Blink: Online Faceting Designs and Diagrams
Jeff Graham’s Blink cut is a great design for tourmalines. When viewed straight on, every facet reflects light, but if you rock the stone it will “blink.”
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You can find cutting instructions for the Blink here.
Cutting Remarks
I'm always looking for ways to cut tourmaline crystal shapes. My Blink design suits long pieces of rough very well and has an interesting look. This is another "Money Cut," something you can cut quickly that performs very well. However, it's not an easy cut. You need to be at the correct length to width ratio (L/W). Otherwise, things won't meet on the table without some adjustments.
It helps to cut in the table so you can tell where C6, C7 meet. If you aren't sure, cut them a little short and do them after the table. The P6 tier is made to be scaled in to save rough. (42 to 68° won't affect the light return much at all).
Notice that the L/W on this stone is 1.50. The Blink has a very high light return for a stone of this L/W. It's keeled, so it will return a nice yield in crystal shaped rough. However, the keel design will still give it a nice brilliant look.
Enjoy cutting your own "Blink."
Detailed faceting instructions by Jeff Graham available at The Rock Peddler
Jeff R. Graham
The late Jeff Graham was a prolific faceter, creator of many original faceting designs, and the author of several highly-regarded instructional faceting books such as Gram Faceting Designs.
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