Gems, Jewelry, Lapidary Megathread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Gems, Jewelry, Lapidary Megathread

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My Second Re-Reg: Aug 31, 2021; Come on down.
Let's make a deal.

Scarodactyl posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHUu_jc4Ths
Cut a gem for Halloween.

Gorgeous

# ? Oct 6, 2024 06:53

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# ? Jan 22, 2025 18:31

Scarodactyl: Oct 22, 2015

Thanks!

I cut my second halloween stone, a coffin cut in grey-purple laser garnet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwBcR424U5E

# ? Oct 13, 2024 20:15

Nae: Sep 3, 2020; what.

Both of those gems look super sick and I�m glad your halloween cutting is becoming a tradition. I�m a couple weeks away from starting my own cutting journey (waiting to get back into house after a long reno), and I am 100% positive I will be posting lots of questions in this thread. I�ve already got some rough set aside and I can�t wait to get started!

# ? Oct 14, 2024 02:07

effika: Jun 19, 2005; Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

Scarodactyl posted:

Thanks!

I cut my second halloween stone, a coffin cut in grey-purple laser garnet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwBcR424U5E

Nice seasonal color, too, a good moody purple.

# ? Oct 14, 2024 14:20

Virtual Russian: Sep 14, 2008

If someone wanted to get a fairly cheap, compact lapidary set up, what would the top recommends be? If it matters, I have a studio with ventilation.

Mostly I'm doing simple domed cabs, but I'd love to do some faceting. I'm mostly cutting glass and ceramic, bone china specifically which I think is a 7 for hardness. Not sure it matters. I've been doming cabs with sandpaper to get some stuff made and see if there is a market for what I'm making. I want a real set up, can't spend this much time on cheap cabs.

# ? Oct 17, 2024 00:52

Scarodactyl: Oct 22, 2015

Virtual Russian posted:

If someone wanted to get a fairly cheap, compact lapidary set up, what would the top recommends be? If it matters, I have a studio with ventilation.

Mostly I'm doing simple domed cabs, but I'd love to do some faceting. I'm mostly cutting glass and ceramic, bone china specifically which I think is a 7 for hardness. Not sure it matters. I've been doming cabs with sandpaper to get some stuff made and see if there is a market for what I'm making. I want a real set up, can't spend this much time on cheap cabs.

For faceting depending on your budget the CutKit could be a good option (if your budget is significantly higher you can get a better machine, but I cut the last few stones I posted on this setup so it does work)

Scarodactyl posted:

I have been working on this project for a while and finally got it launched!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHAOkxZidVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUgUSUG-KOQ

I'm not a very experienced gem faceter but because I'm on social media a lot of people have asked me how they can get started. The problem was I didn't have a good answer for people with a budget under ~3k. All the old starter machines (Lee, Graves, Sapphire etc) haven't been made for a long time, with only the more expensive brands (Ultra Tec, Facetron, Polymetric, Raytech) surviving. Raytech is probably the closest to an economical option but getting a new setup is still like 2500 dollars minimum and way up from there. If you aim for an overseas machine your options are either somewhat reputable but still fairly expensive (Sterling, various facetron clones, some Vietnamese machines) or very cheap and not actually fully functional (various Lee clones). For a long time the used market filled the gap but it has gotten crazy too--50 year old machines in dodgy condition are still getting high bids and there has been a rash of outright scams. And as a beginner you won't know enough to diagnose problems with a used machine if you get one. So basically you needed one of the following to get started: thousands of dollars, a friend or club with a machine you can learn on or a lot of luck.
So I figured the only option was to see if one of the ultra cheap machines could be made fully functional, and fortunately it turns out they can be. Older models have problems that require machining to solve but the newest one sold by Vevor has improved enough that I could design some parts and assemble a kit to make it work. With this kit you can start cutting for under 500 dollars. A couple people have already shown me their first stones cut on the setup which has been really fun.

# ? Oct 17, 2024 03:03

Scarodactyl: Oct 22, 2015

Another one for Halloween!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8V_jBCufr8

# ? Oct 25, 2024 17:32

effika: Jun 19, 2005; Birds do not want you to know any more than you already do.

Scarodactyl posted:

Another one for Halloween!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8V_jBCufr8

Oh, that's awesome!

# ? Oct 26, 2024 01:57

Soul Dentist: Mar 17, 2009

Which of these stickers should I add to my bench at work?

Add to a Church of Satan pentagram, some sardine brands, an IBEW sticker and this one

Also, bump

# ? Dec 14, 2024 00:31

Soul Dentist: Mar 17, 2009

I forgot! I snuck a picture of my bench at family day this year:

Soul Dentist fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Dec 14, 2024

# ? Dec 14, 2024 01:15

Nae: Sep 3, 2020; what.

Soul Dentist posted:

I forgot! I snuck a picture of my bench at family day this year:

It�s so nice to see what other people are using as their set-ups when I don�t really have other people I know in person in the field. Is that metal plate hanging off the front of your desk like a bench peg, or do you not use one?

# ? Dec 14, 2024 01:38

My Second Re-Reg: Aug 31, 2021; Come on down.
Let's make a deal.

Soul Dentist posted:

I forgot! I snuck a picture of my bench at family day this year:

Very cool picture! But just as an FYI there's a full name on the desk if you care about censoring it out at all?

# ? Dec 14, 2024 01:38

Soul Dentist: Mar 17, 2009

My Second Re-Reg posted:

Very cool picture! But just as an FYI there's a full name on the desk if you care about censoring it out at all?

Dammit missed one. Now you know my true name and how to make me disappear instead of winning your first born child by sinister dealings

# ? Dec 14, 2024 01:58

My Second Re-Reg: Aug 31, 2021; Come on down.
Let's make a deal.

i mean ngl if you want the kid they're yours, so long sucker lmao

# ? Dec 14, 2024 02:03

Whitlam: Aug 2, 2014; Some goons overreact. Go figure.

I finally have a question for one of my favourite threads to lurk, as the weird kid who collected rocks in my school.

Okay, so I understand the Mohs scale is ordinal. How do you know if gems will work next to each other, or gently caress each other up? My partner and I are in the early stages of designing an engagement ring and I want to have reasonable expectations of what's possible/a good idea, so I'm not That Client.

We've got the centre stone, which is a round alexandrite, and I'd love it flanked by some clear sapphires (thank you, labs). Since they're an 8.5 and and 9 respectively, I'm wondering if that's a discrepancy that'll risk damage and we should go for different side stones, or if they're hard enough that it'll be fine.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, I'd happily take any stories of particularly lovely/nightmare/memorable clients or pieces.

# ? Dec 29, 2024 13:02

Sub Rosa: Jun 9, 2010

Scarodactyl posted:

For faceting depending on your budget the CutKit could be a good option (if your budget is significantly higher you can get a better machine, but I cut the last few stones I posted on this setup so it does work)

YouTube showed me the CutKit probably from looking at videos posted in this thread and I came to ask if that's legit. Not that I need to throw $500 at a new hobby by any means, but maybe someday if the cost of entry is there.

# ? Dec 29, 2024 16:34

Scarodactyl: Oct 22, 2015

Sub Rosa posted:

YouTube showed me the CutKit probably from looking at videos posted in this thread and I came to ask if that's legit.

I make them so I think they're legit. It's a basic setup and there are limitations but I enjoy cutting on mine and it's possible to cut just about anything on it. The skills you learn are also transferrable to higher end machines if and when you decide you want to take the plunge on one.

Whitlam posted:

We've got the centre stone, which is a round alexandrite, and I'd love it flanked by some clear sapphires (thank you, labs). Since they're an 8.5 and and 9 respectively, I'm wondering if that's a discrepancy that'll risk damage and we should go for different side stones, or if they're hard enough that it'll be fine.

They won't be rubbing against each other in a ring so you don't need to worry about that. The alex will theoretically wear a bit faster than the side stones but that isn't an issue, and at 8.5 it's plenty hard for a ring.

# ? Dec 29, 2024 19:52

Soul Dentist: Mar 17, 2009

Whitlam posted:

I finally have a question for one of my favourite threads to lurk, as the weird kid who collected rocks in my school.

Okay, so I understand the Mohs scale is ordinal. How do you know if gems will work next to each other, or gently caress each other up? My partner and I are in the early stages of designing an engagement ring and I want to have reasonable expectations of what's possible/a good idea, so I'm not That Client.

We've got the centre stone, which is a round alexandrite, and I'd love it flanked by some clear sapphires (thank you, labs). Since they're an 8.5 and and 9 respectively, I'm wondering if that's a discrepancy that'll risk damage and we should go for different side stones, or if they're hard enough that it'll be fine.

Any insights would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively, I'd happily take any stories of particularly lovely/nightmare/memorable clients or pieces.

Any stone that's set correctly in any manner (channel, bezel, prong, whatever) will not rub or even contact other stones in the piece at all. They will be held in place by pieces of metal, and any movement at all ist verboten

# ? Dec 30, 2024 00:02

Tunicate: May 15, 2012

The real Mohs threshold for rings is 7, since quartz is the hardest stuff you'll find in normal dirt, so if you want to avoid scratches from it gotta be harder

Tunicate fucked around with this message at 02:08 on Dec 30, 2024

# ? Dec 30, 2024 01:30

Whitlam: Aug 2, 2014; Some goons overreact. Go figure.

Sick as, that makes sense. I figured I was probably overthinking it, so thank you for (nicely) confirming it.

# ? Dec 30, 2024 01:49

Xun: Apr 25, 2010

Should I learn how to make my own settings, seems like jewelers around here charge a bunch just to get a rock into a one and at that point maybe I should.... :thunk:

# ? Dec 30, 2024 04:27

Nae: Sep 3, 2020; what.

Xun posted:

Should I learn how to make my own settings, seems like jewelers around here charge a bunch just to get a rock into a one and at that point maybe I should....

That�s why I started making my own settings, now I can say I�ve spent way more on tools and materials than I ever would have on settings!!!

(I love it and I�m glad I did it, but no one ever said hobbies were a good way to save money.)

# ? Dec 30, 2024 04:47

Mathematics: Jun 22, 2011

Xun posted:

Should I learn how to make my own settings, seems like jewelers around here charge a bunch just to get a rock into a one and at that point maybe I should....

Something that I've been investigating lately with regard to that is silver clay.

It's pretty finicky and has a lot of caveats (not appropriate for all stones), but it's easier and requires fewer tools than traditional goldsmithing. You pretty much just need the clay, a butane torch, and a firing block to get started.

# ? Dec 31, 2024 04:13

Stupid_Sexy_Flander: Mar 14, 2007; Is a man not entitled to the haw of his maw?; Grimey Drawer

I realize that this is a weird question but I got my mom a giant blue topaz off eBay and it went through a dryer cycle and got a few small light scratches. Can anyone here give me a quote for repolishing the stone, if that's a thing?

# ? Jan 9, 2025 18:08

cheese eats mouse: Jul 6, 2007; A real Portlander now

What hand tools for filing / shaping do you use? I�m actually trying to make pottery stamps out of fired ceramic bisque stoneware, so I figured I�d ask here since there usually overlap with stone.

I need some really fine tools, but also don�t want to spend too much. Some stamps will be the size of the tip of my pinky. From my woodworking, I love my .2mm hand saw and dremel etching burrs.

Or is the easy answer just get a thin handsaw for ceramic and some diamond dremel tips?

# ? Jan 9, 2025 21:21

Soul Dentist: Mar 17, 2009

I do most of my metal shaping with carbide or HSS burrs and rubber polishing wheels, unless I'm using ceramic files in an ultrasonic handpiece (or ceramic rods). Setters use burrs and gravers to prepare settings, but polished gravers aren't gonna be great for anything that's not plastic malleable like metal

# ? Jan 9, 2025 22:38

Scarodactyl: Oct 22, 2015

Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:

I realize that this is a weird question but I got my mom a giant blue topaz off eBay and it went through a dryer cycle and got a few small light scratches. Can anyone here give me a quote for repolishing the stone, if that's a thing?

It's a thing but can be a pain in the rear end to do.

# ? Jan 10, 2025 00:30

Stupid_Sexy_Flander: Mar 14, 2007; Is a man not entitled to the haw of his maw?; Grimey Drawer

I'll shoot some macro shots. The scratches aren't really that bad, or deep, or that many to be honest. Still, nice to know it's a possibility.

# ? Jan 10, 2025 02:10

Stupid_Sexy_Flander: Mar 14, 2007; Is a man not entitled to the haw of his maw?; Grimey Drawer

Like I said, the scratches are hard to see but they are also tiny, and there. I'd like to know how much it would cost to have them buffed out.

No hurry, just curious.

# ? Jan 10, 2025 05:33

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# ? Jan 22, 2025 18:31

Stupid_Sexy_Flander: Mar 14, 2007; Is a man not entitled to the haw of his maw?; Grimey Drawer

Triple posting but I wanted to share a cool gem I bought. Decided to ring in the new year by buying gigantic big neat looking shiny rocks. Goblin brain year, apparently.

Just really dig the design and coloring. This is the kinda stuff I'd do if I had a faceting machine and talent and probably some math skills.

# ? Jan 14, 2025 00:20

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