Post by bobby1 on Oct 5, 2011 1:12:12 GMT -5
Sometimes cutting a rock in a differnt manner will give you some suprises.
Some time in the past I bought this piece of Brazilian Agate. I don't recall when or where I got it but I do know why I bought it. As you can see in this photo it was cut across the pattern, which is the most common way to do it. There are some very obvious red bands visible in the piece. It was about 6" long, 4" wide and about 1" thick.
Here is a photo of the opposite edge.
This is the back side which shows the size of the piece as well as the original rind.
This is the faced cut that the original slabber left the piece with. There is a coarse druzy in the middle and the piece does have fractures all the way across the face in an "X" pattern.
What caught my eye was the brilliance, thickness and flat layering of the red bands. I gripped the piece on the opposite long sides in my rock gripper and proceeded to slab it parallel with the red bands.
Here is a photo of the first slab. As you can see a section had broken off at one of the fractures.
Here it is backlit on one side.
Backlit on the other side.
Here is another slab backlit.
Here is a smaller piece backlit. Keep this image in mind as you will see it again a little later.
Here are some of the pieces of slabs backlit with a photoflood light.
As you can see slabbing parallel to the bands produces some really spectacular slabs thet you wouldn't expect just looking at the rough piece.
Here is a cab I just finished from one of the smaller slabs previously shown. Can you guess which piece that it came from? It is 2-3/4" tall.
Bob
Some time in the past I bought this piece of Brazilian Agate. I don't recall when or where I got it but I do know why I bought it. As you can see in this photo it was cut across the pattern, which is the most common way to do it. There are some very obvious red bands visible in the piece. It was about 6" long, 4" wide and about 1" thick.
Here is a photo of the opposite edge.
This is the back side which shows the size of the piece as well as the original rind.
This is the faced cut that the original slabber left the piece with. There is a coarse druzy in the middle and the piece does have fractures all the way across the face in an "X" pattern.
What caught my eye was the brilliance, thickness and flat layering of the red bands. I gripped the piece on the opposite long sides in my rock gripper and proceeded to slab it parallel with the red bands.
Here is a photo of the first slab. As you can see a section had broken off at one of the fractures.
Here it is backlit on one side.
Backlit on the other side.
Here is another slab backlit.
Here is a smaller piece backlit. Keep this image in mind as you will see it again a little later.
Here are some of the pieces of slabs backlit with a photoflood light.
As you can see slabbing parallel to the bands produces some really spectacular slabs thet you wouldn't expect just looking at the rough piece.
Here is a cab I just finished from one of the smaller slabs previously shown. Can you guess which piece that it came from? It is 2-3/4" tall.
Bob