gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 26, 2020 10:23:18 GMT -5
Mtorolite = chrome-colored chalcedony. It was first found, and named, in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), Africa. It's now mined mainly in Australia but some of the African material is still available now and then.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 24, 2020 0:32:04 GMT -5
Neat build. I use one mainly for polishing at low rpm's and even then it throws quite a bit of spray, so I think the rubber skirt would solve that problem.
What speed is it turning? Mine has a variable speed control so I can regulate rpm's for various cutting/polishing tasks. I seldom use it at full speed but apart from polishing I only use it for sanding certain cuts of stones. The suggestion to feed water at the spindle is a good one. From what you've posted I'd guess it's turning too fast.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 20, 2020 22:39:22 GMT -5
That reminds me of long, long ago when we used to dig basketball-size and smaller eggs from just under the surface there. I still have a picture of my group digging them/
I have a lasting reminder of digging the blue opal eggs too. I tried to smack one on the edge with my rock hammer to see if it had opal and hit my left thumb instead. It broke the small bone in the tip of my thumb - hurt like blazes! I still have a little extra thumbnail that grows alongside my regular nail as a result and I think of that dig every time I trim it. Succor Creek was and probably still is a magical place for rock hunting. Haven't been back for more years than I can count.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 20, 2020 22:22:53 GMT -5
Olympic Poppy Jasper? All my rough from there is riddled with fractures.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 19, 2020 19:34:38 GMT -5
Great show! We share an interest in stones that display optical phenomena (so-called "phenomenal" gems). Star sapphires were among the first stones I cut, back in the days of silicon carbide wheels. Sometimes it was hard to tell which was cutting which since the hardness was about the same.
Do your stars from Idaho show gold against black? A dear departed friend operated the Dixie Star rock shop back in the day. It was named for his wife and the wonderful Idaho black star sapphires he'd collected and cut. I think they came from Rocky Flat between McCall and Meadows. I'm too old to go digging but I have an old falling-apart rock hunting guide book that outlines major corundum areas of Idaho. I can copy the corundum pages for you if you like.
There are a number of corundum areas in ID, some that have yielded rare gem-quality blues. In some areas the old-time gold miners hated the corundum because it was so plentiful it "boiled" their sluice boxes due to its high S.G. and made gold recovery difficult.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 18, 2020 15:24:24 GMT -5
Welcome over here Debbie. Was wondering if something had happened to you. Your work is exceptional and I'm always happy to see i.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
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.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
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.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
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.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 13, 2020 17:02:34 GMT -5
Things seem to be lightening up for me: been crazy busy the past 6 months. I'll volunteer as a cabber if needed.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 12, 2020 19:12:32 GMT -5
Chester from Gunsmoke had a funny walk. Chester had a limp. It made him a sympathetic character and was dramatically effective because he was very smart and cunning and overcame his obvious disability by seeing through people who looked down on a "gimp." But I wouldn't describe it as a "funny walk." The Pythons were NOT making fun of disabled people. The Department of Funny Walks was a satire on British bureaucracy.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:48:44 GMT -5
gemfeller, it doesn't sound like you need a repairman... it sounds like you need an exorcist! PS. You can probably give it away to somebody if it still keeps things cold, especially if they don't care about an ice-maker or water dispenser. If you've ever watched Ghost Hunters on TV, the first question the investigators ask of people who report "ghostly" noises is: "Does your refrigerator have an icemaker?" Lots of times that's the source of the "ghost." In our case the noise is so loud they'd probably look for Bigfoot instead.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:45:31 GMT -5
In response to gemfeller I will say that our GE is a more basic model, no icemaker, water cooler, coffee-maker, Alexa, or what-have-you, so I can't comment on those parts if those are important to you. lookatthat, We cross-posted and I didn't see your comments while writing mine. I think G.E.'s manufacturing standards have been cheapened tremendously in the 21 years since you bought your 1998 model. G.E. now makes most of its products in China, which is a tell. Our old Kenmore was great and I wish we'd spent the money to upgrade it instead of buying the new box.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:34:23 GMT -5
Sugilite is often mixed with quartz, vein matrix and other minerals. Hardness is variable, from roughly 5.5 to 6.5. A lot depends on the hardness of the dental pick and the area of the stone that was tested. Dyed marble, quartzite and serpentine have been sold as sugilite, so an ID from an image is risky at best. It does look a bit like sugilite but it would need lab testing for verification.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:20:26 GMT -5
knave, Be cautious and do your due diligence on this material. I read somewhere (don't recall where but the source seem reliable) that this stuff is treated to the max. The description made it sound as if it's not suitable for wear as jewelry. I may be wrong but my instinct is to verify before you trust.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:12:19 GMT -5
hummingbirdstones , My only advise is DON'T BUY G.E.!! Our old Kenmore gave out after 25 years so we bought a smaller G.E. side-by-side, planning to leave it with the house when we retired out of state. It keeps things cold O.K. but it's the noisiest appliance imaginable. The valve for the icemaker bangs like a pistol shot, followed by any number of growling, unpleasant mechanical noises that occur at all times of the day and night. And G.E. nags and nags you to change water filters long before they're needed. They overcharged us for the filters we bought, according to a G.E. service man. It looks like we're stuck with the thing for longer than we planned due to CV 19 but I'm paying close attention to this thread to plan for our next refrigerator buy.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 10, 2020 12:19:19 GMT -5
It's hard to be sure from an image, but it looks like either sugilite or richterite to me. The two are often found in association, with sugilite trending toward purple and richterite toward blue. The inclusions of matrix are a tip-off to me, as they're somewhat typical of the way some of the material is cut. Stones without matrix grade higher of course. It can be a bear to polish well.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 7, 2020 19:02:58 GMT -5
Great pendant and stone Gary. I've never understood the logic behind the commandment: Thou Shalt Not Edit Items For Sale to make them appear the same way as they do in hand. Granted, some jerks boost saturation and contrast to exaggerate and misrepresent the appearance of their items. They are low-lifes and are soon found out.
I want my customers to receive items that appear as close as possible to my sales images. Even with editing that's not always possible due to the technical peculiarities of some cameras and monitors. But that's my goal and I've had only one minor complaint in nearly 20 years of on-line gem/jewelry sales. The complaint came about because I failed to edit a stone image correctly.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 5, 2020 16:37:56 GMT -5
Happy times, Scott. I'm envious. I'll bet you two are looking forward to 2027!
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,813
|
Post by gemfeller on May 3, 2020 18:59:09 GMT -5
mohs, Yes, the object was to get the ball through the opening in the stone on the wall. Rules said you couldn't use your hands so they batted the heavy thing with their hips, heads, upper arms -- whatever. I think that's why the helmets were important. The Sinagua court didn't have anything like that when I visited and that's another thing that made me suspect it was a religious symbol more than an actual playing court. One more thought. Since the players were held in high regard -- enough so to devote enormous time and effort making their colossal heads -- maybe they were commemorated for religious, not sports, reasons. It's a mystery that tantalizes me. I'd love to know just what the religious connection was, and why losers often died.
|
|