P.O. Box 2480, Stoke on Trent, ST7 2WT Faceters’ For members of the guild only. You can now download your Faceters' Stonechats whenever you want, so if you loose or damage your printout you can come back and do it again and again.  Please note that all the PDF's stored here need a password to open them, these are sent to you when you subcribe to the guild.  2009 FSC 83 FSC 84 FSC 85 FSC 86 FSC 87 JANUARY SPRING SUMMER AUTUMN WINTER The Faceter’s Tale First of all I should probably explain why this is a faceter’s tale and not a cutter’s tale. A gem cutter is an artisan usually working as fast as he can because time is money and gem setters will always becutting corners off emeralds and asking the cutter to put them back again! A faceter is an artisan with all the time in the world trying to produce an article of beauty, By Doug Morgan FICME FGA Extract taken from issue 76 page 11,Click the image to see more Letter to the Editor: I'm a self taught faceter as I assume are the majority of the UKFCG guild members, however, during the past 4 years I've tried to hone my techniques with very rewarding results - yes I've had problems and made mistakes, some trivial others major, still do have these occasionally. A big thank you to Keith Ardron for the following: Extract taken from issue 75 page 7,Click the image to see more Hints on photographing gems Cheap high-resolution digital cameras are often equipped with a built-in lens capable of focusing very close, so it is now easy to take photographs of gems. However, it is not at all easy to get perfect pictures. Dr Brad Amos (Hon. FRPS) Extract taken from issue 74 page 10,Click the image to see more EMERALD CUTS FOR VERY LOW REFRACTIVE INDEX MATERIALS The Emerald cut was designed to show the rich colour of emerald whilst having cut corners so that the brittle stones would not get damaged. As I investigated in an earlier article (Stonechat 72), for stones of refractive index below beryl (about 1.57) this style of cut is limited in brightness. This is a shame as the long facets down the side of the stone show colour very well and the general outline of the cut can be very attractive. By Tim Smith Extract taken from issue 73 page 6,Click the image to see more FITTING STOP LAMPS TO GRAVES MK IV AND ULTRA-TEC MACHINES Faceters who use ‘hard stop’ machines will know that it is easy to overcut if a slightly raised finger pressure is applied to the stone after the stop block has been contacted. This is especially true on machines which are slightly wanting in rigidity. Article and Photos By Mike Richardson with addendum for Ultra-Tec by Graham Scarr and photos by Ian Slipper Extract taken from issue 72 page 16,Click the image to see more Caveat Emptor In the Emerald trade business in Bogota, Colombia, there Is a specific way of conducting business. While good stones and special stones are shown by the very owner, medium quality stones are usually traded by an intermediate Alain Viot Extract taken from issue 71 page 6,Click the image to see more SHARING THE SECRETS. Picture the scene. In my hand is a large piece of dream rough, the sort that must have cut those fancy bits in the museum. This is going to be the definitive cut. In my minds eye I can see the ideal shape which will fit in between all those nasty looking cracks and blemishes. The angles will fit perfectly. This will be the big one, by Graham Scarr Extract taken from issue 70 page 11,Click the image to see more DOP IT SQUARE! New-comers to faceting will find that the literature is full of advice on the dopping procedures. Some of these are unnecessarily complicated and advocate a range of heat lamps, irons, spirit stoves, hotplates, painting the stone with shellac, light bulbs etc. all geared up to getting the stone warm to stick to the dop. Very few address the basic requirement of getting the stone on the dop square. by Mike Richardson Extract taken from issue 69 page 12.Click the image to see more I'd rather not be telling about this... in fact, I wish it had never happened to be written about. But, in the hope of averting future pain and possible tragedy for other FACETS readers, I tell this tale of woe. Pin wearing a rather uncomfortable back brace these days - and have been for the past seven weeks. All because of neglected safety precautions. by Merle A. Reinikka Extract taken from issue 68 page 14.Click the image to see more Tanzanite, named after the country of origin,Tanzania, was first found in that country in the 1960s, and then finding its niche in the world market place in the early 1970s By Dennis Durham Extract taken from issue 67 page 4.Click the image to see more Recntly I acquired a beautiful blue Afghan fluorite that was already faceted as a square emerald step cut. This had plenty of depth and consequently good colour but was marred by poor meets and a general lack of brightness Extract taken from issue 65 page 9.Click the image to see more The whole idea behind reversible lap direction is to overcome the effects of the differential strains in crystalline growth, whichresults in striated or otherwise zoned hardness differences Extract taken from issue 63 page 5.Click the image to see more Faceting a gemstone can be both fascinating and tedious and some of the tedium can be alleviated by being able to sit comfortably at the right height under appropriate lighting in order to make the necessary observations Extract taken from issue 61 page 4.Click the image to see more Barite is a very common mineral and can be found throughout the U.K. in a variety of geological environments. In some places the mineral has been found in such a large amount as to be mined in its own right as an economic product Extract taken from issue 59 page 9.Click the image to see more In our issue #51 of September/October 2003, Jim Finlayson, the proprietor of AGATEWARE proposed and sponsored a mini competition for the UKFCG for the best “Bullet” design, and one which would exceed 70% ISO brightness Extract taken from issue 56 page 9.Click the image to see more Sumner Olsen was born in 1918, and served in the United States Air Force for 33 years before retiring as a full Colonel, and unhappily, passed away in November 2000 Extract taken from issue 50 page 12.Click the image to see more The cutting instruction sequence for ovals has been designed to achieve a specific length/width ratio to establish the correct geometry. Once the correct geometry has been established, there is no reason to adhere to the cutting sequence Extract taken from issue 48page 13.Click the image to see more Opal is a non crystalline mixture, being an hydrated silica. It is considered to be a “hardened jelly” By Keith Tucker Extract taken from issue 47page 4.Click the image to see more BACKISSUES FSC 88 SPRING 2010 FSC 88 ADDENDUM SUMMER FSC 89