kouma
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2021
Posts: 15
|
Post by kouma on Nov 23, 2021 21:05:17 GMT -5
Those are beautiful pieces! Larimar is notoriously unstable and pieces that size will have weaknesses. If you have your heart set on finishing with only 2 pieces I would consider 2 options 1- If using a vibe or lap, stabilize! And this does not come with a guarantee of success. or 2- Take the high spots down mechanically and hand polish/lap. Larimar is pretty soft so it is not as daunting as it sounds, though you still may end up with carpal tunnel. You have spectacular specimens whether you decide to polish or not. Good luck Thank you brotherbill for your feedback. This instability you are referring to is what scares me. I often see big pieces of Larimar that are polished but very rarely do I find ones without major cracks. I believe these cracks are the result of this instability you are referring. See below pics for example:
|
|
|
Post by greig on Nov 24, 2021 8:15:49 GMT -5
I like option 1! That would make a great video Thank you for reaching out to greig. Option 1 sounds great to me, I don't mind making the drive and I get to see what this magic of polishing is all about Send me a PM and we can get something organized. Polishing a flat slab doesn't take long. Making a cab takes a lot longer. What concerns me is the necessity to stabilize. My method uses Epoxy 330 and acetone which takes a week to soak and 10 days to dry. Perhaps, you can do this first.
|
|
helsha
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2021
Posts: 7
|
Post by helsha on Nov 24, 2021 9:33:17 GMT -5
|
|
catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
|
Post by catskillrocks on Nov 27, 2021 20:48:33 GMT -5
kouma , you may already know this, but not knowing what Larimar was I looked it up in Wikipedia and came across this: " . . The blue colour is photosensitive and fades with time if exposed to too much light and heat". Just an FYI. Don
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Nov 27, 2021 21:25:40 GMT -5
That's a stone that can be difficult. Might be better seeing if there is someone nearby that can help you I spoke to a local jewellery shop and they said their Gem polishing guy will charge over a $1000 to polish this, which is ridiculous. That's completely insane.
|
|
rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
|
Post by rewdownunder on Nov 27, 2021 22:27:20 GMT -5
I spoke to a local jewellery shop and they said their Gem polishing guy will charge over a $1000 to polish this, which is ridiculous. That's completely insane. Sounds like the answer rock people will give you when they just do not want to do it. Rather that say no outright just throw out a very high price.
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Nov 27, 2021 22:39:49 GMT -5
That's completely insane. Sounds like the answer rock people will give you when they just do not want to do it. Rather that say no outright just throw out a very high price. Not just rock people, I’ve run into the same phenomenon at work with contractors. But yeah…, it sounds like a passive-aggressive, “no.”
|
|
rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
|
Post by rewdownunder on Nov 27, 2021 23:55:54 GMT -5
It can backfire. Several years ago I was helping out a friend in Tucson watch her booth at one of the big shows while she took a break and got some lunch. A woman asked about a display piece of high end opal and when told it was not for sale begged me to call the owner and make sure. I phoned up the owner and she wanted to be nice as the woman had purchased items before and told me to tell her it was $15,000. It was probably about a $6,000 to $7,000 piece she was planning to cut up. My next call to the owner was to tell her to get back to the booth right now because the woman was counting out $100.00 bills. Everyone ended up very happy but you just never know.
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Nov 28, 2021 0:01:59 GMT -5
It can backfire. Several years ago I was helping out a friend in Tucson watch her booth at one of the big shows while she took a break and got some lunch. A woman asked about a display piece of high end opal and when told it was not for sale begged me to call the owner and make sure. I phoned up the owner and she wanted to be nice as the woman had purchased items before and told me to tell her it was $15,000. It was probably about a $6,000 to $7,000 piece she was planning to cut up. My next call to the owner was to tell her to get back to the booth right now because the woman was counting out $100.00 bills. Everyone ended up very happy but you just never know. I’ve never bluffed on that. If it’s not for sale, I just say so (or even better, don’t display it).
|
|
kouma
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2021
Posts: 15
|
Post by kouma on Nov 29, 2021 14:36:40 GMT -5
kouma , you may already know this, but not knowing what Larimar was I looked it up in Wikipedia and came across this: " . . The blue colour is photosensitive and fades with time if exposed to too much light and heat". Just an FYI. Don Unfortunately this is true for a number of minerals including Malachite and Amethyst; apparently, UV bleaches them out. This is why all my stones are in display cases away from sunlight or direct room light.
|
|