Australian Facetors' Guild Limited

The International Faceting Challenge

At the Willunga Gemboree 2017 you will have an opportunity that should not be missed — to see the work of the very top facetors, not just from Australia, but from around the world. This is because you will be able to see the stones these people have cut in a very special faceting competition, which has become second to none the world over. It is known as the International Faceting Challenge.

The International Faceting Challenge is a world class faceting competition which is run and sponsored by the Australian Facetors' Guild. The Guild is an organisation which began in Warwick, Queensland in 1981 and is Australia's largest single lapidary organisation. It has been responsible for promoting the art of faceting and related activities throughout Australia and has achieved world-wide recognition.

The Challenge Cup (top photograph above) is a perpetual trophy and is a silver cup mounted on a polished mahogany base. There are plates fixed to the wooden base, on which have been engraved with the names of the facetors comprising each of the winning and the runner-up teams since the competition began.

The very first International Faceting Challenge was held at Loxton, South Australia in 1986. At Easter 2018 the results of the seventeenth International Faceting Challenge will be on display at the Gemboree at Willunga, South Australia.

The International Faceting Challenge (IFC) had its beginning in September 1984 when three Australian Facetors' Guild members who at the time were on their way to the annual Guild Seminar in Warwick, Queensland conceived the idea of challenging the facetors of the USA to a faceting competition. The first Challenge was launched the same year.

Since the initial challenge was finalised at the Gemboree at Loxton, South Australia at Easter 1986 (won by the USA team), a new challenge has been conducted every two years, with the results being published and stones being displayed at the Gemboree on each occasion. The five entrants from each country/region who obtain the highest points for their entries constitute the team for their country. In addition to this the competitor with the highest points is named the Individual Champion. The International Faceting Challenge has been very well received by overseas facetors, and is seen as the Olympics of faceting. Although the basics have not changed greatly over the period the challenge has been running, there have been small changes introduced along the way which have resulted in the refining and improvement of the competition. As a point of interest 21 competitors have received the maximum 100 points for an entry from 1986 to 2014. The first three were in 1988-Frank Dickson (Aust), Vic Kostic (Aust) and David Moore (USA). Australian Des Stennett (Aust) has scored 100 points four times (1994, 2000, 2002 and 2006) while Ewing Evans (USA) has scored 100 twice - 1998 and 2008.The shield (bottom photograph above) is the Champion Facetor shield and is engraved with the name of the facetor who tops the individual score for each competition.

Full details of the International Faceting Challenge are available from the

AFG Website: www.facetorsauild.com.au

International 100 Point Club!

1988 Frank Dickson (Aust),

Vic Kostic (Aust),

David Moore (USA)

1990 Norm Coates (Aust)

1994 Des Stennett (Aust)

1996 Ralph Mathewson (USA)

1998 Ralph Mathewson (USA)

Ewing Evans (USA)

2000 Des Stennett (Aust)

2002 Des Stennett (Aust)

2006 Des Stennett (Aust)

Walt Haller (Aust)

2008 Ewing Evans (USA)

2010 John Rose (Aust)

James Clarke (USA)

2012 Tomohiro Karino (USA)

Victor Tuzlukov (Russia)

Felix Kirchhofer (Switzerland)