thomtap
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 237
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Post by thomtap on Dec 14, 2007 11:07:04 GMT -5
I'm new on this forum, and new at lapidary. I've been rockhounding since I was a child, and I'm 56 now. My question is this: I have several 2" plus garnet crystals and quite a few larger than 1". Would the larger ones make good cabs? These are brown in color, and have a very shiny luster when chipped. Have any of you made cabs from Almandine garnets?
Thom Tapp
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thomtap
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 237
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Post by thomtap on Dec 14, 2007 11:21:44 GMT -5
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adrian65
Cave Dweller 
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,790
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Post by adrian65 on Dec 14, 2007 12:07:31 GMT -5
I have a book that specifies that large garnets should be cabbed having a concavity underneath, eitherway they look black. Maybe an alternative could be cabbing them very thin. But wait for some other opinions from cabbing experts (which I am not). I'm sure they will come.
And welcome on the board!
Adrian
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thomtap
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 237
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Post by thomtap on Dec 14, 2007 14:24:34 GMT -5
Thanks. I was just not sure if they would be too brittle to work. I've never done this before.
Thom
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Post by larrywyland3 on Dec 14, 2007 15:42:51 GMT -5
Garnet is harder than quartz. I have seen them cabbed. I think Adrian makes a good point about the dark appearance. The ones I have seen cabbed where small 8mmx6mm range; they looked like they were almost facet grade material. I bought some bigger garnets to try cabbing, but they have not come in yet.
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daddydave
starting to shine!
Member since June 2007
Posts: 44
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Post by daddydave on Dec 15, 2007 13:13:48 GMT -5
Hi Thom, looks like you got some of the almadine garnet from NC or GA. I've tried every way possible and just cannot get any color thru them although they are opaque under an extremely strong light. To say nothing of the fractures. They will cab, if you tumble a batch and select an unfractured area, but it will not show color. They do attain a water shine tho. As rockitman shows, they do make a very attractive speciman if you select one that has its true faceted shape. I have been fortunate enough to get specimens up to 5" across in the now closed down Epworth, Ga. site. Have seen several even larger. (gulp!)
I would recommend cabbing the agate you and your son find. I'm assuming it is TN. agate even tho you are on the east side of the encarpment.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Dec 16, 2007 16:58:47 GMT -5
I'd say keep the big ones for specimens, no point ruining nice big crystals! Slab a few and try cabbing them, but don't expect too much. Get the cracks out and perhaps cut them thin, a lot of garnet is transparent but so heavily color-saturated that you can't bring out the color unless it's like 1-3mm thick. Might be fun to play around making doublets or triplets? Worst case scenario, chuck them in the tumbler and polish them up.
SirRoxalot
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