Gem ID, Faceting Rough, Minerals and Cabs

Round Brilliant Gem Cutting Instructions - Step by Step
Step	Description	Instructions	Pictures
1	Dop the Gem Rough	Once you have selected a stone, grind a flat surface on the crown (top) side of the gem and put in on the dop. Dopping the rough can be done with superglue, epoxy, or wax.
2	Set the Index Gear	Make sure you have the right index gear and set it to the first cut index, typically the largest index on the gear, in this example, it is 64.
3	Natural Pavilion	The amethyst being cut in this tutorial already has natural crystal faces which look a lot like the cut pavilion will look.
4	Prepare to Cut Girdle
5	Lower Rubber Bowl for Girdle Cutting
6	Lower the Mast
7	Turn the Mast Adjustment Knob
8	See Mast Lowering
9	Continue Turning Mast Knob
10	Mast is Lowered
11	Start Cutting Girdle
12	See Girdle Facets
13	Not sure yet
14	Mast Close to Lap
15	Mast Far from Lap
16	Clamp Lever for Mast
17	Lowered Clamp Lever of Mast
18	Change Angle with Clutch
19	Lower Quill to 49 degrees
20	Once Degree is set, Check Dial Indicator
21	Fine Adjust Dial Indicator	Turn Silver Knob on Right to Fine Adjust Dial Indicator
22	Cut Pavilion Facets
23	Closeup of Cutting Pavilion
24	Check Index Gear
25	Change Index Gear to Next Facet
26	Cutting the Pavilion Facets
27	See Pavilion Mains Preform Cut
28	Use Dial Indicator for Precise Cutting Depth
29	Dial Indicator Shows Depth of Cut
30	Continues to Give Constant Feedback
31	Getting Close to Depth Needed
32	Dial Indicator at Zero When Done
33	Cutting Pavilion on 600 Grit
34	See Pavilion Facets Smoothed in at 600 Grit
35	See Pavilion Facets Smoothed in at 600 Grit
36	Using 3000 Grit Diamond Spray
37	See Pavilion Facets Prepolished to 3000 Grit
38	See Pavilion Facets Prepolished to 3000 Grit
39	Using 50000 Grit Diamond Spray
40	See Pavilion Facets Polished to 50000 Grit
41	See Pavilion Facets Polished to 50000 Grit
42	Transfer Dop
43	Trasfer Dop Close up
44	Using Special 'T' Superglue for dopping
45	See Rough Double Dopped
46	See Rough Double Dopped Close up
47	Use Solvent to Remove Glue from Crown Side
48	Closeup of Solvent on Glue
49	Try Removing Dop with Pliers
50	Remove Dop with Vise
51
52
53	Put Dop into Quill
54	Preform Crown Main Facets with 300 Grit
55	Smooth in Crown Mains with 600 Grit
56	Smooth in Crown Facets with 600 Grit
57	Prepolish Crown with 3000 Grit
58	Polish Crown with 50000 Grit	Closeup Facet almost completed
59	Polish Crown with 50000 Grit
60	Tools Used to Align Table Facet
61	Prepare Quill with Table Aligner
62	Use Tools to Align Table Dop
63	Use Tools to Align Table Dop
64	Put Rough Dop in Table Dop
65	Begin Cutting Table Facet
66	Continue Preforming Table Facet
67	Prepolish Table Facet
68	Polish Table Facet
69	Polish Table Facet
70	Finished Polishing Table Facet
71	Use Solvent to Remove Gem From Dop
72	Closeup of Gem with Glue Mess
73	Put Gem with Residue in Solvent
74	Closeup of Gem in Solvent
75	Finished Gem Pictures
76	Finished Gem Pictures
77	Finished Gem Pictures
78	Finished Gem Pictures
	Missing In Action	Hey! What did I miss? Let me know if some part of this walkthrough is confusing or is missing a step you want more information on. Drop me a note letting me know what else you would like for me to do a walkthrough for.