Search results

For those interested in gems and jewelry. Recently I finished faceting a huge 545 facet 335 carat Portuguese style gem in CZ. Has 32 facets on the girdle, took almost a month to cut off and on. A tad heavy to wear in a ring, perhaps it will make a nice ear stud.

Another week gone by, and I cut a nice square lilac amethyst gem (around the 5 carat mark). And in my picking travels I bought a Siffari White Gold Diamond Pendent on a 925 silver chain. Also to add to this weeks pickings - a white opal with a tiny diamond set in a 9 Carat pendent attached to 9...

This is a gem I recently cut from a large piece of quartz called the "Pharaoh's eye". This gem weighs in at a whopping 45 carats. The Pharaoh's Eye is a novel design credited to "Gems of the world" as Sapphire faceting guide number 37. Fred Van Sant tweaked the original design. The girdle...

A week ago I posted a photo of a rough yellow fire opal from Madagascar. Been having trouble cutting such a stone mainly because I was not used to how soft Opal is. However rather than give up I decided to press on. Realising some of my early mistakes, this time I avoided doing what I did in...

A beautiful gem. The photo's below gives you a idea how many carats you lose by just grinding away to create a gem. To lose 60% or more of the original rough to create a gem is not uncommon. And when certain gems like Tanzanite can cost the gem cutter $80 per carat or more depending on quality...

A while back I was speaking with a gentleman who had several of his precious watches secured in a safety deposit box located at a Commonwealth Bank in the Brisbane CBD. You would expect that a safety deposit box is a pretty good place to have your precious goods secured. However, it seems that...

I've found Madagascar Yellow Opal a challenging stone to facet. It's soft so it's very brittle. Chipping a girdle can be done with ease. It's also sensitive to heat. On removal from the dop it can chip or break also. But I will continue to learn to cut such stones as they not often faceted...

We are all aware that there is so many fake coins and bullion out there. And Ebay is often a vehicle for selling such goods. I wonder if this is permissible? It seems that such coins with a denomination can be sold as souvenirs these days...

Gold and silver prices have remained stagnant for some time now. So what is your prediction for Gold and Silver spot prices in 2018. To start the ball rolling - mid 2018 Silver spot $23.50 AU and by end year 2018 Silver spot around $24.50 AU. Gold mid 2018 at $1700 AU and by end year around...

Cognac Quartz Gem. This is a faceted gemstone hand cut by myself. Wishing to sell for $150 plus post or trade for 20x round 50s or 7oz in 999 silver (in reasonable nick). The dimensions of this gem is 10x13 mm and is 7 carats (approx). Will make a stunning pendant. Included is a red jewel box as...

I'm still enjoying the entire process of cutting gems. The polishing of large facets is getting easier, but there is no doubt that the larger the facet the more difficult the polishing is. Tiny 1-3 carat stones are by far less complex than a large stone.

This week I cut my first Amethyst. Really happy with the result. I'm not a big fan of really dark Amethyst as there is not enough light refraction. So this pink/violet shade I found impressive. I've been cutting so many yellow gems, a change makes a difference. I also sold my first stone for a...

I had to chuckle about a a post by m3sca1 that his wife caught him in hand with a pendant he made late at night. I found myself in a similar predicament. I had almost completed a diamond shaped gem (my own design) late at night, and my wife saw the stone in full view. It was still in the quill...

This was by far the most difficult stone I've cut. A 10.5 carat Lemon Quartz from Brazil in the style of a Barion Cut. Next time I will be using a digital caliper and make sure I spend less time grinding by doing a better preform. With a few hiccups along the way, this stone turned up pretty...

It was a busy week of cutting stones on my new ( secondhand faceting machine ).Really pleased with the results on this machine. So this weeks challenge was - to design 2 stones that departed away from the standard round brilliance. After nearly 4 months of cutting the same design, it was time to...

I've cut my second Gemstone. This time it's a very light citrine, with an interesting colour shift. Because its not quite clear, it has a appealing look about it. It weighs 7.5 CT, which is smaller than my previous stone. I did make a couple of mistakes, but did manage to rectify a slight...

I've been learning how to cut gemstones for several months. It has always been an ambition of mine since a teen to learn how to facet. The first stone took ages to cut ( 19 CT citrine ). I didn't have a clue what I was doing for several weeks, but now after several months it's full steam ahead...

It's really time for those selling Gold bars (particular Perth Mint 1 oz etc ) correctly....For goodness sake, if selling these bars post good macro photo's from all angles and place a tag with your account name next to it. Go so far to buy a good quality digital calipers to measure length,width...

Hi, I would like to buy a secondhand faceting machine. It has to be accurate in cutting, and come with it's various attachments. If there is anyone who is willing to sell a faceting machine that is in good operating condition PM me...Thanks.

I've come in fairly regularly over the years and have posted quite a few posts on metals and occasionally various other posts in other sections, usually gripes about Australia Post or Ebay but mostly metal (silver) . Love me or hate me, agree with me or disagree with me, I think I'm a stacker...