Gained a new hobby - Gem Cutting

Goldy

Long time no see! Been really busy with work over the past 3 months but I was able to score a faceting machine at a garage sale and have started cutting gems. I'm going to try and integrate digars and gem cutting next time the weather is nice but every time I try to do SOMETHING and smoke at the same time it never ends well.

Let me know if anyone wants something made up for the hollidays, I have a few requests allready but I can fit a few more in. I might even trade gems for cigars...


This stone below is a spinel and is my very first stone.
DSCF2167 by bgoldylocks, on Flickr

jlmarta

Cool! This sorta goes hand-in-hand with your profession, doesn't it? I think that's neat!

Goldy

it certianly does! I actually went out a while back and collected some nice topaz from a hill here in Utah so I am excited to cut those stones. Pretty cool idea to find a mineral and take it all the way to a cut gemstone all by yourself.

jlmarta

Boy! I'll say! Ought to be a great deal of satisfaction in that. Rock on, brother. (no pun intended).

stephen_hannibal

That is kinda cool man.

cabinetmaker

That cut looks top quality. Perfect!

fla-gypsy

Super cool, nice pic too

laker1963

Awesome job Goldy. I too am a rockhound. Nothing more relaxing then walking over the mountainsides looking for good samples. That or sitting on a riverbank panning. Would love to be able to do that... very nice work.

dennisking

that's how it was in the old days from what i'm told. my wife's diamond is an antique mine cut diamond her great aunt had. it's pretty cool how they did it back then.

ENFIDL

That's awesome man. Nice work

xmacro

Damn, that looks really nice. Think I might have to contact you sometime around Christmas

ShotgunJohn

Wow!! That is awesome, it looks fantastic. Very nice work.

Goldy

xmacro:

Damn, that looks really nice. Think I might have to contact you sometime around Christmas

Sounds good, just shoot me a PM and tell me what kind of shape you are interested in.

laker1963

Goldy, can you, or have you cut many different gem stones? I was thinking about the different hardness and natural flaws of different stones. I was thinking for instance raw sapphire. Could you cut raw sapphiers?

Goldy

laker1963:

Goldy, can you, or have you cut many different gem stones? I was thinking about the different hardness and natural flaws of different stones. I was thinking for instance raw sapphire. Could you cut raw sapphiers?

Hardness just makes the stone take longer to grind but doesn't really increase the difficulty. What does increase the dificulty is cleavage which is the stones natrual breaking planes. Sapphires should be no problem and I am going to start cutting them very soon. I also just bought a bunch of opal that I am going to cut next week which should be fun.

laker1963

Opals are amazing. I have a friend who got a bunch of raw and cut opal when he was in Australia.

Are you going to start a web page or anything with your work dispayed?

Goldy

Thats a good idea. Right now I'm just posting my things on facebook for friends to see. Do you know how hard it is to make a website?

Just wait till you see the next creation, its sweet.

laker1963

Goldy:

Thats a good idea. Right now I'm just posting my things on facebook for friends to see. Do you know how hard it is to make a website?

Just wait till you see the next creation, its sweet.

I think it is quite easy. For me? Not so much. There are several website guru's on the forums I do believe.

Will you post some of your stuff here? Maybe at least this latest creation you are speaking of.