Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:40 am
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:11 pm Posts: 657
Hafiz, it is time to just stop!! You are moving into a world you have absolutely no idea of. We are all here to try and help you, so just slow down, and consider your questions. Read all the posts you can on this forum. Glass filled ruby, real ruby, glass, centering stars, 1-2ct stones? Man, you have a lot to try and sort through. The only thing I can say to you, is: Buy some synthetic sapphire, in a few colours, ie pink, yellow, blue, and learn with that. Are you going to be a sucker, and supply your tutor with all the rough he needs? That's what it sounds like to me. Barry.
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2015 8:07 am
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Tue May 28, 2013 9:44 pm Posts: 711 Location: Las Vegas
I am with Barry, slow way down and study some basics first. Read a few books on gems and gemology. learn the basics of equipment used in the trade, MAKE A GAME PLAN! or you will get taken to the cleaners! We here on the go forums love to share idea's and help people, but we cannot help those who donot help them selves.
_________________ Life is to short to worry about what others think of you.
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 9:46 am
Valued Contributor
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:00 pm Posts: 461 Location: Washington DC
1) Yes, size matters. Small rough is difficult to learn on, as is large rough. I would recommend starting with rough that's about 10-15 carats.
2) Synthetics are often a little different. On the positive side they're usually totally clean and regularly shaped. On the other hand I have found them to be more difficult to polish sometimes.
3) Glass-filled is more difficult than synthetic. There can be problems polishing, over cutting, and problems with the stone breaking.
4) There are a lot of places to buy rough online, for practice rough I'd recommend getting a bunch of synthetics from Morion or similar. You'll need access to a trim saw if you're buying big chunks of synthetic rough though.
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 1:13 pm
Active Member
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:20 am Posts: 52
bobsiv wrote:
1) Yes, size matters. Small rough is difficult to learn on, as is large rough. I would recommend starting with rough that's about 10-15 carats.
2) Synthetics are often a little different. On the positive side they're usually totally clean and regularly shaped. On the other hand I have found them to be more difficult to polish sometimes.
3) Glass-filled is more difficult than synthetic. There can be problems polishing, over cutting, and problems with the stone breaking.
4) There are a lot of places to buy rough online, for practice rough I'd recommend getting a bunch of synthetics from Morion or similar. You'll need access to a trim saw if you're buying big chunks of synthetic rough though.
Thank you So much bobsiv, i highly appreciate your reply.
Today i finished 3 cabochon stones (a mature ruby, a star Sapphire and a garnet hessonite). Actually it toke me 6 hours.
One gets a Awsome feeling once you cut and polish a gemstone.
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2015 9:25 pm
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:11 pm Posts: 657
Hey Hafiz, I'd love to see photo of the cabs you cut. When do you start learning to facet? Will your teacher allow photos of the workshop you are learning in? And the machines? That is always of interest to all of us! Barry
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 2:07 pm
Active Member
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:20 am Posts: 52
Qld Barry wrote:
Hey Hafiz, I'd love to see photo of the cabs you cut. When do you start learning to facet? Will your teacher allow photos of the workshop you are learning in? And the machines? That is always of interest to all of us! Barry
Hi Barry,
The Start Sapphire is not that clear i will post anothere pic later. the sad thing in cabs for me is that there is alot of wastage. first day i was not give a dop to cut i had to use my hand.
I should learn facets very soon. I have preform a garnet and i will be faceting that.
It is not a big workshop. just one machine i will try to get a pic of the machine and post it here (my next class is on Monday).
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 4:49 pm
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:11 pm Posts: 657
Well done Hafiz. getting those first few stones done is such a challenge, and I imagine a bit difficult on fingertips! Thank-you for posting, I look forward to watching you succeed on the next gems. Barry.
Post subject: Re: Learning Gem Cutting : Choosing Rough
Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2015 5:33 am
Active Member
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2015 9:57 pm Posts: 66
Hee, hee, yes! You know, I was wondering all the same things too. Especially the who's got the best rough for the best price on this planet, consistently for the smallest purchase amounts!
Personally, I will be practicing on glass for a long time. Since that's the first trade I picked up, my goal will be to be nearly the best I can be(stopped myself from saying mastering) on glass, creating optics and cuts that only a skilled glassworker faceter with flamworking, fusing, and semicasting could create before I move on to in order
Then, as gemology, business connections, GIA education, and touring the US permit, purchasing more valued natural gems to cut and set into one of a kind mostly handcrafted fine jewelry.
So that's kinda my plans. Sure, one can indeed start with all the best equiptment, and be successful. One can only use the good glass colors, expensive dichro, but learning to make gold outta scrap is important.
Many people in glassworking only use the most expensive colors, but if you asked em to make something from black, white, and brown, they wouldn't know what to do.
So, what I'm getting at is it's good to start yourself at the bottom sometimes.
See what you can do with minimal things as you learn things, and truly value the tools you buy, as you progress.
I sure would not be jealous of anyone starting with expensive gemstones, and heck they might even be the most serious beginners of all, and take a month to cut their first sapphire, taking each problem and analyzing it, studying, checking, troubleshooting, and experimenting.
But, it sure is fun to play, fix, and freestyle your mistakes in anything!
I really do nothing except mess up, and figure out cool ways to make something cooler, and cover up my mistakes. But really, I wouldn't have really made a mistake, just something that I intended to do differently.
That is a skill to transfer over in anything you do.
You mess up and scratch a setting in jewelry, think of a cool way to engrave the mistake and turn it into a awesome pattern. Then do the pattern to all your settings.
Mess up a gem, improvise and create a new cut or cut it smaller.
Break something, figure out a way to fix it, and make it cooler than it was in the first place. The third alternative.
So, with that said. It's fun playing with scrap sometimes, and scrap can lead to the greatest work of art you've ever made. If your freestyle cut didn't work out, it'll give you an idea for a cut that you start fresh on, don't mess up, and it'll work out, and you'll know that if you hadn't made that mistake, you never would have thought of it.
I almost guarantee that some of the AGTA award winners, or 3d modeling competitors make mistakes, which leads to innovation. Not many proud craftsmen will tell you they messed up a lot on the best thing they ever made though.
So, with all the stress of crystal systems, cleavage, inclusions, polishing, inaccurate meetpoints, wrong depths, etc............
You might wanna take it as you go, and learn the basics stressfree, playing with rough glass that is worth less a slice of bread, literally!
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