Post a Pic Your Favorite Gemstone You Own

[Cappy Z.]

This 'beauty' is not so soon to be faceted by a con artist ...

I'm holding out for the right faceteur...

 

[Merlyn555]

I can sympathize with you Wiz I had just finished cutting a nice Almandite Garnet for a special lady friend when suddenly in the polishing phase a stress crack appeared and the stone literally exploded down one side blowing the thing into little pieces.

I sat there for a few minutes not believeing what happened and I can honestly say there was a tear in my eye, not for the value of the stone or all the hard work I had put into it but the fact that it was just in that state of turning from a nice stone into a beautiful piece of art and then it was gone.

 

[Merlyn555]

One thing I've learned Wiz is that even the best and most experienced faceters lose stones, it's part of the nature of the beast.

I read a story by one faceter that had finished a beautiful 2 cwt Tormaline had it all nicely polished and gleaming and left it on his bench overnight and the next morning found it in pieces, no reason for the failure just disintegrated.

S&*% happens as they say

 

[ruccello]

Some of my favorites. You guys ever see ethiopian opal? Very tough to cut, it's extremely brittle, and hates heat! This is a chocolate brown color with color play throughout - amazing stones. I've lost many of these while cabbing - this is one large one that made it - it's about an 1" long, I didn't weigh it so I don't know the carat weight.

 

[Cappy Z.]

Like my dad used to say, "Top shelf"..

 

[Merlyn555]

Those are absolutely beautiful.....

Nice work

 

[Old Dog]

Here are a couple boxes that are part of a special group.
Collected these myself, and had them cut.