Amateur Gemstone Faceting Volume 2: Expanding Your Horizons

I'm not even through reading this book, and have already found that it is CHOCK FULL of choice information, loads of tips and tricks, and even includes some great DIY "gear" that you can build to increase the accuracy of your faceting machine! The first volume of the series was fantastic, and I would have rated it as a 7 out of 5 if I could have, and the same goes for this book.If you buy Volume 1, do yourself a favor and get Volume 2, too... you WON'T be disappointed!! And if you're considering this book, you really need to look at getting Volume 1 as well. Together they make for a truly dynamic duo for broadening your knowledge in faceting gems! Thank you Mr. Herbst for writing these books, seriously, they are both absolutely fantastic!!

This is the most complete and up to date faceting book(s) that exists. Creatively written and loaded with graphics, this books makes faceting concepts easy to understand. This book will be the standard faceting reference for decades to come. A must have for any faceter, beginner to pro. Vol 2 has lots of cool stuff you might never use, but loads of stuff you might also.

Extremely well done. The author goes into great detail and provides outstanding graphics to illustrate his topics. The book covers everything you could ever want to know about faceting and more. This is the book that covers most of the more spoken about previously. This ia a must have, graduate level text, for all serious faceters. I only wish his pictures and graphics could have been in color. Thank you Tom.

The brotherhood of 'Faceters' (from expert to newbie) owe Tom a huge debt; these 2 volumes are written by someone who combines a very well learned body of knowledge with the talent and attitude to make for some very interesting reading on very heady engineering/science/artistic and practical topics. Required reading for anyone really interested in gemstones, and how we humans make them sparkle.Wish I had this years ago. Tom inspires! Please pardon the reminiscing about related 'inspirers': I was lucky enough to be inspired by Jan Brownstein in Bethel, ME; I met him almost 30 years ago at his mine, and that single meeting changed my life, and also that of my three girls (we all became instant rockhounds). I found out that Jan passed while cracking some rock at Mt Apatite this summer... Jan, I hope they have Amazon up there, and you get a chance to read Tom's stuff. I'm still learning from you both.

The most complete and thorough book that I have ever seen on basic gemstone faceting. It is also beautifully illustrated and easy enough to read and understand. It should become the standard text in the field in a few short years. It is perhaps too much information all at once for a rank beginner. (He might do better with a simple step by step pedantic approach.) However, after a few stones, Even the rank beginner would soon find himself referring to this book. Highly recommended for any faceter or lapidary craftsman.

Tons of knowledge cramed in this book. The stereo pictures don't work for me as my eyes aren't perfectly aligned.

Best faceting book you can buy. Be sure to buy the second volume too.Dr Herbst wrote the best organized book on faceting extant. Basic enough for the beginner, complete enough for the pro. Most of the professional cutters I know also have copies on their shelves.

I started faceting in the 80s, and read books by Soukup, Vargas, Unruh and Wykoff. I also took an entry level gemology class to learn more about gemstone properties. I've been out of the hobby for about 15 years, and recently got the urge to pick it up again. I decided to get these books, both 1 and 2, to feed my rekindled interest. Boy, am I ever glad I did! Not only does Herbst cover the topics I learned back in the day, he brings me up to date on changes due personal computers and the Internet. Best of all, he does it with a humorous and engaging manner that holds my interest. I totally recommend these books!

THICK BOOK. A lot of information. Very well illustrated.

Très bon second ouvrage sur le facetage. Juste dommage que les illustrations et photos soient en noir et blanc. Je le recommande vivement.

For anybody interested in gemstone faceting is a great starting and intermediate reading on the subject, probably some advanced too

Tom has managed to produce two volumes of impressive books on Amateur Gemstone Faceting in a very accessible and fun writing style.This second volume takes the more experienced gemstone cutter really into the thick of things and starts putting the title of the series into perspective. "Professional Gemstone Faceting" would be a title that would equally apply here.For those among us who are familiar with the Vargas books on gemstone faceting, I can only say that Tom has produced a worthy successor. These two volumes should be recognized as the next golden standard in amateur gemstone faceting, covering both basic faceting and many contemporary subjects as Computer Aided Design of gemstones, optimizing faceting machine performance and many more interesting subjects.To every amateur gem cutter, novice and experienced alike, these books are worth every single penny.

Great book