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Gem Carving - Step by Step Tutorial

Tutorial on Gemstone Carving / Sculpting - US$35

PDF Dowload will be emailed 4-12 hours after purchase.
Gemstone carving / sculpting tutorial

This is an in-depth tutorial on the gem carving / sculpting techniques which shows in comprehensive  detail and easy to follow steps:

  • - Making your own carving polishing tools
  • - Polishing compounds explained
  • - Pre-forming and grinding rough stone
  • - Making Batt disk and polishing
  • This tutorial can be made in a standard smithing workshop. You will need:
  •  - Gem : rough gemstone material

You will receive :

  • -- 60 Pictures and illustrations
  • -- 36 Pages of detailed instructions
  • -- Personalized tips on tools and techniques

This Gem Carving Tutorial will be teaching in comprehensive detail how to carve a gemstone. Exact information on fashioning your own wheels to allow you to polish all the different curves and concaves of your gemstone design. Abrasive and polishing compounds used in carving gems is another subject thoroughly explained in this step by step instruction. It ensures that your gemstone will have a highly polished surface. The result will bring your gemstone to scintillating life. 

The free-form sculpting of a rough gem allows for a lot of artistic interpretation and creativity. Gem carving requires a light touch of the hand and patience. After the final polish excitement can hardly be contained to see the end result of all the time spent on carving the gemstone. Will the light dance around a reflective pool as planned? Did you coax intensity and play of light out of the gemstone?

Various polishing compounds for gem carving
Various polishing compounds
Different polishing buff shapes used in gem carving
Different polishing buff shapes
Pre-forming and grinding rough gemstone
Working on rough gem with grinding wheel
Achieving a high sheen on the gemstone wiht polishing slurry
Achieving a high sheen on gems using polishing slurry. 
Free-form carved aquamarine pendant
Free-form carved aquamarine pendant.

It is my hope this Gem Carving Tutorial will inspire you and that you will experience many a happy hour working on your gemstones, as I have.

Suggested Follow-up Projects

or select other jewelry making projects from Jewelry Making Class List

Recommended Tool Tips / Videos for this project

Metalsmith / Student Comments

Ewa writes: "Hi Hans,   I would like to thank you so much for your tutorial about gem carving. I have never carved or cut gems before but I always dreamt about it. I finished my gem two weeks ago and today I would like to share my work with you and send a picture of my ring.
Once again thank you so much for all. Thank you for sharing you knowledge with us. Thank you, thank you!"

Ewa, that is absolutely amazing, absolutely beautiful and absolutely impressive.
I don't think there is anything I like more than someone who uses one of my tutorials and then proceeds to MASTER it. I especially like the way you carved the back of the flower petals because it shows that you have a good grasp of the light play in a gemstone.