them.

Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann This is not an expensive book, and while it does not go into great depth, it has a wealth of good information as well as good pictures on stone types and mineralogical information. I highly recommend it.

Introduction to Meet Point Faceting by Long & Steele This is more a pamphlet than a book and is under $20 the last time I looked. It gives the new cutter, step by step cutting instructions along with pretty good drawings, while cutting. There are five (5) basic designs (Round Brilliant, Lazy Oval, Marquise, Superpear 96, Ember/Rectangle) covered and if you cut all of them you should have a pretty good handle on meet point faceting by the time you are done. This book is only about cutting these designs, there is no real "how to cut information" in this book. I recommend this one.

Learn to "Facet the Right Way…" by Jeff Graham
This is my beginners book.

Any one wanting to learn how to facet needs this book.

Unlike most other books I cover every thing a beginner needs to know to start to facet. Including equipment lists and step by step instructions. I (of course) recommend my books.

Faceting for Amateurs by Glen & Martha Vargas
This particular book is the one that basically set the tone for all other faceting related books in the earlier days of faceting. It is definately dated, but some of the basic information is still good and people use this one for a reference. This is not a good book for a beginner (if some dealer says it is he has not read it), but it is one you might want later. I use it as a reference once and a while. I really do not recommend it.

Glen and Martha Vargas are also well known for publishing a series of design books. Quite a few of their designs are considered classics and the design books are interesting to look through. However, there are mistakes in some of the designs and most of them can be very hard to cut because of the old style instructions, and truthfully the material is just dated.

I do not recommend these design books for a beginner. But when you become a competent faceter they might be worth looking into.

Diagrams For Faceting Volume 1 by Glen & Martha Vargas Diagrams For Faceting Volume 2 by Glen & Martha Vargas Diagrams For Faceting Volume 3 by Glen & Martha Vargas

Gram Faceting by Jeff Graham This is my original book of designs (50 plus), along with basic cutting information and dividers in a 3-ring binder. The designs are all proof cut and mostly set up for a 96 index and do not require any angle adjustments because the designs are optimized for specific cutting material (stones).

If you're looking for new, high performance cuts, you'll appreciate my gemstone designs. They're created and optimized for specific materials such as Beryl, Peridot, or Tourmaline. These ready-to-use designs are organized by recommended material - No transposing required. All are ray-traced, test cut, and proven. My books feature sharp, high quality printing on loose leaf pages, including a page protector, for ease of use while you're cutting. I (of course) recommend my books.

There are currently nine (9) additional design sets of 42 designs each available;

Addition #1 - is Quartz, Topaz, Tourmaline, Garnet
Addition #2 - is mixed materials (Quartz, Tourmaline, Topaz, Peridot, Apatite, Garnet, Sapphire, CZ)
Addition #3 - is mixed materials (Quartz, Tourmaline, Topaz, Peridot, Apatite, Garnet, Sapphire, CZ)
Addition #4 - "Money Cuts" fast easy high performance commercial designs
Addition #5 - Barion - "Money Cuts" fast easy high performance Barion designs
Addition #6 - Checher Boards - "Money Cuts" fast easy high performance commercial designs
Addition #7 - "More Money Cuts" - fast easy high performance commercial designs
Addition #8 - "Diamond Checker Boards - Money Cuts" - fast easy high performance commercial designs
Addition #9 - "Mirage Cuts " - fast easy high performance designs

There are new addition sets coming and if you are my "What's New" email list, I will announce the publication of the new sets.

Beyond The Glitter by Gerald L. Wykoff, G.G. This book is not one I really recommend, if you can find it in a used book store for a couple of dollars, it might be worth buying. There is some decent information in it, but the book is very dated, and not all that well organized. Also, there were some miss prints on the designs (there are only a few designs), along with some information that is not as accurate as it could be. I do not really recommend this book, unless you just want something to read.

Master Facetingby Gerald L. Wykoff, G.G. This is another book I really do not recommend, if you can find it in a used book store for a couple of dollars, it might be worth buying. There is some decent information in it, but the book is very dated, and not all that well organized. I do not really recommend this book, unless you just want something to read.

Master Gem Polishingby Gerald L. Wykoff, G.G. This book is not one I really recommend, if you can find it in a used book store for a couple of dollars, it might be worth buying. A lot of the information in this is general and not about faceting. There is some decent information in it, but the book is very dated, and not all that well organized. I do not really recommend this book, unless you just want something to read.

Master Gem Cutting Tipsby Gerald L. Wykoff, G.G. This book is not one I really recommend, if you can find it in a used book store for a couple of dollars, it might be worth buying. There is some decent information (general, not a lot of faceting) in it, but the book is very dated, and not all that well organized. The information covered is pretty much the same as several of his other books. I do not really recommend this book, unless you just want something to read.

Master Keys for Making Profits in Lapidaryby Gerald L. Wykoff, G.G. This book is not one I really recommend, if you can find it in a used book store for a couple of dollars, it might be worth buying. There is some decent information in it, but the book is very dated, it does have some interesting information in it. Not a lot on faceting, more general lapidary than anything. I do not really recommend this book, unless you just want something to read.

Ruby & Sapphire by Richard W. Hughes This is an expensive book, it has a wealth of good information as well as good pictures on stone types and mineralogical information. I find it to be a very good reference on Sapphire and their treatment. I recommend it.

Facet Cutters Handbook by Edward J. Soukup
This book has been around for a long time, a lot of the information in it is very dated and no longer in use, but it covers the basics (which have not changed much) and is a very inexpensive book, under $8.00 last time I looked. If you can find one cheap in a used bookstore it is a good starting place. I recommend it for the price.