The Some Times Newsletter from ULTRATEC

May / June 2004 Edition

Midwest Faceters Guild Seminar

The Midwest Faceters Guild Seminar will be happening August 20-22 in Flint, Michigan. It’s a great “hands-on event”, with interesting classes, from beginning to advanced levels—you can check out their program on the Guild’s website. It’s a great event to meet and chat with nice people, knowledgeable people, all interested in faceting.

I speak from experience, having visited this seminar in 1994—(To look up that date, I got out my tee-shirt from the event, and it says”1994”—yes the tee-shirt is a bit tattered, but it still serves for gardening—as my wife Maxine says, it’s a testimony to my reckless spending habits).

I bring to your attention that early registration is a good idea—classes may fill up. For more information or to request a registration packet, please contact Tyler Miller, 2071 West Reid Road, Flint, MI 48507 or Telephone:(810)655-6530 or by E-mail tmiller277@comcast.net

Think about attending the seminar—you will have a wonderful time, and you will gain new friendships, and perhaps renew some old ones. And, of course, you will come away much smarter about faceting—not the least opportunity being a chance to meet Jim Perkins who will be speaking and hobnobbing.

“The advantages of designing diagrams with odd symmetry” will be Jim Perkins subject when he speaks at the Guild Seminar. Odd symmetries are popular because of their enhanced scintillation. His case-in-point will be the “Coliseum Cut”, for which he used the 77 Index Gear (yes, indeed, Ultra Tec offers a 77—along with a number of 77 designs to get you started). You may know Jim Perkins from his many faceting articles in Rock and Gem.

JIM PERKINS, probably like you, became interested in rocks when he was a 10 year old kid. Over his young years he accumulated some equipment, and taught himself cabbing. It wasn’t until 1998, however, that Jim became introduced to faceting, attending the William Holland school. In the following years, but obviously rather quickly, he became interested in competition cutting, and in 2001 he graduated himself to an Ultra Tec.

He’s very active in faceting—writing, lecturing, and teaching. He frequently attends the meetings of the Summit Lapidary Club, of Cuyahoga Falls, where he offers guidance to their faceting group.

Jim Perkins at his Ultra Tec

Jim and his wife Kim (easy to remember, Jim & Kim) have two grown daughters, Katie and Betsy. An interesting faceting project—for Betsy’s upcoming wedding, proud daddy Jim is designing stones for the bridesmaids—a 5-pointed star design (appropriate—the groom being a military man), and for Betsy, he’s doing the “Sweetheart” cut.

If you go to the Seminar, you will have a chance to talk to him. If you don’t, you may well run into him at other shows—say hello.

Joe Rubin

joe@ultratec-facet.com

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