Sphere and bead cuts

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A faceted sphere of size is to some extend the ultimate challenge to the faceter.
It's big and to approximate the sphere shape it's made with lots of facets

The Smithsonian in Washington DC has a 12.555 carat big topaz sphere with more than thousand facets on display.
Smaller spheres are used for jewellery, usually as smaller beads, and there is'nt really any use for big spheres except for showing off.

Here are a small collection of some of these cuts. Some are online available, others must be bought or lend.

Cut By Date Remarks
In the following, the pictures are screen dumps from either GemCad or GemCutStudio showing the outline of the design.
Designs with a Dvue number is available from facetdiagrams.org as long as they are open.
1224 Ball
 Jeff Ford December 2001 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
60 Facet Sphere
 E. J. Cornish Midwest Faceter, Jun 90  
Annear Sphere
 Robert W. Strickland Facet Talk 2000 or 2001 Available as pc45110.asc – Facetdiagrams.org
Brillant Form Sphere
 Glenn Martha Vargas Diagrams for Facetting In it's published form nowhere near a sphere.
Bucky Sphere
 Jeff Ford USFG Faceterslist – Yahoo Groups, 2001  
Dave's Sphere
 Dave Miller Pc01389 - DVue2 - Diagrams for Faceting v3 (1987)  
Dodecahedron
 Jeff Ford Rockhounds.com FacetersCompanion CD v2.002, 2001  
Eighty Triangles
 Robert W. Strickland TFG Newsletter, Apr 95, p13 Available as pc42044 on Facetdiagrams.org
Eighty Triangles fixed
 Robert W. Strickland TFG Newsletter, Apr 95, p13 Available as pc42044a on Facetdiagrams.org
FacetDesigner Sphere
 Anton V. Vasiliev May 30th 2004 Available through download of FacetDesigner from - among others - www.polymetric.com on their Design page.
Hexaxis Icosahedron
 Robert W. Strickland USFG Yahoo website, Feb 2012 Available as pc01.628 on Facetdiagrams.org
Holiday Ball
 Ernie Hawes New Mexico Facetor, Dec 94 Available as pc01.538 on Facetdiagrams.org
Hornets Nest
 Bob Keller 1. December 2001 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Icosidodecahedron
 Jeff Ford Rockhounds.com FacetersCompanion CD v2.002, 2001  
Indexing Puzzle
 Jeff Ford USFG Faceterslist – Yahoo Groups, 2001 This one more resembles an "Old Mine Cube" than a sphere.
Kalli Sphere
 Modification by Jón Olaf Svane of Jeff Graham's "Kalli" of Gram Addition # 13
unpublished		 Rockpeddler.com
Meet Point Sphere 3
 John Beard AusFacGuild AFC 2002  
Orbital Sphere
 Robert W. Strickland Unpublished 1998 Available as pc42059.asc on Facetdiagrams.org
Pyramid Sphere
 Norman W. Steele Seattle F Design, Sep 76 Available as pc42013.asc on Facetdiagrams.org
Pyramid Sphere - Whole Index
 Norman W. Steele - revised by Michael Edgett USFG Faceters list   Facetdiagrams.org
Rattle Sphere
 Modification by Jón Olaf Svane of Jeff Graham's "Rattle" of Gram Addition # 13
unpublished		 Rockpeddler.com
Rattle Sphere II
 Modification by Jón Olaf Svane of Jeff Graham's "Rattle" of Gram Addition # 13
unpublished		 Rockpeddler.com
Rhombicosidodecahedron
 Jeff Ford Rockhounds.com FacetersCompanion CD v2.002, 2001  
Rhombicosidodecahedron
 Robert W. Strickland January 19. 2016 Available as pc42.063 on Facetdiagrams.org
Rose Sphere 96-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 160-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 168-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 216a-96 Aka Santa's Little Helper II
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 216b-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 216c-96 Aka Santa's Little Helper I
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 228a-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 240-120
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 288a-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 288b-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 352-64
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 360-80
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 384-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 480a-64
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 480b-64
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 528-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 600-80
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 624a-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 704-64
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 800-80
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Sphere 840-80
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Santa's Little Helper I Aka Rose Sphere 216c-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Santa's Little Helper II Aka Rose Sphere 216a-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Silicon Sphere
 Jón Olaf Svane Unpublished, October 17. 2015  
Simple Sphere
 Greg A. Glenn Unknown  
Sixty Kites
 Robert W. Strickland TFG Newsletter, Apr 95, p14 Available as pc01557 on Facetdiagrams.org
Sixty Triangles
 Robert W. Strickland TFG Newsletter, Apr 1995, p12 Available as pc42.043 on Facetdiagrams.org
Small Sphere
 Paul C. Smith Lapidary Journal, Aug 1976, p1242 Was in DVue2 as Pc01180
Sno Ball
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Snub Icosidodecahedron
 Jeff Ford 2002 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Soccer Ball
 Robert W. Strickland Unpublished Available as pc01.691 on Facetdiagrams.org
Sphere
 David P. Hartley Lapidary Journal, Feb 1974. Was Pc45.013 in DVue2
Sphere Latitude Longitude
 Jeff Ford December 2001 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Star Sphere
 Norman W. Steele Seattle F Design, Nov 1976 Available through facetdiagrams.org #42.012
Star Sphere Modified
 Norman W. Steele
Edited by Robert Strickland, Jan 2016		 Seattle F Design, Nov 1976 This version is more symmetrical than the original and doesn't require fractional indexes.
Available through facetdiagrams.org #42.012B
Starflower Sphere #1
 Jim Spence Seattle F Design, Oct 94, p1 Available as pc01531.asc at Facetdiagrams.org
Starflower Sphere #2
 Jim Spence Seattle F Design, Oct 94, p2 Available as pc01532.asc at Facetdiagrams.org
Step Cut Bead
 Anonymous Lapidary Journal, Jun 1953, p134 In DVue2 as pc01.055
Step Cut Sphere 288a-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Step Sphere
 Glenn and Martha Vargas Diagrams for Faceting v1 (1975) p32 In DVue2 as pc01.354
Truncated Dodecahedron
Jeff Ford Rockhounds.com FacetersCompanion CD v2.002, 2001  
Truncated Icosahedron aka Soccer Ball
Jeff Ford Rockhounds.com FacetersCompanion CD v2.002, 2001  
Truncated Icosidodecahedron
Jeff Ford Rockhounds.com FacetersCompanion CD v2.002, 2001  
Twister
 Jeff Ford December 2001 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Twister II
 Jeff Ford December 2001 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note - OPLC Faceters Companion CD
Venus Sphere
 Free interpretation by Jón Olaf Svane of Doug Menadue’s "Kiss of Venus" adapted for Sphere form Unpublished  
Apart from the Spheres, there's a lot of bead designs available that are more or less spherical.
Notably Jeff R. Graham- Gram addition #14 Beads.
Really most crowns or pavillons will make beads, with slight modifications.
I've selected those from Gram #14 that to me resembles spheres the most.
88”s
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Candy Spin
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Chinese Lantern #3
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Ginger
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Purdy 2
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Rattle Bead
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Rattle 2 Bead
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Rose Bead 224a-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Bead 224b-96
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Bead 352a-64
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Rose Bead 600a-80
 Bob Keller 1999 Available on Rockhounds.com *) see Note
Soc
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Spice
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Tom-Tom
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
World Order
 Jeff R. Graham Gram Addition # 14 Gem Beads Rockpeddler.com
Note Bob's Rockshop now has turned defunct - instead use Bob's Rockshop on Webarchive

Opdateret d. May 12th 2020