Petrified Colla Wood Sphere - Updated 9-8-17, Completed

I am real sorry to hear that metalsmith. Chronic pain is brutal, insidious, and has a ripple effect throughout every aspect of life.

I am fairly lucky. My "bad" accident broke a foot, crushed a tibia, broke the sternum, ribs, back, clavicle, scapula; and for some added goodness, compressed a couple discs in my neck. My helmet protected my head. The lucky part is I didn't lose any body parts and after a few surgeries everything was working more or less as it should.

The first few years afterwards I was pretty much crippled by pain and dependent on the narcotics for it. The pills didn't make anything quit hurting. They just made me lethargic, apathetic, and depressed.

I know things are different for everyone. For me; I finally realized the narcotics were impacting everything and I was still always in pain. I decided to quit taking them. That sucked. There was a huge mental & physical dependency on the pills by this point.

Eventually I got through the dependency. When I did I realized that I could function without them. Everything just hurt more. Once that mental connection happened I had an epiphany; If I am going to hurt, but not actually be damaging myself, the only thing holding me back is my fear of pain. I had been in fairly constant pain for years. What was I afraid of, a change in intensity?

I finally said to hell with it and started doing things I enjoyed doing before the accident. Yep, it hurt like hell lol, but; I started having fun even though it hurt at that same time. I have a chronic back problem and neck problem. My ribs like to randomly pop out of place. The leg that was crushed is sensitive to damp, cold, and touch. I had, and still have, really bad days and occasional weeks. But the pain does get back to a tolerable level and I can go do something else that I enjoy.

My rib popped this time because I was helping move my son and his family from a 3rd floor apartment to a 4th floor apartment lol I knew I would pay a price for moving them, but, I wouldn't trade a day working hard with my son for anything.

I don't know your situation but I can relate to anyone suffering from chronic pain. Hopefully your good days outlast the bad ones.

I finished the sphere and added photos into the original message. It came out pretty good

That is way more than pretty good.

Fantastic! Gorgeous material and excellent workmanship!

Fantastic!! Super wet looking polish. Museum grade material. Amazing large size for the type.well done all around. I would be proud of that was mine (envy)

I have a thread on sphere machines. Please feel free to add your thoughts to mine on your machines. Haven't tried that machine. How did to handle the hand ground sphere? Bouncy??

Just awesome! Love it, Roger.

You said it right there Roger. When one of my adult sons calls me and asks if I can come help him shovel shit for eight hours - or change out the transmission in his old Toyota ... again ... hmmm... sounds horrible but do I get to hang out with you? DONE. haha

That's a beautiful sphere Roger, congrats on your new machine too. In my limited opinion it takes a lot of guts to sphere a material that commands such high prices as cabochons. I'm not sure I would have had the same discipline if I were in your shoes. I've cut up a few beauties I wish I could have back.

I have known since I started cutting cabs that I wanted to do spheres at some point and I was lucky to meet the right people at the right time. Quite a few of the cabs I have cut over the years have been from trim pieces off rough being preformed for future spheres. I have a lot of preforms lol

So; what's next..I finished these this weekend.

Chinese writing stone. It looks the same all around so only one photo.


Mexican Crazy Lace




First of two Tiger Iron Spheres. This one has a fracture.




Second Tiger Iron - this one is keeper.




Rutilated Quartz



Rhodochrosite - this is nice material, very gemmy.




Sonora Sunset - most of the crimson cuprite and Sonora Sunset cabs I have cut came from the rough for this sphere.




Ocean Jasper 1




Chrysoprase - I didn't catch the polish in the photos but it is



rockjunquie , does this one hit the mark?

Ocean Jasper with druse pocket

Oh my, those are all wonderful! Not to take away from any of them, but the Rhodochrosite is particularly exquisite! And the OJ, and rutilated quartz, and... I love them all!

Did you fill the voids with wax or anything before turning the ones with druse pockets? Can't wait to see your next projects.