RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 29, 2008 21:03:05 GMT -5
I finished the seven stone suite that's been discussed here forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=buysell&action=display&thread=26757These are from Norwegian Moonstone since it cuts without any surprises. It does remind me of countertop granite or tile With the holidays it's been a little hectic and I finally got around to the pixs. The little brown spot on the first stone to the right of center is actually some type of darker almost gold colored inclusion. In the right light, these really go off. I also finished a couple of quartz with gold rutile cabs. Since my first trip to Brasil, I have always been entranced by this type of "quartzo". I probably don't need to explain what happened to the end of the long tongue shaped cab that use to be a long oval. These are the first transparent cabs I have finished. This one is my favorite of the group. I wish I had a better close-up pix.
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Post by Bejewelme on Dec 29, 2008 21:09:57 GMT -5
WOW, that moonstone is stunning, could you maybe get an upclose shot of one of the cabs? and the gold rutile quartz!!!!!! There are so many threads in there, I like those rutilated quartzes too, I have one little piece but nothing that nice! I really like the one on the right. Amber
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Post by frane on Dec 29, 2008 21:11:30 GMT -5
Oh, Very nice work! Every time I try to cab quarts, it breaks with cleavage on me. I am sure it is something with the way I hold it. I will figure it out one day. Over all, you have a beautiful group that held together very well. That 7 stone turned out exactly as you had planned it. Great work! Fran
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Post by sitnwrap on Dec 29, 2008 21:29:57 GMT -5
That 7 stone is stunning. Is Norwegian Moonstone similar or the same as Larvikite? I ask because Larvikite has a similar blue flash to it. If it is the same thing, that must look incredable in the sunlight.
I also love the Gold Rutile cabs. The color and rutile is beautiful. You did a great job on all of them.
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Post by BuiltonRock on Dec 29, 2008 22:19:19 GMT -5
The quartz is outstanding!! John
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 29, 2008 22:21:16 GMT -5
That 7 stone is stunning. Is Norwegian Moonstone similar or the same as Larvikite? I ask because Larvikite has a similar blue flash to it. If it is the same thing, that must look incredable in the sunlight. Yes. Norwegian Moonstone is the same as Larvikite. It has more names than I can remember - Black Moonstone, Blue Norwegian Pearl Moonstone, Marina Blue and Blue Pearl Fjord. The correct one is anorthorite (sp?). This is definitely a "daylight" stone. I wish I knew a local silversmith so I could have these set. Here are a few more pixs for bejewelme. I hope these show off the play of color better. I've heard that this stuff is "rare" but a know someone that has a boatload - literally. The rough he has was shipped over here as ballast on a freighter. I've forgotten the exact amount he has but it's a bunch. This is a great stone to cut for the beginner. I've had no fractures, blowouts, chipping or any problems of any kind. It cuts and polishes in a snap.
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Post by Bejewelme on Dec 29, 2008 22:35:41 GMT -5
OK, now is that similar to Labradorite? Because up close it sort of looks like that?
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 29, 2008 22:54:29 GMT -5
Norwegian Moonstone is different from Labradorite but both of them are still part of the plagioclase series of feldspars.
mindat.org describes it as "A Mixture Of: Albite-Anorthite Series A commercial name for plagioclase-rich larvikite rock from Norway. The plagioclase exhibits a blue schiller."
It's interesting that you mention Labradorite since that's what I'm cutting now. The Norwegian Moonstone is much nicer to work with. I started with two slabs of Labradorite that weren't cheap. After all the breakage and fractures, I'll have 10-12 cabs to show for all my efforts.
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Post by Tony W on Dec 30, 2008 2:00:45 GMT -5
Very nice work! And I was thinking Lab too...is the moonstone soft to work like the lab? T
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Post by Bejewelme on Dec 30, 2008 7:16:58 GMT -5
Now what are you going to do with those stones? Is it going to be a necklace to wear or a set to just keep in a display? I guess it would be a heavy neacklace, it would look great set in silver!!!!!!That would be a fancy, blingy necklace, but I like big jewelry, I guess some people don't. I would think it would be hard to drill through them without cracking them, to run a thick enough string through it to wear.
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Post by Titania on Dec 30, 2008 7:56:49 GMT -5
The set came out GREAT! I can totally see each of those stones in a tight bezel setting with very tiny linkages between each piece so they sit nice on the neck and have a bit of movement to them.
Awesome job on the rutiles, as well. That's a material that I absolutely love, but have yet to actually pick any up to work.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 30, 2008 9:59:22 GMT -5
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Post by Bejewelme on Dec 30, 2008 10:00:33 GMT -5
Ah, that is not too big, the pics are deceptive!!
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 30, 2008 10:11:21 GMT -5
I forgot to add that if I was going to set these I would do them exactly as Titania described. "The set came out GREAT! I can totally see each of those stones in a tight bezel setting with very tiny linkages between each piece so they sit nice on the neck and have a bit of movement to them."I think the key word here is movement. With the right light, these stones really do pull people in from a distance. Next time maybe I'll cut them out of quartz with gold rutile. Wouldn't that look cool! Yeah, it's always hard to tell the scale of stones. I was out of town earlier this year and asked a friend to send a stone to someone else. As a guide I sent a picture of the stone in question. I failed to mention the dimensions. After a couple of days my friend called back to say that I didn't have anything remotely close to a cab the size of a doorknob
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Post by Tweetiepy on Dec 30, 2008 10:43:03 GMT -5
That rutile is beyond words! May I ask where you got it? I've been trying to find some but it's pretty hard to come by (the clear stuff with gold)
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MidNight~Rocksi3
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2008
Posts: 1,716
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Post by MidNight~Rocksi3 on Dec 30, 2008 11:57:15 GMT -5
wow! those Rock! .. those last two pics are insane!!! love the shape of the last one too!
*smiles* Roxy
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Post by parfive on Dec 30, 2008 15:32:27 GMT -5
RocknCritter: "It does remind me of countertop granite or tile"
Larvikite can't be too "rare" - I've seen it used as both. The stuff I've got is from floor tile 24" x 24" x 1 1/4" already polished one side.
Nice work on the cabs.
Rich
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 30, 2008 22:56:27 GMT -5
RocknCritter: "It does remind me of countertop granite or tile"Larvikite can't be too "rare" - I've seen it used as both. The stuff I've got is from floor tile 24" x 24" x 1 1/4" already polished one side. Nice work on the cabs. Rich Certainly anything sold as floor tile or counter tops or arrives as ship ballast isn't rare. I made that statement with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. Hence the quote marks around the word "rare". It was my jab at a very over used term. Now if you want to talk about the rhodocrosite gel, sugilite gel or mtorolite chrysoprase I just bought, that's an entirely different story
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49er
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since February 2008
Posts: 753
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Post by 49er on Jan 1, 2009 0:28:21 GMT -5
Very nice
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