Amateur Gemstone Faceting Volume 1: The Essentials

This is an incredibly thorough, thoughtful , and useful treatise on many facets ;-D of gemcutting. Highly readable and very punny. A great book for newbies and experienced cutters looking to expand their skills and knowledge. Order the 2nd book as well and keep them handy! Helped me as a newb troubleshoot hidden inclusions, etc. to cut great gems.

A fantastic primer to the world of faceting. Takes a lot of the mystery out of the whole process. The book is an absolute bargain compared to about everything else needed to get into faceting stones. Its very well written - very informative, but best of all - its not a dry textbook - its candid and entertaining. Highest recommendation for beginners (like me). Buy/read this book before you spend money buying a faceting machine or any of the other items which you need to get started.

This is a great book. I will admit however Gem 101 is not the easiest gem in the world and I would recommend a gem with either just 1 tier of Pavilion facets or one that is not just 1 degree off from the other facets.

The details are clear and understandable

Tom's books are an excellent source of faceting information, both to the beginner and the more advanced faceters. You'll need both volumes as they are extensively cross referenced between the volumes. Tom is an astrophysicist and what I enjoyed is that he writes from a first person perspective. I could imagine him giving a lecture on faceting as I read his books, with little sidelines to more fully explain what he was presenting. Tom covers all aspects of faceting from the history of faceting, the selection of the faceting rough, descriptions of current & past faceting machines, the process of cutting the gemstone, designing faceting designs and use of current software to accomplish the design.

My experience level before reading this was a beginner faceting class and 2 stones. I found it highly helpful in expanding my skill set and filling in concepts that the class didn't cover thoroughly. I'll be buying Volume 2 soon. The cost was higher than some of the old faceting books, but I found out that Amazon prints the book on demand. The author details how it was published which is a neat read in the book. For now Amazon is the source so there is no need to shop around. The only negative I see is that there is only one faceting pattern in the book, but that's in Volume 2 so I won't take any stars off!

A nice thick book appears to have the 411 Im looking for

I just finished reading this book and it's fantastic! Being new to faceting (but not new to the lapidary arts), this book answered my questions and made the patch clear and precise with regards to my journey into the field of faceting. I am just starting on the second volume (a continuation of this volume) and know that it will be just as great! Just about every quality site on faceting I've run across has recommended this book, and I can clearly see why. Definitely one that I'll be referring to for a long time! Thank you!

An exceptionally precise and well-structured guide for anyone looking to embark on the journey of gemstone faceting. I found it extremely valuable and insightful. The author cleverly adds a touch of humor to ease the tension from the highly technical content, making the book both informative and enjoyable to read. Highly recommended!

I've just started cutting gemstones and I've been finding it hard to find comprehensive information for the beginner. Lots of chat sites assume a pre-existing basic level of knowledge. This book takes you in great detail, step by step, from workshop set-up to your finished stone. And the writer is just so darn funny and encouraging, you feel like he is right there with you. I give this book my full recommendation - I feel very grateful it exists! Thank you Tom Herbst!

Gran libro, buena entrega

Fantastic intro into gemstone faceting. Thanks Tom!

Great starter