DaYan Gem Cube III

DaYan Gem Cube III

DaYan Gem Cube III is a puzzle shaped like a truncated octahedron: it has 8 hexagonal faces and 6 square ones. It looks a bit like a cut gemstone, which is where the whole Gem series gets its name. The puzzle was designed by Scott Bedard, who named it Concept 11. DaYan brought it into mass production in 2011 as the third model in the series. We offer the version with a black body (Black).

How the Gem III works

It's a hybrid puzzle, which means it turns in two different ways. The square faces work like the faces of a regular cube (face-turning), while the hexagonal faces rotate around the corner axes (corner-turning). That adds up to 14 axes of rotation. When solving it, you have to think about two types of moves that affect each other. 3x3 algorithms will only help you partly, and you'll need to work out the rest of the method yourself or learn it from a tutorial.

The Gem III is a puzzle to solve "for yourself", not for speedcubing. TPS, corner cutting or tension adjustment don't really matter here. What counts is the challenge and the interesting shape, which also looks great on a shelf. Some users mention that the square faces can catch slightly at first. This usually goes away after a short break-in period.

Who is it for?

For those who can already solve a 3x3 cube and want to try something other than yet another classic NxN. The Gem III is also a great choice for collectors of unusual puzzles and for anyone who already owns a Skewb or a Dino Cube and is looking for the next step towards mixed-axis puzzles. For a child's first cube, a classic 3x3 is a better choice. The Gem III requires a bit of experience and patience.

Specifications

• Manufacturer: DaYan
• Design: Scott Bedard (Concept 11)
• Type: hybrid puzzle (face-turning and corner-turning)
• Shape: truncated octahedron (6 square faces, 8 hexagonal faces)
• Number of rotation axes: 14
• Size: 78.5 mm
• Dimensions: approx. 97 x 95 x 80 mm
• Body colour: black