Over the years we've been helping faceters get started, accelerate their progress, and establish themselves, we've collected a volume of training materials - video and audio - from events we've held, events at which John Bailey has presented - and purpose-made instructional resources just for this site.
Becoming a member of the Academy site provides you a full year of unlimited access to all the premium content that's here now - and any general membership premium content that gets added during your membership. This may include info-graphics, audio presentations, video presentations, tips, tricks, premium designs or design walk-throughs - and possibly some video from our live events, etc.
Academy Membership materials are in two categories: Technical Training and Business Training. These cover the most common problems and most often asked questions. They deliver some of the most-needed information, techniques, and advice for new and upcoming Faceting and jewelry artists.
I'm constantly adding new items to the list of membership resources. So, any list here is incomplete. Here's just a sample of what you'll find:
DOPPING & TRANSFER
Dopping for Yield
A video-based change of perspective about what to look for when orienting rough for best yield. This program will help most newer faceters - and those who cut lots of synthetics - graduate to looking for something entirely different when dopping. It will cure one of the major mental errors that costs yield - and get a faceter to thinking in ways that will enhance yield on every stone they cut afterward.
Basic Wax Dopping
This is more footage from the 2007 Faceting Boot camp showing the most important ways to bypass the most common frustrations faceters encounter when dopping with wax. While this video was taken long ago, and our live training now includes many more details, the principles emphasized remain useful for both new and experienced faceters.
7 Secrets of Wax Dopping
This is video presentation of the seven major factors to successful wax dopping. While it covers some of the same basics as the previous video, it emphasizes and demonstrates the seven specific critical factors in detail.
High Precision Dopping
This video reveals the secrets of how to dop with ultimate precision - without expensive and superfluous gadgets. This information will boost your yields and save you time and money.
Basic Transfer With Dop Wax
Video footage from the 2007 Faceting Boot camp shows the most important ways to bypass common frustrations when transferring with do wax. While this video was taken long ago, and our live training now includes many more details, the principles emphasized remain useful for both new and experienced faceters.
Delicate Gem Transfer
A video on how to transfer with delicate materials. This short clip shows naked-flame transferring a couple of Apatite gems - and why this was no problem. It's very self-explanatory.
CUTTING SKILLS
Faceting Ergonomics
This video is about good ergonomic and machine-handling practices, and how those things prevent back-aches, neck-aches, and head-aches. Good ergonomic practices increase productivity, comfort, and enjoyment - and also protect your machine from damage. This video is a peek into some of the detailed physical skills we install at the res
When and Why of Hard and Soft Stop Techniques
In this video, I detail when and why we choose to use soft stop and hard stop techniques. I'll explain when and how soft-stop technique speeds-up productivity, and when and why soft-stopping can cause you problems. I'll explain when and why hard-stop technique will protect you from loss of time and valuable material - and help you produce a sharper stone.
POLISHING TRAINING
Training the Eye to See
Video footage of presentation during Faceting Boot Camp 2007, discussing how we light, position, and move gemstones - and how we look at them - when evaluating meets and polish. This video also demonstrates some detailed instruction for ergonomics with the Facetron specific to making that process easy and efficient.
Polishing Conference
Audio recording of a 65 minute conference (conveniently broken into 7 bite-sized chapters) on polishing issues, containing both a detailed presentation by John Bailey on what polishing is and how it works - and a lengthy Q&A session covering "the usual suspects" of polishing challenges - and some valuable suggestions by other well-established faceting artists who participated.
ROUGH TRAINING
Color Orientation
This footage from the 2007 Faceting Boot Camp provides basic instruction and reminders about the orientation of color centers in most materials (like red-dot Oregon Sunstone). Although our live trainings now provide much greater depth, the principles emphasized are foundational to maximizing beauty and value in standard gem materials.
BUSINESS TRAINING
Potland CWFG Presentation on Rough
This video documents the 22-minute presentation I gave at the Columbia Willamette Faceter's Guild in 2009 about sourcing and buying rough. It covers in detail - and with many slides - various opportunities and pitfalls, from shows to eBay to Internet and mail-order faceting markets. It also covers glass-filled Ruby and Sapphire, which are common in the market today.
Opening the Door With Jewelers
Master goldsmith and second-generation luxury jeweler Ray Holiday presenting to a live Academy group in 2012. He explains exactly how a new or up-and-coming faceter can open the door to working with jewelers. He covers everything from "hello", to policies, pricing, creating opportunities and ethics. This one-hour event is packaged in four bite-sized chapters, but you'll probably watch it straight through. The material here is invaluable.
Andy Lucas @ the Academy
Saul Bell award-winning jewelry artist Andy Lucas presents on everything from working with jewelers, aesthetics, artistic development, doing shows, marketing, and more. Five chapters, with over an hour of video, organized for convenient navigation and viewing.
Productivity Conference
People constantly ask me how I manage so many things - faceting, martial arts, paragliding, personal coaching, etc. In this 10-minute audio of a live conference, I talk about some of my personal productivity and motivational habits and best practices that you can implement easily to boost your own effectiveness and fun.
FACETING DESIGNS & SEQUENCING VIDEOS
Mark's Mastery
A radiant rectangle custom-designed by me for a project for one of our graduates. An intermediate design using an OMNI foundation and producing outstanding performance. This is an intermediate design, and the members-only access to the sequencing video will make it much easier.
The Canoe Oval
A long (1.57 L/W) oval design with exceptional performance and solid weight retention. Optimized for Tourmaline, this design is popular with intermediate faceters around the world. Here you get a step-by-step video instruction for cutting it.
The Alien Pear
An intermediate-to-advanced pear-shape design with a checker-type crown, this design performs well in a range of materials, and produces an interesting "face"-like light pattern when inverted. The design can be tricky for intermediate faceters, but the video allows members to cut it more easily.
Remember that the site is updated continuously. So, there's WAY more available than what you see on this sample page.
YOUR REQUESTS HERE!
Faceting Academy members help determine what content appears in the membership area - by asking questions, making requests, and participating in conferences and live training events. Become a member and join the progress!