The first four original cuts

Built for fire.

Gem Beam™ is a growing collection of original faceting designs—precise cutting patterns shaped to turn hard material and a single point of light into movement.

96-index gear RI 1.62–1.83 Published September 27, 2026
The bench's shrimp mascot — a red shrimp inspecting a faceted gem with a loupe ↓ Diagram Library

Explore

Daily Today's Rough Finds Hand-picked faceting rough at standout prices. Each find stays up until the next one replaces it. Weekly Market Board What rough and finished stones are actually trading for. Realized auction prices, no hype. Handbook Critical Angles The cheat sheet for hard-to-find synthetics — refractive index and critical angle at a glance. Handbook Ring Inlay Guide Turn rough offcuts into a ring — crushed stone, glue, and a channel band, start to polished finish. Reference YAG Yttrium aluminum garnet — the laser crystal that cuts like a dream. Properties, colors, and cutting notes. Free reference Diagram Library Classic faceting designs in the public domain — pick a diagram and cut from this page.
The bench's shrimp mascot — a red shrimp inspecting a faceted gem with a loupe From the same bench The Other Livestock Bloody Mary shrimp, bred in tanks decorated with hand-faceted glass gems. The whole story — fifty founders, three tanks, and a breeding program — told from the beginning.

About the collection

Every facet has a job.

Gem Beam™ is the house name for this collection of original cuts. Each design has its own character, but the aim stays the same: decisive geometry, strong light return, and enough crown architecture to let a dispersive stone show color.

All four editions are set for a 96-index machine. Ember Cushion, Firestorm Round, and Beacon Round target RI 1.62–1.76, with quartz practice conversions included; Radiance Round is tuned for light-pink Nd:Ce:YAG at RI 1.83.

At the bench

Cut notes.

01

Cut for the material.

Ember Cushion, Firestorm Round, and Beacon Round target RI 1.62–1.76. Radiance Round is purpose-built for light-pink Nd:Ce:YAG at RI 1.83.

02

Raise the pavilion for quartz.

For quartz or glass near RI 1.54, raise the pavilion mains by about 2°. Ember: P1 43°, P2 41°, P3 46.5°. Firestorm: P1 44°, P2 46.5°, P3 41°. Beacon: P1 43°, P2 46°.

03

Let the meets decide.

The numbers establish the design. The stone closes it. Make small angle corrections at the lap rather than forcing a printed value.

Complete diagram