Midwest Faceters Guild · A two-day faceting weekend
The Beginner’s Class
and the Meetpoint Meetup
Two events · One weekend · Two rooms
The Beginner’s Class is a hands-on workshop taught by experienced cutters: no experience needed, and all the cutting equipment is provided. The Meetpoint Meetup, sponsored by the United States Faceters Guild, is for cutters already at the bench, cutting one gem together as a room, start to finish, across two days.
Register for one track, not both. The two run side by side, in separate rooms, on the same two days. You are either a student in the Beginner’s Class or a cutter at the Meetpoint Meetup. Both events are open to everyone: you do not need to be a Guild member to register.
| When | November 13 and 14, 2026 · Friday and Saturday |
| Hours | Day One: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM · Day Two: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, both tracks |
| Where | Jackson County Sportsmen’s Club 500 Mantle Avenue, Jackson, MI 49202 Parking on site |
| Cost | $250 Beginner’s Class · $50 Meetpoint Meetup |
| Register by | October 30, 2026. Places are limited and both tracks have a hard cap. |
| Lunch | We are arranging options. Details to follow. |
| Weather | 25°F to 45°F. Mid-November in Michigan. Pack accordingly. |
Two tracks. Pick your bench.
Both tracks break every 45 to 90 minutes for skill shares, demos and knowledge swaps.
Never touched a faceting machine? Start here.
Day one
- Machine, dop and index: how it all actually works
- Setting angles and cutting to a meetpoint
- Cut and polish your first pavilion
Day two
- Transfer, then cut the crown and table
- Polish, inspect, and take your stone home
Before you come
- No experience needed. Complete beginners are exactly who this class is for.
- Nothing to buy. Machines, laps, dops and rough are all provided. Bring your own machine if you have one and would rather learn on it.
- One thing to bring: a 10x triplet loupe, or a head mount magnifier, so you can inspect your own stone as you go.
Who is teaching
Several experienced cutters share the class, and the student to instructor ratio is usually one to one or one to two. Every student gets a notebook and a curriculum from the Guild’s education committee. This year’s instructors will be named here nearer the date.
Already at the bench? The whole room cuts one gem together.
Day one
- Round your girdle, then follow the pacesetter
- Cut and polish tier by tier, together
- A finished gem by the end of the day
Day two
- Finish up anything left on your stone
- Try each other’s machines and techniques
- Photos, show and tell, and shop talk
One volunteer sets the tempo and the room stops after every tier, so nobody gets left behind. Everyone doing one thing at the same time is the whole point: it gives you something to compare against. The gem is really the excuse.
Before you come
- Around twenty stones cut, give or take. This is a guide to whether you will keep up with the room, not a test to pass.
- You can transfer unaided, with wax or a fast-setting glue. The group finishes a gem in a day, so a 24-hour gluing routine will leave you a day behind by lunchtime.
- Your own machine, laps, dops and supplies. Water is on site, and the rough is provided: it is prepared and preformed in advance so the room can start together.
A word about machines
Because the room cuts one gem to a shared tempo, your machine needs to hold an angle and an index repeatably. The inexpensive imported machines sold under the Vevor name will not do that reliably, and their owners spend the weekend fighting the equipment instead of cutting. If that is what you have, come and talk to us first. We would rather help you sort it out than have you lose the day.
What to bring
- Your faceting machine, laps and dops
- Transfer jig and dopping supplies
- Loupe, calipers, power strip, and anything else you normally use
- Rough is provided, so there is nothing to source beforehand
 |
The Meetpoint Meetup is sponsored by the United States Faceters Guild. |
The rest of the weekend
Friday evening
There is a group dinner at a restaurant nearby on the Friday. The venue and time are booked once we know the numbers, and everyone registered is emailed the details before the weekend.
Staying over
There are plenty of options within a short drive of the club. We will add a list here.
Setting up
Tables, chairs and the Guild machines go in on Thursday evening, and there is cleaning up to do on Saturday afternoon. Volunteers are welcome for both. Pizza on Thursday.
Getting there
Jackson County Sportsmen’s Club, 500 Mantle Avenue, Jackson, MI 49202. Parking is on site.
Membership
Registering for the Beginner’s Class includes Guild membership through April 13, 2027. You will get a note before it runs out with two ways to continue. The Meetpoint Meetup does not include membership.
Refunds
Both fees are non-refundable. Please make sure the weekend works for you before you register, and get in touch early if something changes.
Questions
Email support@midwestfaceters.org. One address, and somebody reads it.
