gemfeller
Cave Dweller 
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,064 
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Post by gemfeller on May 15, 2020 22:48:22 GMT -5
For the past 6 months I've been overwhelmed by that thing called Life. But the curtain is slowly opening and I can see some daylight at last. So it's felt really good to get back to the Genie and finish up some projects I'd left on the bench during that time. One of them was this Crazy Lace Agate that contained a large and attractive drusy area. I played with the idea of cutting it into 2 stones but neither seemed attractive to me and I'd have ended up damaging the natural symmetry of the druse. So I opted to cut it as one BIG stone. What do you all think? Crazy Lace Agate  I love Laguna agate and this one needed some touch-up on the girdle. I think it came out well. Laguna  I drug into my old stash of Utah variscite months ago and this cab was semi-finshed. I'll be cutting a lot more of this material soon. Lucin Variscite  This Dino Bone cab was lopsided and had been on the bench a while. I finished it into a long oval. The quality isn't quite "gem" but it's an attractive large stone. Dino Bone  This dendritic opal is a work in progress. To finish it I'll have to dig out my carving tools to (hopefully!) get rid of the thin opaque layer that's clouding this very nice dendrite. It'll be almost surgical in nature and hopefully I won't grind the dendrite away in he process. Dendritic Opal  Thanks for taking a look. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 15, 2020 22:55:33 GMT -5
Nice stones, Rick! That crazy lace looks almost exactly like some that Vince has been slabbing the last couple of evenings, druzy included! I really like it.
I bet when you have it finished that dendritic opal is going to be killer. Please post a photo after you perform your surgery on it.
Glad to see you back cutting.  |
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on May 15, 2020 23:34:41 GMT -5
Very glad to see you back to having some fun.
I do like that crazy lace - even though the asymmetrical nature of that stuff drives me nuts when I lay out cabs myself. Nice one!
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Post by fernwood on May 16, 2020 4:32:11 GMT -5
That opal is gonna be amazing.
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Post by lpl on May 16, 2020 8:18:46 GMT -5
Awesome to see you at the wheels again Rick, and beautiful cabs!
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Post by mohs on May 16, 2020 8:33:30 GMT -5
The Doctor is in!
dino is one long cool woman
banded lace flows &
vara glows
best of luck on that clouded opal
that will take a delicate touch
if it starts to fade
let it be
no better hands tho
to divine the shine
Ed
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Post by 1dave on May 16, 2020 10:18:52 GMT -5
"Arbite macus das laban zeus!" If I remember my 1950 German class spelling = "Work makes life sweet."  I found the best way to work with drusy areas is to fill them with hard wax. Is that what you did? |
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on May 16, 2020 10:36:38 GMT -5
A beautiful set of cabs.
Great to see your work & congrats getting your hands dirty again!
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Post by opalpyrexia on May 16, 2020 10:42:29 GMT -5
That's a nice group! I like your brief 'backstory' for each. Of the bunch, I like the Laguna and variscite best.
In its current orientation, I see angry eyes, two nostrils, and sharp teeth in the crazy lace. Can't help it, that's what my brain locked onto.
With the dendritic opal, I assume that you'll work from outside in to remove the cloudy white. I grabbed a quick copy, threw it into photoshop (I sometimes do that with cab and slab postings), and darkened the dendrites while removing the white around the edges of the dendrite 'foliage'. I stopped with the cloudy white in the center and I thought it was a good look. FWIW...
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,064
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Post by gemfeller on May 16, 2020 11:46:46 GMT -5
opalpyrexia, thanks for your comments. The Crazy Lace is unusual and a bit unwieldy due to its size. I have no idea how it might be used in jewelry: a big bola tie or bracelet maybe...or perhaps just a display piece. I really see only a rather pleasing abstract pattern in it. The opal's a challenge. It's a small stone and the dendrite isn't parallel to the flat surface of the opal. The obscured part dips into the opal and some delicate work will be required to carve down to it without destroying it. I've carved quite a few fire agates and know you don't dare go too far with the grinding or you'll lose the color or pattern during sanding and polishing. So it will be one of those "cut a little, look a lot" jobs.
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,064
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Post by gemfeller on May 16, 2020 11:53:57 GMT -5
1dave, Hey, I've had plenty of work! But it's the nature of the work that can be sweet. Some is much sweeter than the rest. Re: wax filling the druse. Nope, I just went "kamikaze" because the recesses are deep enough to survive without damage during grinding/sanding. But you're right that wax filling is a good way to go on some pieces.
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Post by 1dave on May 16, 2020 13:06:48 GMT -5
1dave, Hey, I've had plenty of work! But it's the nature of the work that can be sweet. Some is much sweeter than the rest. Re: wax filling the druse. Nope, I just went "kamikaze" because the recesses are deep enough to survive without damage during grinding/sanding. But you're right that wax filling is a good way to go on some pieces. Right. without the wax the space always got filled with junk that was hard to get out. |
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Post by MsAli on May 16, 2020 13:14:02 GMT -5
Really great to see these!
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Post by RocksInNJ on May 16, 2020 20:23:10 GMT -5
Glad to hear your back at it and with some amazing things to share. Many thanks and best of luck with that great looking opal. Looking forward to the updates.
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Post by knave on May 16, 2020 20:25:03 GMT -5
"Arbite macus das laban zeus!" If I remember my 1950 German class spelling = "Work makes life sweet." I found the best way to work with drusy areas is to fill them with hard wax. Is that what you did? We need the audio on that one!! |
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Post by rockjunquie on May 17, 2020 14:10:26 GMT -5
Back with a vengeance, I see. LOVE that laguna! |
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on May 17, 2020 14:57:36 GMT -5
My fav is also the Laguna!!
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