5 Free Stone-Cutting Techniques and Projects You Have to Try

Gemstone faceting and stone-cutting techniques have always fascinated me. What optimism and foresight lapidaries must have, to study an unexceptional-looking rock and know that sparkling beauty is hidden inside—and then to find the best way to reveal its maximum potential, turning that rough gem into a treasure.

Every piece of gem rough is different, with many different potential gem cuts sitting inside it just waiting to be discovered. With this new lapidary eBook, 5 Stone-Cutting Techniques and Projects: Cabochon, Faceting, Inlay, Slabbing, Trim Saw Setup, plus Bonus Dopping Tips, created by the jewelry making experts of Interweave, you can now learn various stone cutting techniques and projects that will help you fully explore the potential in any type of stone.

Whether you intend to set a stone in jewelry or display it proudly on a shelf, and whether the lapidary rough is transparent to opaque, all the same or elaborately patterned, the first question to ask is: what’s the best way to cut this stone? All of the answers you need are here at your fingertips. Download this free eBook now and learn five different approaches to gem cutting that will help you take advantage of all kinds of gemstones.

What Stone-Cutting Techniques and Projects are Inside?

How to Dop and Cut a Cabochon

Designer Ruby Cabochon with Dopping Tips by Ahna V. White
For this project you can use any rough rock or slab. After examining your slab, you must decide which part you would like to make a designer cabochon. A designer cabochon is the best part of the stone in terms of design in the rock to create an exceptional cab. Most oval cabochons come from chopping the slab up to yield the most cabs with the least waste. The result of stone grinding depends on how long you spend on each wheel. Each wheel will make your cabochon smoother and smoother. Each movement should be quick and smooth against the wheel. Rough gems take longer to smooth out. The skill of stone grinding is something that will develop over time. White includes very helpful tips on conventional and unconventional dopping to allow greater control over the shaping of your cabochon and to keep your fingers safe! Prepare your lapidary tools, trim saw and cabbing machine, and make a rough gem transform into a smooth cab today!

How to Cut Rough Rock

Trim Saw Setup by Stephen Taney
Get off to a good start with your gem rough by getting the best surface finish on a slab in the very beginning. This will make grinding and polishing so much easier. When you are getting a new blade or switching out a blade on your lapidary saw, you should begin by truing it to the arbor, or making the saw blade as perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft as possible. Taney goes into detailed step by step instructions on how to set up your lapidary saw to produce the best stone cutting results.

How to Facet Citrine Rough

Golden Oval by Jim Perkins
This stone cutting design was inspired by a piece of Oro Verde citrine rough that was given to Perkins by a friend who had no idea what to do with it. It is a reasonably easy and enjoyable rock cutting design because it is a little different than typical ovals. Although the design was intended for quartz, it could be used to cut material with a higher refractive index without any adjustments to the angles. The most important thing is to cut it from material with 50% saturation or less in order to achieve good performance. Understanding the basics of faceting rough gems techniques is required for this project. Perkins includes detailed diagrams and step by step instructions for use with faceting machines.

How to Inlay Stones

Inlaid Cuff by Jeff Fulkerson
Have some extra time on your hands? Well now is the time for you to make a very unique bracelet. This project takes about 20 hours to finish, because of the metal and stone work required. You will need patience to get the best results inlaying the stones, so go slow! Try not to get discouraged if you cut a stone too small, all you have to do is get another piece and try again. The end result will be worth the effort. Designing jewelry with just metal can be rewarding, but adding a cabochon or faceted stone can really help expand your creativity around their shapes. With metal and stones, your potential is limitless. Your piece can be anything you can imagine! Don’t be afraid to use this project only as a guide to master the art of inlay. With inlay, there are endless possibilities of shape, contour, contrast, height, depth and color. Take the inlaid jewelry making basics from this project and translate them to any piece of metal like a belt buckle or pendant. Fulkerson gives many examples of inlay patterns that use various cuts, like the square cut to make a checkerboard theme inlay pattern.

How to Make a Rock Slab

Successful Slabbing by Stephen Taney
Sawing stone can be a very revealing stone cutting process. You will see parts of a stone no one has seen before. There are layers and layers to some stones that are waiting to be discovered. The saw blade is a disc of metal with diamond grit bonded to the outside edge. The method of attachment and amount of grit varies by manufacturer. The size of the blade is given in diameter. Diamond blades aren’t technically saw blades, but thin grinding wheels. A vise is made up of a few elements that work together to hold a stone securely while it’s being fed into the rotating saw blade. All of these terms and techniques must be fully understood in order to succeed with slabbing. Taney explains how to make the first cut, how to reposition the rough gems or rocks and so much more. His pictures help you comprehend each step of the slabbing process.

After studying gemstones for several years, a bit of the mystery has worn off—but the fascination remains. Our free eBook about faceting, cabochon cutting, and other gem cuts can unlock the mystery of the lapidary for you, too, and help you master the art of stone cutting.

The first question every lapidary, budding or experienced, must ask himself/herself is, “What’s the best way to cut this stone?” Our new stone-cutting eBook helps you answer that question and many others. The projects and tips in it will help you master various rock-cutting techniques and uncover the beauty in any type of stone. You’ll learn techniques for slabbing gem rough in preparation for beautiful cabochons, plus all about the wheels and polishing compounds used in the cabbing process. Learn dopping tips, how to set up lapidary saws, and even the stone-cutting sequences for a unique faceted oval gem cut. The free eBook also includes instructions for cutting and creating a gem mosaic inlay and how to work that piece into inlaid jewelry.

You will learn how a piece of patterned stone containing ruby mixed with other materials progresses from gem rough to finished cabochon. You will dive into the details of the wheels and polishing compounds used for each individual stage. And you won’t want to miss the bonus tips for dopping your stone. Also included in this eBook are complete cutting sequences for faceting an oval cut, and loads of ideas and techniques available for creating dramatic stone mosaics and how to custom fit them into a piece of inlaid jewelry. Finally, you will discover valuable tips and techniques for slabbing chunks of rock into slices suitable for cabbing, and excellent information on how to set up lapidary saws.

Ready to uncover the mystery for yourself? Then check out our free stone-cutting eBook, 5 Stone-Cutting Techniques and Projects: Cabochon, Faceting, Inlay, Slabbing, Trim Saw Setup, plus Bonus Dopping Tips, to get started with five free projects and lots of great tips and techniques.