TUCSON26 USFG Faceting Symposium

Tucson 2026 USFG symposium

David Smith

The annual TUCSON26 Faceting symposium is fast approaching, and excitement is building! The popular Faceting class, held two days prior, has already filled. This year, we will have demonstrations on stone setting, maintaining an UltraTec mast, and dopping techniques during our 10 AM wake-up sessions. Check the agenda for more details. The first talk of each day will begin at 11 AM.

Lunchtime is provided each day. This is a show-up event; no tickets or RSVP needed. Just bring your enthusiasm and a great attitude. The schedule is almost complete and available below for you to plan your days. Door prizes will be plentiful, as always! Dopping and coaching cutters will be present and there are machine demos about every hour between talks.

Don’t forget that our hosts, The Old Pueblo Lapidary Club, will hold their “Faceters HobNob” dinner on Saturday night, featuring a fantastic meal, rough sale, stone contest, and more raffle prizes! Join us to learn, eat, win, and meet amazing people!

David Smith
USFG symposium coordinator
USFG 2026 Tucson
Faceting Symposium
“Out of This World”

Old Pueblo Lapidary club
3118 N Dale Ave
Tucson, AZ 85712

Dates: Feb 5-7 2026 • 10a-6p

Some of the biggest names in Faceting will be in attendance. Great presentations and hands on demos, and it’s all free! Super hands on experience, a chance to see 3-5 different machines in action!! Awesome presentations! Fantasy machines, mast machines, a great display!

Schedule

Tuesday & Wednesday, February 3-4

Two Day Faceting Class—Taught by Tom Mitchell & David Richardson—Must be pre-registered for the class. Class is currently full. (6 student limit) Machine and material provided.

Thursday, February 5

10:00 am—Demo Hour

Dopping Demo–Tom Mitchell (wax dopping) & Ron Snelling (UV glue dopping)

What’s in an Angle? Stone Setting Demo—Cari’ Fifield

11:00 am
Diane Eames–Texas Topaz & Cutting Tips

12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Lunch/ demos
Rough sale or trade during lunch daily

1:00 pm
Mark Sirota: Review of Fantasy Machines Part 1

2:00 pm
Mark Sirota: Review of Fantasy Machines Part 2

3:00 pm
Dan Delano: Online Gem Pricing

4:00 pm
Ron Snelling—What I’ve Learned from Running a Faceting School

5:00 pm
TBD

Friday, February 6

10:00 am
UltraTec Mast Maintenance by Ron Snelling
Dopping by Tom Mitchell- The many dopping techniques that address different needs and situations (ie: to glue or not to glue)

11:00 am
Mark Oros—Faceting LARGE Quartz

12:00 pm
Lunch
Trade or sell your rough!

1:00 pm
Walter Green (Crystallite): Diamonds are a Faceter’s Best Friend

2:00 pm
Jeffrey Morrison—Havey Tourmaline Mine

3:00 pm
Arya Akhavan: Updates on Synthetics

4:00 pm
Panel Discussion with the Experts: Mark Oros, Justin Prim, Peter Torraca, Michael Holmes (Moderated by Cari’ Fifield)

5:00 pm
Scott Sucher: Trip to Africa for Gem Rough

Saturday, February 7

10:00 am
Dopping Demo– Tom Mitchell (wax dopping) & Ron Snelling (UV glue dopping)
The Importance of the Girdle in Stone Setting demo—Cari’ Fifield
Sintered Lap Maintenance Demo

11:00
Tom Ross (Dr. Facet): Breakdown of Spirograph Blossom Cut

12:00 pm
Lunch
Sell or trade your rough stock!

1:00 pm
Tayyub Suratwala–Gemstones: Into the Material Science and Atomic World

2:00 pm
Justin Prim: The Lost Cuts of History

3:00 pm
Dan Lynch: Author Review and Book Signing

4:00 pm
USFG General Raffle ($1 per ticket, no limits)
USFG UltraTec Faceting Machine Raffle (Can buy up to 10 tickets maximum @ $20 per ticket.) MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN THE V5 RAFFLE AWARD.)

5:00 pm
Reset for Old Pueblo Lapidary Club, Hobnob

Thank you for the donations from:
• Gearloose Manufacturing
• Ultra Tec USA
• Faceters Paradise
• (Your name here) please contact me if you would like to be a sponsor!

Thank you to our hosts and volunteers from the OPLC and USFG, you rock!!

Please contact me with any ideas, possible speakers, sponsors, or any clubs/guilds that we could reach out to. Text preferred

David Smith
Faceters Paradise
USFG Board member/
Symposium coordinator
520-907-5527