calling TL

[Barrett]

Hey got a cuprite I am going to have George Ellis cut for me..i know you have one and if I remeber correctly you love it..can you give any pointers or tips as to what cut would look best for this material...rough is not in hand yet so i can''t give any other info..has the look of a red garnet and more flash than a diamond correct? Whats a good cut for it in your opinion? i know it''s soft too..never messed with the rough before..not gem grade rough anyways

 

[T L]

Date: 4/16/2010 10:15:23 PM
Author:amethystguy
Hey got a cuprite I am going to have George Ellis cut for me..i know you have one and if I remeber correctly you love it..can you give any pointers or tips as to what cut would look best for this material...rough is not in hand yet so i can''t give any other info..has the look of a red garnet and more flash than a diamond correct? Whats a good cut for it in your opinion? i know it''s soft too..never messed with the rough before..not gem grade rough anyways

I only have one cuprite Amguy, so I''m not the best person to ask, but I know a lapidary that has cut many of these stones. Nice guy too. Facetorjay on ebay. Shoot him an email. Maybe he can cut it for you even if you think you would rather have an expert in cuprites cutting this rough.

 

[Barrett]

thanks TL..shot him an email

 

[T L]

He cut my cuprite too. Forgot to mention that. It''s a seven sided cut. Very nice work.

 

[Barrett]

is it real flashy? does it have that sort of metallic look? color? pics?

 

[T L]

It is a very dark stone with firey flashes of red. This is Facetorjay's photo. I bought it for the metallic luster, which I think is rather fascinating on transparant stones, and for the rarity. This was also a very nice sized stone 5.54 carats and Facetorjay only charged me $175 if I remember correctly. It does have a metallic sheen to it, but my camera doesn't do a good job capturing it. Here's some pics. His cutting was superb. These stones are a pain to cut.

I consider Brad from the Gem Trader to be a cuprite expert, if you need more information about them.

Factorjay's pic.

My photo, which stinks. It was with my old camera. I couldn't capture the hematite luster. It looks like it's wearing armor IRL when the light hits the facets.

 

[Barrett]

that is a steal..can''t believe it was that cheap..dang..for s super rare stone..well at least any thats facetable..what only found in one place if i am not mistaken..very common stone but only found in namibia thats cuttable..seen some sky high prices on the cut stones..dang

 

[Barrett]

doesn''t it flash more than a diamond too? thought i read that

 

[T L]

Ask Facetorjay to cut you one. He might have more material.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/17/2010 12:17:40 AM
Author: amethystguy
doesn''t it flash more than a diamond too? thought i read that

It''s totally different than a diamond. It has lots of red flash, but like there''s a mini volcano in there. I don''t know how else to describe it. Really neat stone though, and highly collectible for people into very rare exotics.

 

[Barrett]

found this "Cuprite has a high refractive index which is even greater than diamond"

 

[Barrett]

found this also
"

The number of faceted gems over 2 carats (400 mg) is difficult to estimate, but according to Joel Arem, one-time curator for the Smithsonian National Gem and Mineral Collection in Washington DC, faceted cuprite of any size is considered one of the most collectible and spectacular gems in existence, with its deep garnet coloring and higher brilliance than a diamond. Only the gem''s soft nature prevents it from being among the most valuable jewelry stones. However, it is still one of the rarest and most sought of collector''s gems, with gems over a few carats virtually impossible to find.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/17/2010 12:25:10 AM
Author: amethystguy
found this ''Cuprite has a high refractive index which is even greater than diamond''

That doesn''t surprise me, but my stone is so dark, I don''t see rainbow fire. It has bright red flashes. It looks like burning embers inside the stone. I think that''s actually a better way to describe it rather than a volcano (what was I thinking??

)

How large is your rough?

 

[Barrett]

13 cts. the color seems to look lighter than yours but won''t know until it''s in hand..could just be lots of light used

 

[T L]

Date: 4/17/2010 12:27:31 AM
Author: amethystguy
found this also

''

The number of faceted gems over 2 carats (400 mg) is difficult to estimate, but according to Joel Arem, one-time curator for the Smithsonian National Gem and Mineral Collection in Washington DC, faceted cuprite of any size is considered one of the most collectible and spectacular gems in existence, with its deep garnet coloring and higher brilliance than a diamond. Only the gem''s soft nature prevents it from being among the most valuable jewelry stones. However, it is still one of the rarest and most sought of collector''s gems, with gems over a few carats virtually impossible to find.

Oooh, I feel fancy now.

LOL! Actually Brad has some larger stones, but they are priced accordingly. Steve Lembeck had a nice one too, but he fell off the map didn''t he?

 

[T L]

Date: 4/17/2010 12:29:37 AM
Author: amethystguy
13 cts. the color seems to look lighter than yours but won''t know until it''s in hand..could just be lots of light used

No offense to George Ellis (I don''t even know who he is), but with something so rare like that, I would probably get an expert in faceting cuprite. It''s such a soft stone and a real pain to polish from what I hear.

 

[Barrett]

well i emailed him to ask if he had the means..experince with it helps but you also need special laps..found this

"John polishes cuprite on a very soft wax lap and goes easy and slow. He remarked that laps used for cutting and polishing cuprite should only be used exclusively for cuprite, as cuprite pastes and coats the laps with a glaze. "

 

[T L]

Here's my thread on my cuprite with more horrible photos, if you're interested.


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/im-getting-a-cuprite-yay.105073/

 

[Barrett]

sweet..looked at the thread..whats cool is it has the brillance of a diamond..well more and also that metallic luster..it''s a twofer stone..I love my rutiles so metallic luster suits me just fine

 

[Gailey]

Sorry for butting in Jason and TL, but I thought I would suggest you talking to Brad Payne. I am certain he had one on his site not so long ago.

 

[Harriet]

I''ve been offered a few large pieces, the biggest a 20+ ct. Based on Arem''s statement, I should act.

 

[Barrett]

yea sounds like it..but ya never know..that could have been said 5 years ago or however long and since then more has been founbd..don''t really know..figure a good colored 20ct. one would be at least a couple grand for sure if not a bunch more