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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 2:18 pm 
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Any update on a ship date? I think many of us have seen or followed your journey to current. You mentioned "I had to", which I take as just a something you decided to do in gaining the information to progress. Not that you actually had to. I personally have no problem with your 80$ price tag, like I said earlier. But like Steve said, the designs your publishing to me as a commercial cutter are the designs I typically recut or enhance with a better polish or correcting the symmetry. I am not diminishing your work in any way on this book. Reentering a design in GCS or GC, I do not see that as your design, of course your personal work entering in the software. Many will take your book and do the same, tweak it, print it out and place the pretty book on the shelf. It will be a great addition to many factors design collections.

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 7:05 pm 
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justinkprim wrote:
I recently purchased Graham’s money cuts. It has 42 designs and cost around $40 if I remember correctly. So it’s about $1 per design.

My book has 50 designs in two depths so it’s 100 diagrams total. You can buy the book for $80 so that’s $1.60 per design (or 80cents per diagram). In addition, mine has 50 full page color photos of a stone in that cut, it has color renders, it has a 35 page design and rough fundamentals section that has a lot of value for all cutters, and the entire book is in full color. Plus it’s a beautiful, easy to use book for your shelf. It’s really not comparable to Jeff Graham’s offerings. Its not meant to be in the same category.


Jeff’s books are still available today for $23

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:49 pm 
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Yes you’re right $23!

As for shipping, October 1 is still the official date though I’m hoping to get them out a week or two earlier. Going through this for the first time, there are snags at literally every step of the manufacturing process but I anticipated this when I made our original timeline and the Oct 1 date still looks accurate. We’ve worked through all the snags with the bank and the printer and printing should begin next week, hopefully on the 16th of all goes well. The covid delta wave has Thailand on a serious lockdown, so I have my fingers crossed that nothing shuts down the printing factory before then. They have 800 employees, so the danger potential is high.

And then there is the wonderful world of shipping with all of its yet unknown hurdles. Wish me luck.

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Sun Aug 08, 2021 4:20 pm 
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Justin, I'm not trying to be a negative with you, just give you a perspective from someone who I would think would be your target type customer.

I think the idea of two versions of the book makes sense, as a display book in a jewelry store would be quit different than a shop manual. For me, the ideal shop manual would be a pdf file of the book, and then files of the designs that could be opened in GemCAD or GemCutStudio. Two versions of each design wouldn't be necessary as anyone could quickly tangent ratio the design, or if the files were include tweak them in the software. As a cutter, this approach would be more useful than a pretty book and nice stock paper.

I think you would end up selling a lot more copies this way as a download, and your cost per copy sold with basically be nothing. Take what ever profit you think are going to make on the printed book, and charge that plus a but more, and you will make a lot more money. Plus no need to deal with shipping and all the time to package and answer questions about why it hasn't arrived yet.

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2021 1:45 pm 
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I think that is a sound suggestion.


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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Tue Aug 10, 2021 2:26 am 
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I would like to have that book but actually the price plus postage plus VAT and taxes make it regress on my wish list.

I totally agree with Justin, that all the work put into it justifies the price. Why not look for print on demand solutions in different parts of the world. Like it or not but I think Amazon offers solutions for that. Tom Herbst used that I think) And eventually put a code into the book allowing to download files for the designs.

Martin


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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:45 pm 
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For anyone that's interested, all 1000 books have arrived and I am packing them up one by one. The kickstarter preorders should be shipping out next week which means we are finally ready to start taking orders.

We have the book up for sale here and the orders should start shipping on October 1, after the preorders hit the mail!

https://www.magusgems.com/product-page/ ... gemcutting

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 5:52 pm 
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I like the spiral binding. :D


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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:23 pm 
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Congratulations on the book Justin. You should be proud after all the work you put into it. It looks like it came out great!

Steve


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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:48 pm 
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Just an update book arrived, have a 90/10 rating +/- overall on the book. Just my personal opinion based on all the previous faceting books I own. It is well done overall, and the price isn't bad if you consider the cost of shipping from Thailand. I think for us experienced cutters it is a little just more of the same, but a well worth it for the new and younger cutters that are not all that familiar with cutting traditions.

Good job Justin! and thanks for your continuing contributions to faceting.

There is something to learn from each and everyone of us.

If anyone cares the 10 is mainly in the preforming sections, which in itself is so controversial in nature across the faceting arena anyway.

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 5:46 pm 
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Thanks I’ll take it! A 90% on rotten tomatoes is a pretty outstanding movie :D I knew the preforming concept would be a bit shocking to some and for those people I have a video course In the works that walks through all the steps from preforming, dopping, cutting, transferring, and polishing. A full apprenticeship via video! Thanks for the kind words and I hope you find the designs useful! We are working on volume 2 now which will be modern cuts! More faceted girdles! Less hand shaping!

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 10:45 pm 
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Anyone cut some designs from the book yet? Any gem photo's to post?

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2021 4:19 pm 
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Yeah pretty much every day, the book is titled 50 classic gemstone designs, none specifically from the book though. Diff is the designs in the book are with out girdles unless shape dictates to have one.
Been meaning to input one of the so called classic old mine styles into GC or GCS and see how it performs at the stated RI's in the book, but just not that important on the todo list.

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 1:43 am 
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glhays wrote:
Yeah pretty much every day, the book is titled 50 classic gemstone designs, none specifically from the book though. Diff is the designs in the book are with out girdles unless shape dictates to have one.
Been meaning to input one of the so called classic old mine styles into GC or GCS and see how it performs at the stated RI's in the book, but just not that important on the todo list.


I guess I don't quite understand your answer. So your answer is No you haven't cut anything from the book yet? I was kind of interested to see some of the results from these designs.

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 Post subject: Re: My new book, The Secret Teachings of Gemcutting, is now
PostPosted: Wed Dec 15, 2021 3:20 pm 
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Clearly you do. As I said the designs in this book are nothing but classic shapes, and designs, in standard patterns and angles. How many ways can a round Brilliant be cut that has not been done already. The book instructs how one should follow the patterns but does not give a meet point type sequence, so cutters that strictly follow the meet point design styles will be challenged somewhat whit out the standard girdle facet to follow in the designs where a girdle facet is absent or the gem has been preformed to have a smooth girdle. All the girdle facets are fudged in to give that standard straight as can be appearance. Which can be found in the old and new DataVue database and many others sources.
This is why in my earlier review when I received my copy, I felt that the preforming section is not really adequately documented to properly take the stone to the faceting machine for cutting one of the designs. Excluding the square and rectangular designs. Without some experience in cutting in non meet point type scenario.
Buy the book? There are few designs near the end that look intriguing but in reviewing the provided rendering not all that appealing to me to spend the time and rough to cut just for show and tell.

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