New iPhone = LOTS of Pics! Stones Cut By My Hubby :)

[endless_summer]

LOVE them all!!! Good for your hubby for developing such talent and even better for you!

 

[tara3056]

Thank you all for your lovely comments! I have to say, I'm surprised at all the compliments for the turd-maline It's made us look at the stone in a whole new light, LOL, appreciating it for what it is instead of what we thought it would be.

Minou, he generally polishes with 60k diamond, which I think is pretty standard for US-based precision cutters. He plans to upgrade soon to Gearloose's new lap + 100 or 200k.

TMI shop-talk follows:

Here's a pic of the tsavorite rough (green @ 12:00). It started out @ 3.25ct and was listed @ 9.7 x 8.9 x 4.0mm, so it was obviously already limited in how big it could cut without windowing due to its shallowness. We almost returned it because the depth where the culet needed to go was only 3.8mm. Luckily, DH found a design that was only 58% deep, allowing him to maximize the face-up size. He had to cut verrry carefully to take as little as possible off of the height, and the design brightened up the stone too

 

[chrono]

Oh yeah! Looking forward to seeing the newly cut tsavorite.

 

[minousbijoux]

So impressive that he is already able to choose designs which are forgiving of the limitations of the rough and then make it work. He has certainly got to be on his way to being a master cutter. Yes, that tsav really did brighten up a lot. It is so beautiful now.

 

[chrono]

Oh yeah! Looking forward to seeing the newly cut tsavorite.

Oops! Just realized from Minou's post that the tsavorite rough = the cushion on Page 1. I'm beyond impressed at your DH's skill.

 

[minousbijoux]

Just be careful about buying rough - I think its all too easy to become rough hoarders, as several of the trade cutters can attest to...

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

That's so great! You have your very own cutter! And your husband to boot!

I am LOOOOVING that tsav!

 

[minousbijoux]

That's so great! You have your very own cutter! And your husband to boot!

I am LOOOOVING that tsav!

If she doesn't already, Tara is gonna be inundated with besties soon.

 

[JewelFreak]

In that case, Minou, I'm FIRST and BESTEST.

--- Laurie

 

[tara3056]

LOL, ladies, I wish it were true, but no one I know is very appreciative of gems and jewelry. My MIL was happy to receive that peridot pendant as a gift, but she's very low-key in her appreciation. She thanked him, but wasn't very effusive or visibly touched (and yes, she's a fan of peridot. I'm not much). My Mom is the only one who appreciates jewelry, but knows very little about it and all of her pieces are poor-quality things she mainly purchased at pawn shops. So DH keeps his hobby a bit secret, for fear that we'll be seen as "snobby" for enjoying something so "frivolous"

Eh, more for me, I suppose. And now I have a daughter (though only a baby now), so maybe she'll share my enjoyment of it later.

Chrono: yes, that rough became the cushion tsav. It's not a great pic of the rough, though. It passed the 'white paper test' easily IRL, though it looks very dark in the pic.

Minou: Ummmmm... well..... we've already become rough hoarders. But you say that like it's a bad thing!! It IS very addictive, to the point where I'm much more excited by buying rough than by buying a cut gem, even if I know the rough won't be cut for a long time, even if I know it might fall apart on the dop, or turn out less pretty than hoped. I think the gamble of it is probably part of the fun, but it's also just nice to see these materials as they look right out of the ground. I'm like a kid at Christmas when I know Jeff has a new package of stones arriving in the mail.

The only stones I'm still excited about buying already-cut are Mahenges and Russian demantoids, because I know it's almost certain he'll never get a chance to cut those materials.

ETA slightly better pic of tsav rough

 

[tara3056]

So impressive that he is already able to choose designs which are forgiving of the limitations of the rough and then make it work.

I meant to respond to this with a bit of a laugh, because it's kind of true and kind of not. He is able to work with limitations like inclusions and such, but as far as choosing designs, he works around me more than the rough. We usually try to buy blocky pieces that lend themselves well to rounds / cushions / asschers / etc, but sometimes you find a piece of rough where the color is so pretty that you have to keep it but it really wants to be an oval, for example. In those cases, since I don't like ovals, he loses a lot of the rough in order to grind it down into a round. With cheap material, it doesn't matter much, but obviously gets more painful as the price per carat gets higher. I'm trying to branch out a little; I do like pears and rectangle cushions and radiants, so there's that. But really not a fan of trilliants, ovals, and marquises. The 25% average yield I mentioned earlier would almost certainly be higher if we let the rough shape always dictate the cut.

 

[NKOTB]

Wow! What fun! How great to have such a talented cutter in the house, as others have said! To be able to learn alongside him, too…priceless. Too bad about keeping things under wraps. Who knows, that might get a little looser with time. I used to be super private about my love of gems, and still am around some people, but have opened up more as I've told a few people and the reaction isn't as bad as I thought (at least, not to my face), and some are very interested! Hopefully your son and/or daughter will have the passion at some point, too. Congrats on baby #2, that can be a big transition!



p.s. dibs on the umbalite

 

[stargurl78]

Great job by your hubby! LOVE the tsav

 

[minousbijoux]

Unfortunately, I get the feeling like you that I need to keep it under wraps. I finally confessed to a long time friend about my love of colored stones - from rough to finished stones, and her reaction, without much thought was "Oh, I would never wear them - I find them pretentious."

Uh, okay...don't know where to go with that information, but thanks for raining on my parade...

 

[LoversKites]

Unfortunately, I get the feeling like you that I need to keep it under wraps. I finally confessed to a long time friend about my love of colored stones - from rough to finished stones, and her reaction, without much thought was "Oh, I would never wear them - I find them pretentious."

Uh, okay...don't know where to go with that information, but thanks for raining on my parade...

Hm that's unfortunate. It never even occurred to me that people might see it as pretentious. Whatever, they're missing out!

 

[minousbijoux]

Unfortunately, I get the feeling like you that I need to keep it under wraps. I finally confessed to a long time friend about my love of colored stones - from rough to finished stones, and her reaction, without much thought was "Oh, I would never wear them - I find them pretentious."

Uh, okay...don't know where to go with that information, but thanks for raining on my parade...

Hm that's unfortunate. It never even occurred to me that people might see it as pretentious. Whatever, they're missing out!

Yeah, well LK, you are starting much younger and smarter than me! Stick to your love! We'll make them come around!

 

[mastercutgems]

This is a really fun topic to watch

Us cutters know when you have a mate; girl children, etc. that your rough is really not your rough

Tara3056 you might want to learn to cut for yourself; I am teaching my better half now; as she has started helping me with my business; so with 30 years of rough and poorly cut gems to re-cut " hoarded" I thought it was only fitting to teach her and my 8 year old daughter how to facet and cab. That way with 3 facet machines they can all do their own thing. Of course I will get to hand out the rough and stones to re-cut as I have to maintain some type of control LOL Like I really have any in a house where I am out numbered

But seriously it is fun to watch this as I have been living this for years and now finally you all see it from the cutter's wife's eyes

Too cool.

Enjoy it and I am sure you are making him very proud with your joy of his art... It is so nice for a family to be able to share all these things..

bravo...

Most respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG certified
Supreme Master gem Cutter #96CGE42

 

[LoversKites]

Unfortunately, I get the feeling like you that I need to keep it under wraps. I finally confessed to a long time friend about my love of colored stones - from rough to finished stones, and her reaction, without much thought was "Oh, I would never wear them - I find them pretentious."

Uh, okay...don't know where to go with that information, but thanks for raining on my parade...

Hm that's unfortunate. It never even occurred to me that people might see it as pretentious. Whatever, they're missing out!

Yeah, well LK, you are starting much younger and smarter than me! Stick to your love! We'll make them come around!

Thanks Minou, I'll definitely take your advice!

Dana, it's great to see how passionate you are about gems and cutting. I mean, of course you are, but it's just pleasant to read your posts.

 

[deskjockey]

Unfortunately, I get the feeling like you that I need to keep it under wraps. I finally confessed to a long time friend about my love of colored stones - from rough to finished stones, and her reaction, without much thought was "Oh, I would never wear them - I find them pretentious."

Wow. I think the "worst" response I've gotten over the subject is that I'm incredibly nerdy to get so geeked out over it. But the people at work tell me to bring things in so they can see, they seem to think it's neat. My boss even offered me some old equipment of his wife's uncle, apparently he was a hobby cutter and she has all his stuff sitting around.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Post by minousbijoux » 11 Apr 2014 10:00
Unfortunately, I get the feeling like you that I need to keep it under wraps. I finally confessed to a long time friend about my love of colored stones - from rough to finished stones, and her reaction, without much thought was "Oh, I would never wear them - I find them pretentious."

Uh, okay...don't know where to go with that information, but thanks for raining on my parade...

Ask your friend if s/he thinks that their latest mobile-device purchase was an exercise in grand meekness.

 

[tara3056]

Tara3056 you might want to learn to cut for yourself ...

Shhhhhhhh, Dana .... I "might" be heading that direction, but "might" not want anyone to know, hehe. My DH is an software developer, but has a background in engineering, math, etc. He's very mechanical and can build / fix / create things that leave me looking like or sometimes Off the top of my head, just for examples, he has: made a homemade metal detector; an awesome unisex play kitchen wired up with LEDs so the little oven glows red when it's 'on', and the fridge light turns on when the door opens; and a super-accurate scale for weighing our baby ... in the garage ... (We wanted to a way to weigh her, but didn't have a baby scale. So he rigged up a contraption with some wood, 2 big sterilite bins, some rope, and water. Voila. A scale that's accurate to within a few grams.) We have a gram scale used in our kitchen every day. (2.6 grams of leaves per cup of tea, please. 2.7 is simply too much! ) Last year for Xmas, I got him a *Soviet-era Geiger-counter* and he thought I was the best wife ever.

Sorry for prattling on, but I can't help it. He cracks me up. In a good way, usually. Me? I'm a liberal artsy, history/philosophy/ex law-student/creative writer type. Let's just say faceting came very easily for him and is not so quick for me.

 

[mastercutgems]

Tara you are the yin to his yang and I think that is WONDERFUL.....

It is soooooooo refreshing to see that kind of love...

You are Blessed in so many ways...

I think anyone with the love for gems like so many of you on this forum; should exhaust every opportunity learn how to cut, evaluate, inspect, test, etc. any time you can. It just gives you a better knowledge of the minerals, and how it is all done. Roll up those sleeves and do something fun. Look into local gem and mineral clubs and let some of us ole timers let you have fun at the wheel. Never let it intimidate you as it is just like painting by numbers. I know my background is engineering, tool and die making, and programmable logic controllers, so it helps to have the mechanical mind; but it is not a must...

If you all lived close I would show you all how to cut as it is fun and nothing like doing something for yourself... I know the old dude that sold me my ultra-tec would not show me a thing; sold me the machine, laps, some wax, some cheap rough and the book faceting for Amateurs by Vargas and said have fun...

So if I can do it; so can any of you

Most respectfully;

Dana Reynolds
ASG Certified
Supreme Master Gem Cutter
# 96CGE42

 

[BhavinJ]

Great work by your hubby, truly amazing