Thanks for that, comments like yours keep us going. We have been out prospecting (many times now) and had people come up and say "Are you . . ." and then describe how they've changed life direction and made a business of their own, or a hobby they're passionately interested in. That is just icing on the cake for us.

I just recently saw one of your videos and immediately became a subscriber. I was inspired by you and the Mrs craftmanship. I pray your surgery goes well and you have a speedy recovery.

Thanks Matt, I've learned a lot from you over the years. Hope all goes well with your surgery.

Matt, I have watched your videos over and over and over, and have dreamed of heading out west prospecting as you've done. Thanks for all the postings. I truly hope that all goes well with the surgery and may God give you and Connie a blessed Christmas/New Year's and quick healing. I truly wish you well.

just viewed your series for first time. I hope all is well for you, I think what you do is great!

Hey great video. From one rock hound to another I really enjoy your videos very informative. I've been collecting since I was 10 or about. Its a fantastic hobby and I'm glad to see the same type of passion . Thanks again

Matt so glad to see you are still making Videos

More wonderful information from a master of so many things. My prayers are with you for your surgery and subsequent full recuperation. Thanks for everything and Merry Christmas.

i love this man he is very well out spoken and as honest as there ever was. not to mention the years of experience he gladly shares and passes on to us. i humble myself and thank god for the eyes to see, ears to hear and people like this which we all should value. so thank you sir always sincere brandin

Your videos are some of the best--very well made with accurate information. Thank you, sir.

Matt ,Good luck with your surgery and best wishes to you and Connie Thanks so much for the inspiration you have given me. Rick

Thank you so much for making your videos, I have watched most of them and you have inspired me in so many ways. I have joined the GPAA and I am becoming a rock hound. You have also helped me set my goals for retirement, you might see a tall goofy guy up there at 12,000 feet looking for rocks with you one day. May the future bring you a wealth of heath and smiles. Thank you again.

I hope all went well with surgery, thank you for the fantastic videos, i look forward to seeing more

Thanks for the video. It was very interesting. I love when people share things they are passionate about.

Pharaoh's Eye, what an interesting cut, thank you for sharing.

Dear Matt Thanks for taking the time to show your hobbie/trade. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I hope your surgery goes well and you are back in the race quickly. God bless you. Tom Harrell

Matt, good luck with your surgery hope to see you back soon. Thanks for posting

I wish you well with your health and you get back here soon! - I'm not far from you and I wish we hooked up many years ago. Your videos are so loved!

Thank you, Matt. Very informative. I'm wishing the very best for you, and feel sure you will be teaching something new, very soon! Jenny (doctor, metalsmith, amateur jeweller)

good stuff, thank you! blessings to you and the mrs.

THANK'S MATT-ENJOYED YOUR INFO AND VIDEO-HOPE THE BEST FOR YOU ALWAYS !

Gosh this video was 10 years ago! I hope his surgery went well and they are continuing their passion!

Very informative video, thanks.

God bless you. Thanks so much for sharing

great video , just subscribed , hoping to jump into the business this year

Haven't been able to keep up with email lately, sorry. Facetron is a very good brand and proven design. Same can be said for Ultratec, Graves, and practically all the rest. The popular machines now are mainly the 3 mentioned, which means dops, parts, and upgrades are (if applicable) are readily had. Some of the older equipment I've mentioned in the past (Lee), are hard to impossible to get parts for (but they're pretty much bulletproof). The eye, not the machine, will determine quality work

Thank you, Tom.

I have the same masonic ring you do. This is a great vid

Wow you are awesome mat.

great video

holy moly this was fun to watch.

Fantastic very imformative always watching from Philippines😍😍😍😊😊😊😊

Thank you sir!

Still one of my favorite videos.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I will probably try the facitron, but If I can find a lee I may try that instead. I just likethat machine and the way its set up. I Build guitars for a living but am a machinist by trade. I have the equiptment to repair or alter any faceting machine... So I will probably be buying used. Hope you get a chance to read my email sooner or later! Thanks for your input! -Grant Hull -Hull Guitars USA-

thank you for your very informative video.. I'm a beginner and would like to take this up as a hobby soon and hopefully do something good enough to make pocket money ;) I hope your surgery went well and you're doing well.

Good luck with your surgery, Matt!!!

Plug "facet rough for sale" into the search and there are many options (dig it yourself if possible though).

.....good ol' capital A Americans.. man o man what happened to all of you that made this world so grand as a kid. :) I love the video and your character and view on the state of things in the U S of A. You care. Plain and Simple. I love it. God Bless and hope things went well with your surgery! God Speed. -PC

I have large of of gem doubt if if sapphire or etc.. need your help onfaceting.

Wonderful inspiring video. May I ask what faceting machine you are using. I'm a armchair faceted...I love looking at old cut stones and enjoy the light movement without the need for halogen lighting. My wifes jewelry...much of which I've bought is "Old Cut" Thank you for the easy to listen to instructions and insights. Once buying even an old machine by todays standards should I join a club or just wing it. I'm a Toolmaker/Welder & Laser welding technician. Using a microscope to weld. Your or anyone elses advice would be most appreciated.

I was just going to wish you good luck with the surgery. Then I realize that this is 7 years old. Hope you alright and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

Hello, I am an aspiring lapidary. I was wondering what maching i should start out on. And also, I am not sure if i should start out on cabbing or faceting. Please help me.

Great video, hope your throat is better.

Hi Mr Matt. My name is Jason. Thank-you for your video on faceting eye cut. I been collecting alot of stones for about 5 years now and I have had chances to learn alot from my hobby of collecting rocks in the ground. It's my time to learn how to cut and shape these stones. I'm going to invest in equipment. Want tool did you use prior to faceting the opal stone so that it was size for the facet saw? I'm going to subscribe to your channel. I really appreciated your calm way of explaining. Thank-you.

What's this machine called I found some Rubies and I want to see if I can cut them they are pretty big

I'm looking into getting into this as a fun money making hobby. I'm about to take classes on how to facet stones and to cut cabs here in Charlotte, NC. This seems to be a very secretive hobby. I'll talk to people about who do this and when I talk about getting into it as a hobby and for some side money, they just clam up. I've bought some books on this and some of the authors seem to say the same thing about people keeping this practice a secret. I have a decent paying day job that allows me to save up for this. I'm not doing this as a "get rich quick scheme". The only way my wife will allow me to do this is that I told her its for side income (even though I would mind doing it just for the craft). little by little I'm finding out more information about faceting and the difference between cutting stone myself and the ones sold at Walmart/Kmart/Kholes that go for 70% off. After I learn how to cut, I plan on saving up for a Lap. I have plenty of "undesirable rough" I can practice on to perfect the craft. I do have questions about selling. Ebay just seems to be flooded with imperfect junk stones from over sees. If I were to sell them on ebay, I feel that they would be obscured by cheap, inferior stones. part of this is addressed in this video. I guess my question is, what are the pros and cons of getting into this?

Hello. I need your help on faceting my Gem.

I know that meet point faceting uses a faceted girdle, but with a stone this valuable it was too bad that that you didn't take the time to round the girdle.

Man, you're good.

I was pretty much lost in the woods on the subject to transposing angles until I came upon: "Angles A Better Guide To Faceting" by William H. Echert and William J. Echert. Find that book. This book gives guide numbers for angles on the pavilion and crown to get the most brilliance. A surprise to the authors is that many original diagrams do not have angles set properly to begin with. The two angles most critical are the pavilion mains and crown mains. Make all other changes based on these.

Muy interezantes los videos me gustaria verlos en español

hi dear friend I´m from Guatemala, I work jade and I have tools and machines to do it, I recieved from a while a facetron machine and I wonder if I could cut jade whit it, but i don´t know hot to use it, I have no manuals, there are small tools and others pieces, please can you help me?

Nice eye

Where can I buy your opal stones, sir?

So are the rough stones ( ruby or sapphire ) you find on ebay really cheap and high carats total are able to become valuable once cut.

I'm sure that your surgery was a success. Now back to the faceting. Quick question about machines. I have been watching eBay for a deal on a used one for 500.00 I know a brand new one would be better But i'm thinking budget. Anything I should be weary of?

I need you cut my diamond and make it. How I contacted you.

How much does it cost to facet a stone

Forgot to mention, if you want to save yourself the pain of finding that book and doing tangent angle math, you can simply use the converter at Bob's Rock Shop (plug that into the search) and look for "online tangent converter" Good luck!

i totally agree the dumping of cheap stones mostly from Asia is a disgrace and ruining the livelihood of good honest people who want to make quality faceted gem stones. I dont know what the answer is booting the ones off of sites like ebay who try and pass fake rocks as genuine gem stones would be a start! Buyer Beware I guess! Trust is only thing you can hit back with! Your 100% right there ! Thanks for your videos very interesting!

Hi Matt great video. Thank you for sharing such a piece of valuable information. Matt I am very much want to learn faceting. At present, I am looking for some second-hand gem faceting machine. if you know could someone who is selling or some source where I could buy one. And if you have any suggestion about how I should start to make my dream come true i would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

Great video sir . Are you a traveling man ?

Where do you sell these pharoahs eyes I would like to add them in with my jewelry making. Thanks!

Ok hold up dude, this was a ten minute video I saw you take a total of two cuts on camera. Now I have done toolmaking for quite sometime so I understand tedious methods however I guess the best gemstones are made by eye balling, not the case with metal parts. I spent alot of time with my kid gem mining and thought with a machining background maybe I could find some one sharing and teaching the tricks of the trade. Unfortunately just like shopwork people want to keep things a secret. Well heres a secret you can either open up and teach your fellow people, or they can send it to China and have it faceted or machined for much cheaper. If this is strictly about just having a nice little chat and showing off your personal style of cut, bravo it is a beautiful cut. Aside from that I didn't even learn how to put the stone on a dopstick or learn anything about the rough cut. Thank you for sharing but description could be less misleading. .

Hi I have found a spot of tree Opel ,from twig size to about 30 in's around ,some have precious the rest are fire many colors black ,white ,purple,yellow ,red and mixed .? What abrasive would you recommend to tumble the white crusty stuff off ? Thanks

The link takes me to an EBay store that only has stickers and that is all. Can you provide me a different link possibly?

Good luck with your endevour'

I've been looking for "finding gold 6" or 7 and there is nothing there.

Ok Matt I have some stones I'd like to have cut what do you charge? Also have some I sent off to have cut, could I send you a few to look at. Tell me what you think

can i biy copy of all ur cuting diyagrames just email

I would like to have a Cleopatra

Jan, you are very kind. Our mail address: Matt & Connie Mattson, P.O. Box 5226, Spring Hill, FL 34611 Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happiest of New Years as well!

how to choose a good lapidary machine ?.

Matt we hope (me and my wife Sabina) you get well soon. Have a merry Christmas and a Heathy 2013. Ps have you got a home adress so we can send you a postcard? Greetings from Holland. Jan Bovenberg

I love opals and am a novice. I have seen and noticed that the market is flooded with so many Opals from China and India. They are claiming to sell Welo Opals. Is there any way to tell them apart. I figured that as a novice I should learn to Cab first, before I get into the intricate cuts. I love stones, as no one is the same, they are all different and unique.

But aren't you forgetting the time and effort it takes for you to cut the stone? It's more like an hourly wage if you look at it like that.

Playback speed of 1.25, you’re welcome

Can I spend around 500 on eBay and get a decent faceting machine?

Archangel gems, Coleman wholesale

The machine shouldn't be so old or unique that you can't find dops and shy away from a machine in parts unless you know the model well. If you come up with "Greko" faceting machine - plug in "Greko dops" and see if there are any.

I find it interesting that you downgrade Ebay stones. If you are carefull in your bidding by buying only certified stones you can get some nice gems from India or Sri Lanka. One drawback however is that most of these stones have been cut with a template cutter and the facets do not meet. There are inexpensive spectascopes you can buy and/or build. It is also important to have a good Ultra Violet lamp. Two actually. A UV-A and a UV-B. and a low power microscope. 1-50 power. This is where real money gains can be made. Re-cutting a poorly cut stone is far less work than starting on a rough piece. You can turn a two dollar stone into a $200 stone with very little effort. Also buying large stones that are full of faults can be a real saving as well. By breaking apart large stones at the faults you can get some nice pieces that can be cut into smaller gems. It's always fun to play at what you can get for very little and what you can turn it into. I must say this has been a great video though. Thankyou

''Let's get back to cutting those eyeballs'' I thought you were gunna cut some opals?...lol jk

Your time created it...time that you could use earning money in a job...if you do it then it has to be financially beneficial and be equal to if not better than the money you get from a normal job unless it's an hobby.

!

People today more and more just want to buy your gemstone you worked so hard on for 10 dollars at Walmart. I learned how to facet gemstone about 1 yr before the home shopping network started selling cut gemtones. Except that 20 dollar stone I faceted that should have been worth 100 dollars cut, was now worth 10 or less. So I could no longer make any money. 8 hrs of work for nothing because they got someone on the other side if the world to cut it for pennies. Us Americans can do beautiful high quality work and make value until they can do it with a little less quality in another country. And put us out of business. Maybe we can only make money if we sell it as art. But fewer and fewer people can recognize quality or even care any more.

i sell rough gemstones

Can I message you on email?

search for job of gemscutting

That's not an opal

This man died. Sad.

So.... outsourcing American jobs to China is a human right, but damn those Chinese gemstone-cutting whorehouses driving down the price of gemstones... I'm all for craftsmen earning their keep, but you really need to understand the difference between free-enterprise and capitalism. It is a subtle difference - mainly that of earning money from your own labor (added value) vs. 'unearned income' (look up that term) from other people's labor, through speculation, rent, or primarily from ownership (stock dividends - finance). It is possible to have a system of free enterprise without capitalism.