All the gems I cut my first year faceting.

365 days and 100+ gems later…

I can officially say I have one year of faceting under my belt.

It feels like I’ve been doing this for about a decade now, but I literally got my machine ONE year ago! I didn’t know the first thing about faceting until last May!!!

I attended William Holland lapidary school in May, got my Ultratec faceting machine in September, and I haven’t looked back since. I cut one piece of quartz (which I couldn’t find a video of), then I jumped right into funky, flawed, and one-of-a-kind sapphires.

Over the last year, I have learned and grown more than I ever knew was possible. I have met so many wonderful people, heard so many incredible stories, and cut SO many beautiful gems!

I almost can’t believe it, but I’ve sent over 100 of my own hand-cut pieces out into the world since September 19th, 2023.

Whether you’ve purchased a piece from me, followed along, or even just liked one of my posts, I appreciate you more than I can put into words. You all let me work my dream job EVERY DAY!

And you get some beautiful new gems to show for it 🫶🏻

When I opened Twitter in 2019 and saw a wire wrapped pendant that I wanted to try making, I had no idea it would lead me here. I had just graduated high school and wanted to try out a fun new craft.

Five years later, after several roadblocks and a bit of rerouting, I turned that craft into my career path, and found my passion along the way. I am planning on cutting gems for as long as I physically can, and I can’t wait to see where I am another year from today!

Thank you all for an amazing year, and I hope the next one will be even better 🤍

If you’d like to keep up with what I’m doing on my socials, check out the links below!

Instagram (main):   / tayraegems  
Instagram (uncut):   / tayraeuncut  
Twitter:   / tayraegems  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/HfZUbV...

All my available gems, jewelry, and courses, can be found on my website ⬇️

https://www.tayraegems.com

(Last thing — I know there aren’t 100 gems in this video! I cut well over 100, but only added the 86 pieces that I had before & after clips of. I hope you enjoyed either way!)