How To Cut Gemstones - Sapphire

Hello. welcome to my channel. I'm an Australian Gem cutter and I facet gems from all over the world. In this video you will see me facet sapphire from the Illakaka mines in Madagascar. I will explain the brief history and origin of this Sapphire, and you will see me cut a Sapphire in detail. Standby for future videos. Please like and subscribe, and feel free to leave a comment. So until next time, take care.
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[@charlesteune6416]

I know these videos are older, but I just wanted to tell you I love these videos you have taught me a lot thank you very much

[@VintageTimeGems]

Your're welcome. Cheers Cliff

[@geebrewer8186]

it's beautiful, always amazed me how people can facet those tiny gemstones into such a piece of beauty

[@MatthewSchnupp]

Awesome video. Just the right amount of depth for this newbie to appreciate the technical skill needed for this little gem's journey.

[@workaholic5318]

Wonderful, meet points accurate, polish flawless and on a gem that isn't easy to cut. Lots of time to get the diamond to cut and polish sapphire; as always beautifully done. Thanks for another fine gem cutting and polishing.

[@lisabroestaff7133]

How neat to see the work that goes into cutting a gemstone. Great close up photography and step by step explanations!

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks Lisa. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@jeanetteheydn1467]

Such a skill to turn an ugly stone into this sparkling beauty. Thank you for sharing.

[@SpeedRacer-pz9jn]

Good show ! You showed the students another tool - Benzyl Benzoate . A whole lot safer to use than Methylene Iodide I've seen others use. Take notes, folks ! On the subject of polishing girdles. My lapidary background is mainly opals. Like you polishing the girdle, I always polish the backs of my cabochons. It looks better & more professional to me . I hate seeing all those commercial opals out there with unpolished backs. Lovely rough & lovelier work ! Looking forward to your next creation !

[@tallyjra]

Thank you so so much for the video and your great teaching.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks Talli......

[@Deno__Deno]

I like your mention of “Meet Point” faceting, your use of polished girdle facets is one that can aid in the stone coming to life by giving more colour play in the finished gem.. You do very good work and use the exact same methods that I use myself.. 🎉🎉🎉

[@OrangKL]

First time in my life Im watching how gems r being cut and polished.haha.keep it up

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks Edward.

[@johncrumpley8702]

Wow Cliff! I don't know how I missed this video. The reveal really shows what a great job you did cutting the stone. I've cut a few small sapphires and really appreciate your tip about using a 3,000 disk for the cut... I've always "attacked" the stone with a disk that is far too coarse. Thanks for the instruction and a very good video.

[@mixmaxlastscore4372]

its my first time see how to cut gemstone..thanks for info

[@paulcooper8818]

The sapphire turned out really nice.

[@grantmckinna7801]

only dreaming of getting to that level of art, always enjoy watching your work Cliff

[@kated2847]

That is one stunning gem. I really like how you narrate the videos and explain so much about what you are doing what a fascinating job/hobby this is. My favourite stone is probably amethyst. Then tourmaline and spinel.

[@adamdorman6508]

It might be a small gem, but gosh you get it to sizzle! Beautiful work, as always

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks Adam.

[@jpdemont]

You did a great job on the sapphire. Thanks for making and sharing. (The photography is fine.)

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you jpdemont .

[@ltpaulbtv]

I have some Sapphires I found in Montana I'm going to facet when I get some more practice.

[@sureshpas1493]

Huv

[@christineingram55]

I have never seen a sapphire that colour before,but it’s a lovely stone and of course cut beautifully ..It’s always interesting to watch the stone coming to life from the raw pieces you have 😀

[@juliesczesny90]

Because that color is usually heated to about 1000°F, to turn it blue, especially Montana, "Blue," ones. I prefer stones the way they are, as both faceter and wearer.

[@jossmaxwell00]

Thanks again for demonstrating your skills. Awesome work

[@VintageTimeGems]

My pleasure!

[@joann5157]

Another beautiful piece!! So sparkly!!

[@barthanes1]

Beautiful gem, I didn't know sapphire came in an almost peridot color.

[@odettestrutton951]

Majestic cut.you brought that sapphire to life.just love it.

[@Anteroization]

that instrument to secure/ glue the stone is a maravilla !

[@charlesstewart9246]

I've been fascinated by shiny stones since a child,now I'm retired I would love to learn how to cut some. I'm in Scotland,(no gem mines here,yet)so not many 'cutters' clubs around.you have a very calm and matter of fact way of teaching,so I recon I'll be watching and learning from your good self.As time goes by I'll hopefully do a reasonable job of watching and listening. So, no pressure then 💎👍😁😁😇

[@scratchd0g]

What an interesting cut

[@martinkremlicka3483]

such a beautiful stone , I like corundum so much. exelent job

[@donnaspencer7276]

Love your work, I’m buying my tools now to try and give it a go ❤️

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks Donna...Happy faceting. Regards Cliff

[@toddroe3910]

Wow! Simply wow! Your work always amazes me.

[@jimhill1718]

Awesome video. I went mining in North Carolina and came back with hands full of rubies and garnets. Looking forward to cabbing some and faceting some. Your video will help. I enjoyed the "rounding off" of the girdle. I also appreciate starting the prepolish with 3000 grit. Thanks!

[@arklinkintl711]

The whole works is fascinating indeed! I was looking for exactly this full faced worked video on sapphire! I am extremely satisfied on your demonstration with full of details in every steps of the work process! Awesome! Thank you very much.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you.

[@FatBellyChemist1234]

I am going to facet 4 Alexandrites and this is gonna be super useful. Thanks Cliff!!!

[@wallygoots]

Fun watch. I'm from MT and having hunted for sapphires, I was curious to see how they are cut. Very informative and interesting to watch.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks for watching!

[@nicklabellarte2390]

What’s your favorite local mine ? The spokean bar by Helena treated me nicely

[@wallygoots]

@@nicklabellarte2390 I've been to Blaze N Gem's mine and classified 10 buckets of concentrate which is the closest I have come to actual mining. I've also been to Gem Mountain which is more touristy and basically a pay dirt site with a store, and wash stations, but it's not at the dig site itself. This is the site where they can heat or cut your gems locally, but they also send away. We actually got more curable gems at gem mountain which is the rock creek deposit than at Blaze's. I think it was just unlucky with the concentrate with Blaze. Only 2 small cuttable gems in 10 buckets. A little discouraging.

[@philbrammer3632]

Great video, amazing to see

[@jameswelch1054]

Beautiful cut.

[@michellerabideau1133]

Wow amazing job.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you very much!

[@iranfernandespedrasprecios8297]

Nice Sapphire 👏👏👏

[@susannesamuelsson2930]

Wonderful Cliff! Hugs, Susanne.

[@jesseechavarria8488]

This is a great video. I'm learning a lot. Thank you. 😃👍

[@marciliomachado8318]

BEAUTIFUL GEMA

[@troubledspirit3328]

Thank you for the wonderful video.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you too

[@timsadventures9888]

Hi Cliff, very interesting video, great work,loved the whole procedure from rough to gem, cheers Tim....

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks Tim.

[@gristlevonraben]

Very very cool

[@kbabuganesha8223]

Very very nice work

[@sanaullajamshed4205]

Amazing cutting you have a magic in your hands 👍

[@jimbuxton2187]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@vlogvenom]

Work and art mixed together ❤ love from India🙏

[@markmanwaring3823]

Your spot on with classing sapphire as a dearer gem , better off learning to fossick if you want larger stones ,, topaz are beautiful , the zircon is underrated

[@VintageTimeGems]

Hi Mark your right about fossicking. I do fossick, but Sapphired are over a1000 kms away in Queensland. What's in Victoria is to small to facet. However, the citrine and smokey quartz are nice in Victoria. Topaz is my favourite gem and Zircon comes close second followed by Spessartite. I can be contacted at [e-mail]

[@ericmraustralia1252]

@@VintageTimeGems G'day matey ,First time viewer to your vids good job and you have brought back some very good memories and yep you're right some of the best gems are located in Queensland , Ruby vale and Sapphire QLD to be precise. I lived in Emerald for 7 years and 40 kms away was the fossicking area , mostly in Ruby vale. Got some great Topaz over the years , one was cut by a professional cutter in that area and once he finished , i had it appraised and it was $AU 14,000 , i have dozens upon dozens of gems from Topaz to Black Stars , i even have one Star which is shaped like a Great White Sharks tooth , very rare , so i am told. Anyway great video and thanks for the info. Cheers matey. Regards Eric

[@PKD-ze4hr]

That is just lovely.

[@amberandrews6842]

Beautiful!

[@raineman1118]

Wished I could identify my stones. They "gemologist" wants to send them for testing. No way man!

[@THEDRAGONBOOSTER8]

Hi ,I am not a Gem cutter and enjoyed this video very much.I collect Gemstones from around the world but mainly Australia as I live in Tassie . I guess half would be cutting quality as most are large and I have boxes full .I have brought some found some and been given some.I am thinking of selling some as I am starting to collect coins.The gems are on the way out as I must keep my mind occupied .All the best on your quest.Cheers.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks for watching. Shame you have to sell your gems. I must go to Tassie one day and find some Sapphires. There are not too many half decent sapphires in Victoria. Cheers

[@THEDRAGONBOOSTER8]

@@VintageTimeGems There is one good place here in Tassie for Sapphires I have a small jar full . I do have a couple of vegemite jars full of nice topaz.

[@tamwolf20]

Hi Cliff here is a cut I haven't seen in your videos. The "opposed bar cut" . Have you done them? Would you be willing to share a video of it. I am fascinated by the pixelated look of it on gems and plan to do one later this year.

[@SpeedRacer-pz9jn]

That was the first stone on my new Poly Metric machine. 23 BIG & LONG facets. One would think with that few a facets the stones would not sparkle as they do. I'm currently finishing a piece of rose d' France in that cut. It is fairly easy to do compared to some of the fantastic doorknob sized beauties Cliff creates ; ^ )

[@HanstheTraffer]

Years ago a goldsmith friend showed me how he photographed his jewelry: He used a camera system that was set up for photographing or transferring 35mm slides onto regular film. It was basically a camera set up at the correct distance to focus with a black background. With everything stationary he could arrange the light source or sources to produce the best picture. Maybe this will be of some help.

[@glennmitten3554]

Another great lesson .Thank you mate .Your my mentor.

[@BlvlWmpower]

Your a genius bro.

[@ANCIENTASTRONAUT411]

Thanks my friend I can't wait to get my machine so I can faucet my diamonds and sapphires

[@ovansovyan8354]

That is so....so ... awesome dude,,,,i really.... really love it...👏👏👏

[@mitchb8325]

Wow didn’t think you could cut a sapphire into standard round brilliant thought sapphires be to dark but obviously get light coloured one can do it thanks for video and the tips in it

[@tamwolf20]

Wow your Sapphire looks wonderful. And I enjoyed the info you provided about where it was sourced. I agree about faceting the girdle though I have been taught to just round them on SRB. I think it looks more finished and sets craftsmanship a cut above what may be regularly practiced. Oh as a side note I located and purchased a copy of "The book of gem cuts" volume 1 year 1971. By Jack Alger where You shared your French Cut Diamonds diagram from. Aka French Star. Thank you for all you share. I am studying and absorbing as much as I can for when hopefully by the end of August I will be cutting gems again. With both my hands on the road to recovery. Thank you again Cliff.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Hi Tam, I would begin to learn how to facet a girdle on a SRB, it will look so much better. The "French Star" is exactly the same as what is referred to as a "The French Diamond Cut". It's difficult to source some of these early designs. I'm looking for a French Rectangular Design with specific pavilion cuts, but I have yet to find the design I'm after. Some of these earlier designs are really fun to facet. Regards Cliff

[@tamwolf20]

@@VintageTimeGems ohhh that french rectangular sounds interesting. Much luck in finding what you are searching for. Hmmm I wonder if my mentor may have or know more about what you are looking for. He has been cutting stones since before I was born and is a wonderful gent of 80 plus years.

[@jeyavathyfrancis4827]

Thank you!

[@jorgesucno9716]

GRACIAS profesor

[@4thgenfarmer371]

He's an artist

[@mastertechnician3372]

Thank you for video.

[@VintageTimeGems]

You are welcome

[@jdhstudiosjdhstudios1153]

I wish I had a sapphire that color 😊 I found a rough sapphire in North Carolina that’s yellow; but I don’t have any cut to put with it😓

[@seansieloff1688]

You can get it heat treated to get the color you want but it has to be marked as treated

[@Stone_Impact]

Soo good, i learn alot, thanks

[@blakebuffkin688]

Looks fun I want to play in the shop

[@lauriereber8939]

That is such a lovely sparkler, I would love to see how you choose to have it set.

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you

[@jacruick]

Amazing!

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you.

[@instagem2693]

Very informative :)

[@rhondajones1313]

I learn from everyone of your videos. What type of machine are you using? I have a super amount of Montana sapphires that need cutting. Thank you for teaching this old man stuff.

[@brij7776]

Hi Cliff Fantastic cutting I learnt something new by keeping the girdle thick helps setting the gem. Please can you do more 64 index cuts as I have this index wheel. Thanks

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks...There will be more vids with the 64 index wheel....

[@johnh8615]

Hey cliff beautiful stuff. I love to mainly watch Aussie content. Can’t get enough of it between yourself and Justin . Do you know of any other great channels out there on utube to peek at?

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thanks John. I enjoy watching Rookie Rockhounding. That a Aussie channel.

[@TempusSolum]

Beautiful stone. I so look forward to each and every one of your videos. Gemstones fascinate me, and I greatly enjoy learning as you cut them. Sapphire is one of my favorites, and that Madagascar example is exceptional. It must be hard to find deep, rich colours without heat treating. The final reveal showed just how brilliant a sapphire can be. There was a lot of sparkle and fire in it :D I do hope that you'll reconsider the Herkimer diamond, and that you can get a specimen soon. :D Wishful thinking, maybe, but you might enjoy the challenge. If nothing else, it should likely cut like a quartz.

[@VintageTimeGems]

This gem looks so much better in real life. If I can get hold of a clean Herkimer diamond with no flaws I will facet it and video it. Thanks for watching

[@robertyoung5748]

Thank you

[@danielouellette7894]

You should make jewelry with your fine cut gems

[@ClashGardener]

*Great Job*

[@jdhstudiosjdhstudios1153]

By the way; I think you should do sugilite or Tsavorite for your next video

[@VintageTimeGems]

Hopefully I will get to Tsavorite some day. It is expensive to purchase. Cheers

[@jadekayak01]

I used to have that very same machine. Very easy to use

[@eduardbuletsa9485]

what name\model of the machine?

[@jadekayak01]

@@eduardbuletsa9485 not sure now.its been about 8 years since i stopped using it and got rid of it. Ask the man in the video. Its an easy machine to use but not as well supported as facetron

[@sophiophile]

@@jadekayak01 What on earth do you mean 'supported'? Faceting machines don't come with support, lol. If you receive it broken, I'm sure they'll make good on it, but that's about it. It's a very DIY hobby. I am also 95% sure that isn't even a commercially produced machine. It looks to be based off of a facette, but isn't the standard commercially sold machine.

[@jadekayak01]

@@sophiophile you can buy any number of attatchments for a facetron-more than any other machine. Custom index wheels so you have no numbers-only slots. 96,120 + more tooth wheels

[@sophiophile]

@@jadekayak01 What can you buy other than extra dops, index wheels, and maybe a cam preformer. Also ultra technical definitely has more stuff you can add on.. Not to mention the interoperable concave and fantasy setups

[@Ciceroinvencoeseartes]

Excelente trabalho amigo Meus parabéns 👍🤝👍

[@jameswelch1054]

I would like to see you facet some Australian sapphires.

[@ariajallasena1147]

Good job sir

[@wh0tube]

Respect! 😊👍

[@suzanneschube5424]

Hi Cliff nice show thank you. Chat later!!!

[@user-oz1hz2ql6x]

Hello, what is the spindle speed of your machine? for grinding and polishing sheet metal

[@iranfernandespedrasprecios8297]

Like my friend

[@hastonoadisantoso777]

From Indonesia i say great..wonderful

[@VintageTimeGems]

Thank you

[@fwiffo]

I'm quite surprised at the price you mention for rough sapphire. There are places in Montana that let you dig through sapphire bearing gravel as a tourist (or will mail gravel to you) and you can get quite a lot of good rough stones this way. I just had 40 facetable stones evaluated (from 0.7 to 3 carats rough, average 1.3 carats). Including the cost of the gravel, shipping and everything, I'm paying on the order of $15-30 per carat for the rough stones. Of course, it's only that cheap because I enjoy it and my labor is free. Obviously, it doesn't make sense to have a box of gravel shipped from Montana to Australia, but you have alluvial deposits of sapphire there too. Maybe it's worth a trip; Montana is some beautiful country.

[@aresg9670]

Hi! I'm extremely interested to know where you order the gravel through mail! Thanks in advance

[@myrthagunter4141]

Enjoyed ! TY.

[@oxcarthabu]

This was a very interesting video. Never saw the faceting process before. Would your stone be considered a "Golden" Sapphire?

[@VintageTimeGems]

Yes, I would actually think this is a golden sapphire...Thanks for watching

[@BP2UTV]

How do you ensure the facets are all the same width / depth? Is it by eye?

[@kristinetantoco5112]

aquamarine is my gem stone. i hope you can also faceting aquamarine in oval form

[@VintageTimeGems]

Yes Aquamarine is on my list to facet. Thanks for watching.

[@kristinetantoco5112]

seriously? i hope you can tag me on that video

[@dalehotz]

what faceting machine are you using? i like the actual mark settings on it

[@prasannasampathgems9465]

World best quality and very beautiful sapphire have in srilanka.. are you agree..

[@shawntyflame]

Hello! Thank you for this great video, id like to become a gem cutter. Where do i learn?im in GC Australia. Thank you

[@VintageTimeGems]

Best thing to do to learn how to facet is join a local gem club. Cheers

[@davesontherocks9938]

Cliff is pretty good actually he plays like a noob, but he knows his hobby, better than most know their job.

[@abdelhakimnaciri3634]

Thanks For you teacher, cool. I like to have like this machine but can find it . I live in morroco can you help me

[@chathirasiriwardena8324]

Hi, can you please let me know if a 25% Benzyl Benzoate solution is okay to use as an immersion solution?

[@andersonmanu4648]

Fantastic perfect teacher en cold cable hug Rio de Janeiro 👏👏👏👍👍

[@AStanton1976]

Hi Cliff! I'm a new subscriber and a beginner gem cutter. I have been working on some rough I got from Tim Petek. Do you have any videos that explain in detail the polishing stage? I always seem to have trouble getting a good polish with the 50,000 grit diamond. I am using an Ultratec with a BA5T lap with WD-40. I have a hard time seeing whether the scrathes have been removed with the oil sheen on the facets. Maybe I need better light. Also, I am not sure when to clean the lap, add more oil, or add more diamond. Any help would be much appreciated! Also, do you always polish the facets from the girdle toward the table or culet or does order not matter? Merry Christmas and thanks! Andrew

[@VintageTimeGems]

You will have to wipe the oil off else you cannot see the scratches....I use toilet paper. Polishing is the most difficult. Learn to polish Topaz...It's the easiest.

[@chamesseddinetalghamti8398]

v good job