Silicon Blossom

Design by Greg Glenn

Pre-Master stone for 2006 USFG competition

I cut this stone in pink corundum from the new boule they make that are full round now. There are a lot of floating facets on the pavilion so be careful that you don't get marked for unequal facets.

The key to cutting this stone is equal girdle facets. You may do this in several ways, the best in my opinion is to cut the breaks P1 55.74 all the way to center point and follow the girdle line around. If you don't have enough material to do that then you need a good girdle stop or use the ohm meter for a dead stop. I had none of the above and after cutting P3 it was obvious that I was not on, so I had to go back and make some corrections to my girdle. Once you get your girdle facets equal it is not to bad of a stone to cut, if not you will never get the stone right. P5 cuts in very quickly and you need a very light touch, also be aware that corundum has some soft spots in it so be careful not to over cut. The crown looks difficult but goes together fairly easy, the only thing you have to watch out for is making meet point at the apex, but I found that easy to do with keeping an eye on it and using my micro adjuster.

I spent about nine hours on this stone and it is cut good enough for competition, at first I thought it to difficult for pre-master but after cutting it changed my mind.

Art Kavan