montanza
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2017
Posts: 5 
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Post by montanza on Aug 11, 2019 22:14:54 GMT -5
Anyone interested in faceting an agate? I have a few pieces of blue agate that I think would look amazing as a gem. Let me know prices and I hope we can make an arrangement. Thankyou
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Post by stonemon on Aug 12, 2019 9:06:21 GMT -5
I do not facet, but welcome to the forum from western Oregon!
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Post by pauls on Aug 12, 2019 16:16:16 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum.
Be aware that faceting is very time intensive and it takes a long time to do a gem.
Usually prices are quoted per carat of finished stone, prices of $50 or more per carat would not be unusual.
Agate is not a good candidate for faceting really, faceted stones need to be clear and have a reasonably high refractive index to work.
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Post by adam on Aug 12, 2019 17:27:40 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Be aware that faceting is very time intensive and it takes a long time to do a gem. Usually prices are quoted per carat of finished stone, prices of $50 or more per carat would not be unusual. Agate is not a good candidate for faceting really, faceted stones need to be clear and have a reasonably high refractive index to work. lue agate as a faceted gemstone could work. Faceted stones do look better when they are more transparent, but that doesn't mean all faceted stones have to be transparent. Opaque stones would look awkward faceted... but agate? It might do better. |
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,688
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Post by NRG on Aug 14, 2019 22:28:20 GMT -5
adamPerhaps you will find this Black Spinel interesting and uhhh.... not awkward. 
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,688
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Post by NRG on Aug 14, 2019 22:56:28 GMT -5
Anyone interested in faceting an agate? I have a few pieces of blue agate that I think would look amazing as a gem. Let me know prices and I hope we can make an arrangement. Thankyou |
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micellular
has rocks in the head
Rock fever is curable with more rocks.
Member since September 2015
Posts: 640
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Post by micellular on Aug 22, 2019 0:42:51 GMT -5
I've seen some really stunning faceted gem silica, and I imagine blue agate would look pretty similar. If I wasn't already swamped with work I'd take you up on it, but do note that rates for American precision faceting generally start at around $50 per stone and I've seen most of them fall in the $75-150 range.
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 23, 2019 12:50:21 GMT -5
I've seen some really stunning faceted gem silica, and I imagine blue agate would look pretty similar. If I wasn't already swamped with work I'd take you up on it, but do note that rates for American precision faceting generally start at around $50 per stone and I've seen most of them fall in the $75-150 range. faceted gem silica... drooling |
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Sept 29, 2019 11:44:20 GMT -5
adamPerhaps you will find this Black Spinel interesting and uhhh.... not awkward.
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,315
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Post by mossyrockhound on Nov 20, 2019 13:27:17 GMT -5
I did a blue agate in an eight-sided brilliant cut. I was not happy with it. The problem is that I didn't get the reflections from the pavillion due to the opacity of the agate, so faceting the pavillion was a waste of time. I don't know how clear your agate is, but unless it is exceptionally clear I would advise against faceting it. I also faceted some rutilated quartz and had the same problem because of the amount of rutile in the quartz.
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller 
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,068
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Post by gemfeller on Nov 20, 2019 14:00:09 GMT -5
Faceting of opaque or semi-opaque stones has always puzzled me. The object of faceting is to display brilliance in transparent gems, or at least that's been the traditional approach. As an opal cutter I've always wondered why faceted opals have such an appeal, especially since the discovery of Welo opal in Ethiopia. From a practical standpoint, faceting an opal results in more weight loss than cabbing. Since opals are sold by carat weight, faceting them seems counter-intuitive to me. The appeal of opals is their play of color which cabs display better, so I'm left wondering. Black diamonds? Why? There must be some mystique attached to the notion. Diamonds are prized for their whiteness, clarity and high refractive index, which results in extreme brilliance and spectral "fire." Even as a kid I was puzzled when I saw faceted black hematite being sold as "Black Alaskan Diamond." What's the appeal?
I guess I'm just out of step with popular tastes but I don't understand the logic. From a design standpoint I can understand why opaque stones might be appealing when faceted without pavilions -- basically a faceted cab -- but cutting a round "brilliant" with a pavilion in anything but transparent material just doesn't make sense to me.
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,315
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Post by mossyrockhound on Nov 20, 2019 19:47:11 GMT -5
.......but cutting a round "brilliant" with a pavilion in anything but transparent material just doesn't make sense to me. [/div][/quote] The faceted agate I did was my second faceted stone. My instructor sugested I practice on an 8-sided brilliant cut to get familiar with my machine because he said, and I agree, that this cut is one of the more simple cuts to learn on. I wasn't trying. to get a "brilliant" agate cut. I figured it would be good to hear from someone who has actually faceted a blue agate. |
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,068
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Post by gemfeller on Nov 20, 2019 20:36:59 GMT -5
mossyrockhound, just for the record my comments weren't directed at you. They were general, just my opinion. I've faceted many stones of all sorts and I see no point in using cuts designed for brilliance on material that can't ever be brilliant. Rose cuts, on the other hand, have flat bottoms and faceted tops. My opinion is that style of cutting would be more appropriate for opaque to semi-opaque stones like agate, sugilite, gem silica, other quality chalcedonies etc. And maybe that's what the originator of this thread has in mind.
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 21, 2019 5:44:20 GMT -5
I think it's all just a matter of opinion, but some opaque stones do benefit from some faceting- such as gem silica. I think it gives them an interior glow that they would not have had otherwise.
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Post by fernwood on Nov 21, 2019 6:26:24 GMT -5
I have a vintage ring with a black Onyx faceted stone. Purchased for the setting. Was planning on removing the stone, as I thought it looked awkward. The setting is very beautiful and high quality.
Did some research and discovered it was made by a well known artist in the 1980's.
I have never understood why someone would facet a solid color, opaque stone.
Have seen some faceted opaque stones with patterns that looked very nice.
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