|
|
Post by Starguy on Sept 30, 2014 19:52:21 GMT -5
I couldn't decide which forum to put this in. I figured cabochons was the best place. Here is my collection of Linde boules and some proven ones. I thought you guys might appreciate them    These things are fun to cut. They take a great polish too. hope you enjoy the photos, and I hope photobucket worked today. Later Brent |
|
|
|
Post by Pat on Sept 30, 2014 20:28:55 GMT -5
Beautiful stars!
Thanks for showing.
|
|
|
|
Post by orrum on Sept 30, 2014 20:58:29 GMT -5
X2 Yawser!!!!
|
|
spiritstone
Cave Dweller 
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061 
|
Post by spiritstone on Sept 30, 2014 21:51:40 GMT -5
Interesting first Ive heard the term. Going to have to google it.  |
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Sept 30, 2014 22:42:31 GMT -5
PatorrumspiritstonePat , I think you know what I am talking about with these boules. They are all man made but they are MOHs hardness nine just like natural sapphire. You need diamond tools to work.them. They exhibit the best stars imaginable. If you google them you will find lots of information about how they are made. It's an incredible process. I love these things because they take an outstanding polish and you can look at them forever and not figure out how they can show a 3D star. thanks for looking at them. It has taken me nearly 20 years to collect them. later Brent.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,061
|
Post by gemfeller on Oct 1, 2014 1:42:02 GMT -5
Great collection Brent. I assume they're all vintage original Lindes, which are now rare.. Everyone and his dog is making this stuff now.
|
|
Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
|
Post by Roger on Oct 1, 2014 8:39:30 GMT -5
Very cool material! I hadn't heard of it before either. I am going to need to look it up as well lol. Thanks for posting it!
|
|
|
|
Post by roy on Oct 1, 2014 8:49:34 GMT -5
very nice !
|
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Oct 1, 2014 14:40:37 GMT -5
Goodness!!! Those really show great stars!! Are Linde's still being made? I remember seeing a lot of them a long time ago, but I don't see as many anymore. You can't can't beat them for stars, although yours look even better than most I've seen.
|
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Oct 1, 2014 19:58:23 GMT -5
gemfellerI'm not 100% sure they are all true Lindes. I'm fairly certain the large dark blue one is. The stars are so bright on the small light blue ones, that I'm pretty sure they are too. The blue slabs don't show as bright of a star as the others. The brownish slabs have some small bubbles in them. The bubbles are pretty tiny but they can be seen with the naked eye. All were sold to me as Lindes. The Russian made ones I've seen don't show as good stars and they had lighter colored centers. That's about all I know for sure. They are hard and they take an exceptional polish. I need to get a facet saw so I can start cutting more of then.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,061
|
Post by gemfeller on Oct 1, 2014 21:47:30 GMT -5
gemfellerI'm not 100% sure they are all true Lindes. I'm fairly certain the large dark blue one is. The stars are so bright on the small light blue ones, that I'm pretty sure they are too. The blue slabs don't show as bright of a star as the others. The brownish slabs have some small bubbles in them. The bubbles are pretty tiny but they can be seen with the naked eye. All were sold to me as Lindes. The Russian made ones I've seen don't show as good stars and they had lighter colored centers. That's about all I know for sure. They are hard and they take an exceptional polish. I need to get a facet saw so I can start cutting more of then. There are lots of different makers now. I know of flame-fusion star corundum made in Israel, China, Russia, India, Germany, Switzerland and other places now that the Linde patents have expired. I've purchased a few just for fun but don't know how they compare with the original Linde material. This is a couple I bought a few years ago. I'm not sure where they were made but they're not Linde's:  The stones to watch out for are the diffusion stars that are very popular right now. They start with low-quality natural star material and use diffusion techniques (like those used to make Lindes) to enhance the asterism in them. They're cheap and somewhat attractive but they're easy to ID because the asterism is all on the stone's surface and has no depth. I think the popularity of the man-made stars waned when they were no longer unique to Linde and became a cheap "ho-hum" commodity. As I'm sure you know, the original Linde cabs had an "L" engraved on the bottom. No "L," not Linde. |
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Oct 4, 2014 20:03:51 GMT -5
rockjunquieThe stars are better than anything else I've seen. I've been saving up for a slab saw, so I could part with a few for the right price. I'm not too interested in selling the large cornflower blue piece but I could part with a few of the light blue boules. I can prove the stars before sending them if you want. PM me if you're interested. Later Brent.
|
|
|
|
Post by pghram on Oct 6, 2014 9:52:57 GMT -5
Nice material & great cabs.
Rich
|
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Jul 7, 2021 0:04:14 GMT -5
jasoninsd You dug deep to find that. These things are cool but my star garnets are nature made.
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jul 7, 2021 0:09:10 GMT -5
jasoninsd You dug deep to find that. These things are cool but my star garnets are nature made. LOL. I've been searching frantically on the proper way to work them. |
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Jul 7, 2021 21:37:34 GMT -5
Who brought this post up again?
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jul 8, 2021 0:51:00 GMT -5
Who brought this post up again? You did. LOL I just hit the "like" button on the original post from seven years ago.  |
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jul 8, 2021 16:02:35 GMT -5
I repolished a linde sapphire for a jeweler about 2 months ago. It came out good considering some large chips. But I have never seen a Linde boule for sale. Very nice display.
|
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Jul 17, 2021 7:33:31 GMT -5
I believe these were made in my backyard here in Western New York. Union Carbide and Linde were HUGE employers in this area in the 70's My dad used to install burglar and fire alarms back then and he spent MONTHS at the Union Carbide and Linde plants. I remember him telling me about the sapphire furnaces and the carbide furnaces. I will have to pick his brain some next time I see him
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,061
|
Post by gemfeller on Jul 17, 2021 18:58:27 GMT -5
Goodness!!! Those really show great stars!! Are Linde's still being made? I remember seeing a lot of them a long time ago, but I don't see as many anymore. You can't can't beat them for stars, although yours look even better than most I've seen. Linde stopped production of star boules ("balls" in French) in the 1970s as I recall. A company whose name has escaped me acquired most of the original Linde inventory and sold it off about then. The manufacturing process isn't all that difficult (in a professional manufacturing sense) so there have been many other manufacturers since Linde's patents expired. But original Lindes were of very high quality and they cut and sold only Grade A material. Original Linde star cabochons had a little "L" engraved on the back. The company is also well known to he lapidary community as manufacturers of Linde A polish. |
|
