gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 15, 2024 20:01:00 GMT -5
Lucky guy! Hornitos is scarce, attractive, and cuts great cabs, as you've shown. I'm sure the plume is GYP. It my be Regency Rose as Rockoonz says, but there are so many different kinds there it's hard to be certain. It's very nice.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 15, 2024 19:52:22 GMT -5
Looks like Bloody Basin to me too. I think they call it plume, not moss.
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gemfeller
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Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 13, 2024 23:10:19 GMT -5
Welcome from Arizona @wary Raptor. Don 't overlook all those glacial deposit stones. Some of them are diamonds.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 13, 2024 23:03:33 GMT -5
So sorry. I'm still grieving over two beloved dogs and 3 special cats who passed over that bridge many years ago. It's a special kind of loss. Sympathy to all involved.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 11, 2024 11:44:20 GMT -5
Very nice. Kinda look like fine jasper., Yeah, that's what it reminds me of but it's softer.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 11, 2024 11:01:05 GMT -5
They all look great ! Not possible to choose one, they all have a fabulous polish ! Patty PS- I just saw your other post about undercutting on the flats.
Thanks for the warning - any tips on what polish you used.
Cab fronts look terrific & I'm just preforming some shit myself.
Thanks for the good words. Undercutting was really a slight problem on the ones I've cut so far. I'm not really aggressive on the grinding wheels, preferring to let the diamond do the work. I do push fairly hard on the 60 grit sintered wheel during major stock removal though. The only one that gave me some problems was the dark shield shape. I used a 100 grit silicon carbide belt on an expando to flatten the back and it seemed to remove material unevenly. Nothing major.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 11, 2024 2:23:43 GMT -5
Welcome from a former Central Coaster now living in Arizona. You'll get lots of help here.
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gemfeller
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Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 10, 2024 15:08:09 GMT -5
Interesting. So I can’t bury a coprolite next to an ailing plant and expect the plant to improve? Does the simple chemical treatment use what I might have at home? Thanks. Don't know. I researched a little and came across that bit of trivia but it didn't explain the acid treatment process. It just said it was done commercially in England during a fertilizer shortage.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 10, 2024 14:01:54 GMT -5
I posted this in the Cabochon thread earlier with the title Crappy Cabs, but I think it's appropriate to post it here too. These are some bolo/bola tie cabs I cut from material Randy RWA3006 kindly sent to me. It's interesting material to cut. I still haven't perfected the polish but I'm experimenting with a variety of techniques and hopefully I'll eventually find the key. It undercuts slightly, especially on flat surfaces like the cab backs. Or at least it did for me. Thanks for looking.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 10, 2024 13:52:35 GMT -5
Best Birthday Wishes Robin. We'll celebrate Your Day in person when Karen gets home from her Dallas eclipse jaunt.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 10, 2024 13:03:27 GMT -5
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 10, 2024 12:56:23 GMT -5
I confess to cutting a crappy cab now and then, but this time I did it on purpose. These are 60-million-plus -year-old dinosaur coprolites, otherwise known as agatized dino dung. They were collected in Wyoming by Randy RWA3006 who kindly sent me some of his material to cut. Little known fact: despite their great age, coprolites still make great fertilizer. They are rich in phosphate, which can be released by a simple acid chemical treatment. During World War I they were mined commercially in England during a fertilizer shortage. They also make interesting and attractive jewelry. And they’re always a great conversation-starter!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 10, 2024 2:16:18 GMT -5
I missed it too, sorry! Hope it was a great in all ways. And as you always say, do it again next year!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 7, 2024 15:34:48 GMT -5
rockbrain Yes, it's Ethiopian hydrophane. I cut mostly Aussie opal but have worked with Ethiopian a bit. My first move would be to remove the matrix with a Mizzy heatless wheel using a Foredom. This can be done dry but it generates dust so mask up. Once done you'll be able to see the full shape of the opal and can orient it accordingly. I don't usually dop opal at this stage, preferring to manipulate it manually, grinding slowly with a 220 hard wheel to establish shape. I use minimal water for this because the color may disappear as the opal becomes saturated. I dop Ethiopian opal with Elmer's white glue, which is water soluble, for sanding and polishing. I let it set up overnight for maximum curing to avoid quick water saturation while working it. I remove the stone by soaking in water, then letting the finished stones dry slowly for as long as it takes for the play of color to return. Maybe I've been lucky but none I've cut this way have crazed. I'll be interested to learn the methods others use. Good luck!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 5, 2024 12:11:01 GMT -5
Love the idea! I've never enameled so have no idea how difficult this project would be but I think a scene at totality with just the Corona (or maybe the String of Pearls effect) showing would be awesome. Good work!
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gemfeller
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Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 4, 2024 13:23:10 GMT -5
Idk abt all the accts/users/commenters all being real tho. Some feel very bot-ish to me. I'm sure you're absolutely correct. No doubt there will be those who use it for profit or nefarious purposes. I've already seen what I believe to be these tools used to promote agendas and narratives. That's the most disturbing aspect of it IMO. We've heard about all the benefits it will bring, and little or nothing about its negatives. I feel like the unwilling subject of an untested scientific experiment that could be disastrous. Fools rush in...
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gemfeller
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Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 3, 2024 20:32:13 GMT -5
Rick, without your description of those, I would have put money on those being turquoise! They're gorgeous!! *Okay...I just googled "chalcosiderite"...and see I wasn't really wrong! LOL Not really, but...
This whole series of gemstones suffers from "mis-named-itis." Take the Snowville material. It's often called "Variquoise." Most of it is probably neither. It's likely chalcsiderite though I haven't seem a lab test verifying it. Many of these gems chemically form what's called a "solid solution series." They're basically the same chemical formula but sometimes one mineral substitutes for another, creating a related but different rock. For instance I was told the chalco in my post was mined within yards of the famous Number Eight Turquoise mine. But the minerals available during its formation differed slightly so it's not turquoise. I'm no chemistry or mineral expert but that's my basic understanding.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 31, 2024 14:24:34 GMT -5
Lately I've been cutting out old stashes of phosphate gems, mostly variscite and chalcosiderite. The latter used to be called plain old webbed variscite from Nevada. But the material I'm working was mined by a now-departed friend from an area I believe is or is near the New Lander Mine in NV. He told me lab tests have shown it to be an iron-rich phosphate resembling variscite but with the the 5-syllable name instead. They look the same to me. First, the chalcosiderite. The largest stone weighs almost 37 carats. The second batch is what I have left of so-named variscite from Snowville, Utah. I can't see much difference from the chalcosiderite though the webbing has a different appearance and the color is slightly darker green. The largest stone weighs almost 57 carats. it's all fun and rewarding to cut and I like both kinds as well as turquoise.
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gemfeller
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Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 31, 2024 12:27:40 GMT -5
Happy Easter! Happy Spring! I hope y'all have a wonderful day and that the weather cooperates. Thanks for the good wishes. Hoping the same for everyone!
As to weather, yesterday we were celebrating the beauties of Spring. This morning we woke to a snow scene, just as our fruit trees are in full blossom. Hoping they make it but we've lost our apricots the last 2 years in a row to late frosts. Calling Al Gore!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 30, 2024 19:07:52 GMT -5
Garnets certainly are fascinating. I wonder how many doctorate degrees have been awarded based on the study of them. The Idaho Almandites (?) I have are slightly attracted to strong magnets. There is a pretty wide color range in garnets from the Emerald Creek mining area as well. Don't know about Doctorates but I've always wished I could have done a lot more searching for Idaho garnets. I've seen some gorgeous cut stones from other N. Idaho areas apart from Emerald Creek that have wonderful color, indicating mixing with other garnet species like Pyrope. The magnetism is due to the high iron content of Almandines. Garnet color is fascinating to me. For instance, Almandine and Pyrope (with some major exceptions) are so dark-hued they cut almost black stones. But garnets love to mix species and when the two are mixed together they create the lovely intermediate species Rhodolite. And Rhodolite can contain other species like Spessartine, resulting in an awesome range of red-pink-purplish-orangish colors. Garnets have been vastly underrated gemstones.
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