osirisgems and soft stones

[sonyachancs]

I've noticed that most of Uli's stones are softer ones like citrine and quartz, and is there any reason? (could probably ask him, but I'm on PS so might as well..)

and what do you guys think about setting his stones? like how does a heliodor or grossular (which i have never heard of before this) hold up to being set in rings? do they require bezel designs for protection, and do they make for a very fragile ring?

 

[T L]

Quartz (which includes citrine) isn't that soft, it's a 7 on the Mohs scale, which is like garnets, beryl and tourmaline. I consider soft stones to be a 6 or lower. Stones that are 7 tend to hold up well, although not really "everyday" stones.

 

[chrono]

Citrine and quartz are easily available which might be one of the reasons Uli cuts many of these. These stones (including garnets which you asked about) can be set in rings. They aren't fragile but are not everyday wear stones either. They hold up well as prong set RHRs.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Grossular is a type of garnet (7-7.5) while heliodor is part of the beryl family (7.5-8 Moh). So, yes, both require some care but they are not problematic stones either.

 

[JewelFreak]

His cutting is so intricate & specific, he may find it difficult to cut harder stones to his standards. He does a superb job, but those designs leave no room for error; angles must be exact without a nanometer of variance, I imagine. He uses a number of lower RI stones - could be that pattern is more important than sparkle, too.

 

[sonyachancs]

His cutting is so intricate & specific, he may find it difficult to cut harder stones to his standards. He does a superb job, but those designs leave no room for error; angles must be exact without a nanometer of variance, I imagine. He uses a number of lower RI stones - could be that pattern is more important than sparkle, too.

his work is remarkably beautiful. I wish I were in the market for some of his stones at the moment, but they aren't fitting my needs or budget. sigh. even the FF is in major like with his stones - probably one for the big occasions.

I was also wondering along the lines of whether soft stones gave nicer patterns or something, which might explain why he uses them. thank you all!