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Post by stoner on Sept 27, 2006 23:59:50 GMT -5
I got the Royal Velvet Obsidian I bought from ebay seller Orchids9 in the mail today and I have mixed thoughts about what I received. This stuff is awesome looking material, but it's nowhere close to what they had pictured in their auction. Here's a cab I cut from one of the pieces today.  These next shots are of it laying flat and in different positions so you can see the flash in this material.    And here's a link to what they show on their ebay store. cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&item=220023070739&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1I'm going to send them an email and see what gives as far as the lack of different colors. What do you guys think? |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Sept 28, 2006 1:52:08 GMT -5
i think you did good. i see most of the colors described. what did you get a lb? how many pieces were in a lb?
kim
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 28, 2006 1:52:24 GMT -5
Ed, my sense of all those fancy obsidians (rainbow, red ribbon, fire obsidian, silver sheen, gold sheen, etc) is that the colours and patterns really only come out in very strong light. Look at any auction that lists rainbow obsidian, and the pics are always taken in direct sunlight. The only exceptions to this I can think of are mahogany obsidian and snowflake obsidian (plus snowflake's close pinkish Mexican cousin, whose commercial name escapes me just now). Try viewing/taking pix of your cabs in direct sunlight and see how that compares. (And post them here, of course!)
-Don
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Post by stoner on Sept 28, 2006 2:06:21 GMT -5
There were like 5 pieces in the pound, one about the size of medium potatoe, and the others were a little smaller. I heard back from the seller and he said you need to cut it slightly askew of the grain, and yes, also good lighting. I'm happy with the stuff, I just want to see all the colors as in the auction photo. It polishes up really nicely.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Sept 28, 2006 2:34:03 GMT -5
stoner sands has a good picture diagram of how to cut it. didn't help us but it might help you lol.
kim
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Sept 28, 2006 8:56:33 GMT -5
Aww Ed- that just looks terrible, I think you should give the rest of it to me.
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Post by krazydiamond on Sept 28, 2006 9:00:17 GMT -5
usually Orchids does a good deal, but the pic on eBay looks much better than your cab, which is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but i think lighting has a lot to do with the colors as advertised.
KD
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Post by deb193 on Sept 28, 2006 9:05:32 GMT -5
Well the two closeup shots in the listing are of the two niceest pieces sitting on top of the bucket. The other pieces look less colorful. They should have noted that the two pieces were possible, but exceptional, since it was a random pick.
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Sept 28, 2006 12:27:50 GMT -5
Ed- Great looking cab- Not as colorful as the Ebay stuff- but still a damn fine job! I think that it is one of those live and learn type things- No you did not get the item pictured- but yes it was still nice stuff-
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Post by gemkoi on Sept 28, 2006 13:08:10 GMT -5
Thats the game up play when buying "picked at random" rough. It is velvet and a nice one at that too. Given, they did show the nicest piece they could, But it is repsentive of a random pick. $30 per pound is steap, in my opinion even for velvet, unless it all like the two best pieces. SO im with ya there, personally i would of asked for a select piece for the $30 , off ebay and not a random pick from the BIN. Material like this to me is always best purchased in person, or in a single lot, not a random pick unless thats what you ask for.
I bought some last year from a seller on ebay in which they were posting single piece items, it wasnt the velvet type, it was just fine Jasico Rainbow. I emiled them asking for $50 wortha t random and they sent a decent batch. Was about 5 pounds worth. and not all was the best. But worth the price.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 29, 2006 1:06:26 GMT -5
Hey Ed,
Have you had a look at these in sunlight yet? They look really good and unique just as they are, but I wonder if they might match the ebay pics in direct sunlight?
-Don
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Post by stoner on Sept 29, 2006 1:35:50 GMT -5
Hey Don, yes I did look at them in bright sunlight today. I even just about wasted one of the pieces cutting it in every direction, and the only difference I came up with is the amount of flash-green flash-no rainbow colors. So I guess I'll just live with the green.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 29, 2006 1:45:12 GMT -5
Interesting. Well, the pieces you have still look great by any lapidary standard. Those ebay pics do look kind of extreme though. I've seen several auctions for royal velvet obsidian lately, mostly stating that it is a rare material that is highly unusual to find as rough, and with pics that look every bit as dramatic as the ebay link you posted. Some really colourful lots went for completely wild prices ($100 plus for a slab), but I guess if the super-flashy stuff is just a small subset of what is sold under that name, that would explain the wild prices.
Cool stuff at any rate, and you do have nice colours and patterns in what you got.
-Don
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Sept 29, 2006 9:53:23 GMT -5
Man Ed this is just so Frustrating- Because the Cab by itself is stunning- But then you compare it to the stuff shown in the auction- and its a let down- ANy chance the seller would send you a hunk or 2 of the primo stuff??? I would love to see you work that stuff!
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Post by stoner on Sept 29, 2006 11:55:49 GMT -5
Well the seller says that the colors are there, I just have to cut it properly. I am going to send him another email with some pics and see what he has to say.
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Post by gemkoi on Sept 29, 2006 13:09:19 GMT -5
If you send him a photo of that second shot, i think he will say that you did a good job and got good rough. I would ask then, is this the first time working with the material? If so i think you got high expectations on something that normally is quite bunk. And he got his but covered either way because it stated as a random pick. That means he can give you want ever he wants from that bucket of rough. Never buy random picks of stuff like this unless you can pink it in person.
Same with many of his auctions of other rough , stated as random picks. Marfa plume i was looking at, hes gotta it priced at $25 per pound. Thats crazy for a random pick in my opinion. Because that material for that price should be proven and sold by the piece. As a random pick, it should be half that, tops.
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