The very first four faceted stones I ever cut and faceted…
These first two are cut in the GeM101 design by Tom Herbst in Clear Quartz and Amethyst Cubic Zirconia (CZ), weighing in at 1.6 carats (9.5 mm diameter) and 3.75 carats (9.15 mm diameter) respectively. Mr. Herbst created the pinwheel-style GeM101 design specifically for beginning faceters specialized for the common quartz gems, but I also think it looks great when cut in CZ (which is well-known for its flashes and sparkles with light).
Again, I’m not the greatest photographer by far and should have made a better effort to clean the quartz stone a little better, but was happy how they turned out. The design was created by Mr. Herbst to be a “first design to cut” in his book “Amateur Gemstone Faceting Volume 1: The Essentials” (which by the way is an excellent book on faceting).
Then these second two are an Easy Eight in Yellow CZ (9.25 carats, 11.85 mm diameter) and an Easy Cushion in Violet CZ (5.40 carats, 8.65 mm square). Both designs also by Jeff R. Graham, and all cut on an ULTRA TEC VL Classic Analog. Loving it ULTRA TEC, thank you!
Jeff R. Graham was a great and skilled gemstone expert and faceter that created many original designs, authored books on the subject and wrote scores of articles for the International Gemstone Society. Today, many of his excellent designs have been made available to the public for free and which can be downloaded, for which I am extremely grateful for!