What it is

Oak & Stone School of American Gemcutting is a Fleetwood, Pennsylvania faceting school that teaches in-person gemcutting classes in a house in the woods of Berks County. The home page describes “an artists’ retreat in the woods of Fleetwood, Pennsylvania,” in a traditional home based on a 1905 Gustav Stickley design. The Experience and Team pages say co-owners Michael Holmes (instructor) and Kim Nguyen established the school in 2025, and that classes use Facetron machines under an equipment partnership with Facetron.

The listing is for Learn to Cut Gems: A 4-Day Foundation, described as “The Fundamentals of Faceting (Beginner-Focused).” The school’s class page calls this the core class for people who want enough proficiency to facet independently; students finish 2–4 gems. Classes are typically sized at one or two students per teacher, with a teaching assistant.

Who it’s for

Beginners and hobbyists who want a dated, priced, first-party faceting intensive rather than a drop-in club shop or a jewelry-setting class that uses pre-cut stones. No prior faceting experience is required for the Foundation course. An intermediate 3-Day Advanced Class is listed separately.

Why it’s listed

The official classes-and-events page prints upcoming start dates and a tuition of $1,600 for the 4-Day Foundation course, including a March 9, 2027, session still in the future on the check date. The FAQ prints the daily schedule. This is a new provider for Lapidary Plaza. Pennsylvania already has other listings, including a workshop at Goggleworks in Reading and a supplier in Bechtelsville, both also in Berks County; this is a different city and a dedicated faceting school.

Official URL

https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/classes-events

Home: https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/
The Experience: https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/about-5
Schedule a class / course formats: https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/class
FAQs: https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/faqs
Meet the Team: https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/team-4
Our Equipment: https://www.oakandstoneschool.com/general-6

(All checked 2026-11-11 and returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent.)

Location

Fleetwood, PA, in the woods of Berks County, as printed on the home and Experience pages. Public pages give the email oakandstoneschool@gmail.com and do not print a street number. The FAQ recommends nearby lodging in Kutztown and Reading (a 12- to 17-minute drive) for students who need a hotel or inn; those towns are lodging suggestions, not the class site. Onsite parking is listed among class amenities.

This is a workshop (a dated, priced faceting class). It is not a club membership listing and does not sell lapidary equipment through its own cart (the equipment page points buyers to Facetron, Impulse and Gearloose).

Notes

Dated sessions (classes-and-events page, check date): Learn to Cut Gems: A 4-Day Foundation is listed at $1,600 with start dates of November 13, 2026; December 7, 2026; and March 9, 2027. This listing uses the March 9, 2027, session as the upcoming dated class; the November and December starts were also still printed (the November 13 start was two days after the check date). The same page lists a 3-Day Advanced Class starting May 17, 2027, at $1,250. Weekend Experience sessions at $950 were marked Ended. The booking widgets showed “Loading availability…” in the static page, so remaining seats were not confirmed from the HTML alone. The end date of each 4-day session is not separately printed; the course is described as four consecutive days.
Daily schedule (FAQ): Each day begins at 9 a.m. with a 30-minute lecture or discussion, followed by hands-on work, a 45-minute lunch break, and an afternoon session that mirrors the morning. The Experience page describes these as engaging 8-hour daily sessions. Classes currently take place during the daytime.
What’s included (Experience, class, and classes pages): Uncut gem rough; use of the school’s 2025 Facetron machines and cutting and polishing equipment (students who own a machine may bring their own); individualized instruction; supplies such as loupes and polishing materials; photographs of the finished gem; breakfast and snacks; beverages including coffee and espresso; optional one night of home-cooked dinner; onsite parking; an accessible first-floor restroom; and wifi. The Foundation course is described as finishing 2–4 gems.
Small source note: No street address is printed on the public pages. The site footer still reads “©2025 Oak and Stone School,” while the Team page says the school was established in 2025 and the classes calendar includes 2026–2027 dates. Pennsylvania workshops are already represented in Reading (Goggleworks); this is a different city and provider. The November 13, 2026, start was imminent on the check date — confirm that session on the classes page before treating it as still open.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. Nothing was bought, and no email, phone call or form was used.

FAQ

Q: When is the 4-Day Foundation class?
A: On the check date the official classes page listed a session starting March 9, 2027, at $1,600, and also listed starts on November 13, 2026, and December 7, 2026, at the same price. Confirm the current calendar on that page.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: The 4-Day Foundation course is listed at $1,600. The 3-Day Advanced Class is listed at $1,250 starting May 17, 2027.

Q: What time does class meet?
A: The FAQ says each day begins at 9 a.m., with a 45-minute lunch break and an afternoon session that mirrors the morning.

Q: Where is the school?
A: Official pages place it in the woods of Fleetwood, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. No street number is printed; the contact email is oakandstoneschool@gmail.com.

Q: Is it a beginner class?
A: Yes. The Foundation course is labeled beginner-focused and is described as the school’s core class for learning to facet independently.