Rubies/Sapphires/Emeralds

It does take a while. I use a rotary tumbler. I have had to re tumble some stones many times. Some clean up fast. Others take some real tumble time. I also cull fast, as I facet as well as make cabachons. Four or five days in 80 grit and I can tell a gem from a minty green emerald. The rubies and saphires are different. I have had to run two batch runs to find the gems, and stars. I got a beautiful six ray after running my second batch of the same tumble. I just faceted a 9mmX7mm plum ruby from a second tumble batch. I made it for my wife and I am making a ring for her to go with it.
Emeralds are quick, the corundums are slow, and picky. By the by. The black on the emeralds is carbon and it leaves a black film on top of the tumble.

Thanks for the greeting, Dwight. Maybe this weekend I can check out the other site -- this is great!

Another update:
Most of the sapphire/ruby rough has sort of rounded off or smoothed out nicely, though there are still lots of pits/scratches etc. on the surface. They are really starting to look interesting!
Meanwhile, my first sack of the cheapo emerald rough arrived, and when rinsing it off, I found a piece that had a transparent emerald crystal with pretty good color, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and 1/16 to 1/8 inch wide, attached to a larger piece of clear/white crystalline stuff that looks like quartz. To me it looks like a really cool specimen, but I don't know, maybe you guys with some experience at this see these all the time. I've got sacks of these coming from several dealers, thought I'd try to see whether there's much difference.
This is lots of fun though I can only say I feel dumb as a rock!

Hi Docone, it's so great to hear from you, since you may have noticed I've got a bit of "the sickness" about this topic. It's really interesting. The emerald crystal is in the usual shape and partially attached, along one side, to material that's clear to translucent and a smaller bunch of small crystals -- looks like quartz or calcite. I wouldn't touch it with a polisher, it looks pretty fragile and is cool as it is. The other interesting one is a piece of pinkish ruby encased in a discrete layer of pretty green stone that looks like the non-transparent lighter emeralds. That in turn has the usual black shell on the outside. This is a very pretty piece too, and I'm going to try to polish it (carefully!) It's a nice triangular/teardrop shape, although unfortunately pretty small. The rubies are definitely smoothing out, after several days in the vibrating tumbler in 100/120. Some still have the black shell. The emeralds are in the first stage in the barrel. It seems to be crumbling into small gravel as it breaks out of the matrix. Looks like it will be mostly small stones. If this is typical I can't imagine what would happen with a vibrator but I don't think it would be a pretty picture! I'm curious about whether you have had the same experience, since you said such nice things about your emeralds.
I have really come into this as a complete novice and naturally I'm taking on something advanced way before I should. I'm just very glad to have found this board and I appreciate your advice. I'd love to see some pix of your results.

Hi, actually I found Franks through Ebay and won a couple of auctions, have also gone in through the front door -- though cable problems right now are limiting my shopping...booo.... I've liked their stuff. I'm still waiting on a couple of other dealers, so we'll see.
How's your stuff coming out?

I'm starting to think I should re-title this thread. Something like "beating a dead rock." Or something.

Anyhooooo, I am not discouraged with my efforts. Where I stand right now:

Emeralds: I've had them in steps 1 and 2 in the barrel. At the start, I had "emerald rough" that was mixed size, jagged pieces with a lot of the black matrix, and also "emerald gravel," which looked like it sounds, smaller pieces, all showing some green and some a lot of green, generally less irregular. After 2 grinds, it has broken down a lot and left me with many smaller stones but very pretty ones. The surfaces look good for the most part, although some are pitted or scored -- mostly the bigger pieces, while the smaller ones are more shaped. I'm moving it ahead in the barrel and it is looking good, I'd say.

Rubies/Sapphires: I've been working on a largish batch for a while, tried moving it ahead but I was definitely going too fast. Many of them, though, have gotten really well shaped and rounded and gotten rid of the pitting. Looks like if I could get through the "frosted" looking surface they'd be beautiful. I got them out and started another batch of rough, trying to make up a batch or several batches to move to the barrels (I just ordered a 3-barrel which isn't here yet). Thought I'd start them at different stages in the barrel and see what happens. The greatest surprise yet -- last night I got a couple pieces out of the vibrating tumbler I'm using and for the first time, some of the nondescript gray stones were showing streaks of bright sapphire blue! First time I've seen that. Conclusion: I need to not be chicken about grinding and grinding and grinding away at these. Some of those gray ones looked iridescent -- enough so that you would think they were supposed to be that color. But evidently there are layers...and layers...and layers.... and continued change (and hopefully improvement).
Glad to know that the membership on this board is growing. Once again, thank you to everyone, it's just great to have found you.
If anybody else out there is working the ruby saph emerald stuff, I'd love to know how it's going and if you've figured anything out.

Hi! donwrob, it still feels like I should title it "the thread that wouldn't die", or something.
You have a very lucky granddaughter, I'm jealous!
So. About this ruby/saph/emerald thing -- are there folks out there somewhere who know the secret of tumbling these? I've got an unrelated craft/art type business in which there are secret techniques that no one will tell you -- if you persist long enough you can figure it out. I definitely think the chances of figuring it out will go way up with additional smaller barrels -- allows for more experimentation in less time and hopefully less wasted effort.
The emeralds seem to be easy, so far, although it remains to be seen whether they'll polish for me. But that corundum -- wow! I keep grinding and grinding at it and definitely see progress but they are hard to smooth out, unlike the emeralds, which are acting pretty much like other stuff I've tumbled.
All this is based upon my extensive experience -- a whole 2 loads of completed tumbled rocks before I went off on this gemstone mission.
Fortunately, my friends and family are supportive, having seen these episodes of craziness before.

Now you see what the noise is about! I originally got into this stuff by purchasing a used faceter from a gentleman. Never purchase used lapidary equipment, it is being sold for a reason. I did get the faceter with extra equipment thrown in however. One of the pieces was a tumbler. A bbl sloshed and I opened it and it was full of this "second" grade emerald and ruby material. I would never have tumbled this stuff except it had been run in the coarse grit and left for years. I ran a cycle and WOW! If you are interested, I can facet one of your gems, or more. At my shop, I get 9$ a facet, for us, I charge 4$ a facet. A general rule of thumb, each faceted gem loses 50% or more. It takes a few days to facet, just like getting them polished, so they are time intensive.
The tumbled stones make georgeous stones for hand made settings. They are too small to wire wrap reliably but soldered karat settings work real well.
I just love the feel of these real hard stones. They look great polished. Glad you broke through.

I am not sure how to give a qualitative answer to that post. I find, a gem is what people like. I routinely avoid the classic gems and settings as they are boring and extremely over priced. As an example, I faceted an emerald that is the classic light green, with no inclusions. It is 4mmX4mm, square and no has been interested in it. I list it for 600$. I have a very dark green, opaque emerald I tumbled. In its tumbled form, I sold a gold ring I made for it and set it in its tumbled form. I got 500$. I have a piece of dinosaur scat that I cut and facet for executives. I get 500$ for the faceting alone and throw in the stone. It is one of my most popular items. The executives wear it into the office and at staff meetings they pass the ring around and ask if it smells yet.
If the stone means something to you, it is worth effort, what ever that entails. I faceted a ruby for my wife and set it in gold, and silver. She wears it and it is one of the few things she hasn't lost. She treasures it because I made it.
I guess that is the point, I can purchase tumbled stones for .50 cents per pound and sell at my shop. They mean little to me. I tumble stones and give them away, make jewelery. Those stones mean a lot to me. I was part of the process, the learning, the success, the re-do. I love listening to the tumbler, shaking the bbl, trying to picture the finished product. I do not enjoy faceting for someone who is buying someone with an expensive stone. I love faceting for someone who loves the stone. My wife and I stayed up to midnight last night making hand knotted pearl necklasses for folks who wanted to give their wives something special. We discretely delivered them for a suprise.
There are some profound gem schools that educate very informed people in gems. I prefer the school of hard knocks. I learn more from the journey. Basically if you love it, it is worth something. If I had known how hard this field is back then, I might have chosen something easier and done this for an hobby. It is too late now, I love the stones too much.