Side Views of Cabs Please [Dome Question]

[Carol M]

Hi all,
At Bob's suggestion I'm starting a new thread.

The question came up about the variation in domes, especially high domes but all domes are useful.

Would anyone please show us some photos of the Top View [with dimensions or ruler beside].
Also the Side Elevation from the shortest side [with dimensions or ruler beside];
Also the Side Elevation from the longest side [with dimensions or ruler beside;
Also, what was the approximate thickness of the slab you started with. [guesstimates are fine].
Also any special notes or comments about how you did it, if possible would also be appreciated.

Thanks a bunch for any help on this. ura12

[imakedust]

Hello Carol,
here are a couple for you
Sorry my camera is gone at the moment so only have stored photos...so missing the end views
rose quartz heart:


Rutile in quartz drop:



The rutile was an end cut and the rose quartz slab was about 11mm thick. I do not usually cut such thick slabs but this is star quartz and I was looking for the star ...I missed it on this one, but found it in another directions.

Hope this helps a little!

[sealdaddy]

Those are exceptionally high domes...mine are about half or one-third that.

[Carol M]

WOW, that's a really thick slab at 11mm.
It certainly shows off the rutiles in the quartz drop.

Are they intended for wire-wrapping or what??
Do you sell them or are they for your own use??
Just curious.  hide35

[imakedust]

Yes, they are very high for the size. I don't normally cut slabs that thick, but it does happen from time to time, most of my stones vary from 3.5mm to 6mm thick.

Yes I do sell them, I have an e-store on eCrator. I used to sell a lot on eBay, but when I started doing production cutting for a client, I found, I just do not have the time for eBay anymore. The stones in my store are what I cut for "stress relief" while cutting 50 to 200 stones of the same size, shape, and color (it can drive a person nuts).

As for what they were intended for, well, that's up to the person who buys them I used to do wire wrapping and sell them at craft shows, so most of my stones have a thicker girdle than normal.

[lithicbeads]

This stone is sold so I just have a couple of file pictures but you can get a fair idea of the dome. This piece was about as high as you can go given the length and still get a stone with pleasing proportions , extreme but pleasing . The length was about 30 mm and the height was about 20 mm. The bottom on this stone was far from flat , it had a bit more dome on the bottom than bobby1's cab above . Since this was a translucent stone light return was very important and a curved bottom gives that light return. The curve was not a problem for setting because this type stone would only be used in a custom setting . The picture looking down on it shows the advantage of the domed bottom , it lights the stone up from below.

[3rdRockFromTheFun]

Great thread Carol - can't wait to see more but already impressed as those (esp the first) were much different than I'd have guessed from the pictures.  yes16

[Carol M]

Great thread Carol - can't wait to see more but already impressed as those (esp the first) were much different than I'd have guessed from the pictures.  yes16

Neat eh?? yippie24
I'm also amazed at the high domes and I'm becoming a huge fan of rutile quartz.  Very cool.
Hope to get lots more.

[imakedust]

lithic's lovely double domed rutile made me look for the other cab I cut from that rose quartz Like I said, I was looking for the star so cut the slab thick for a nice high dome.

Here's the star:




polished on all sides, but a slight dome on the back so you still get a star
Please forgive my finger prints all over the place! I must have dropped that one 5 times while taking the photos

[Carol M]

Hi Sheila,
I had no idea that you could 'see a star' in Rose Quartz....but you certainly can.
Very cool!! yes16

How did you do that??
Can that be done in all Rose Quartz or just in 'special Rose Quartz'??

[lithicbeads]

Love quartz stars. There used o be a source in the Pala district for translucent blue star quartz. Thanks for the special treat .

[gemfeller]

Thanks for the showy quartz star!  There's another source for asteriated quartz in several colors from a location near Hallelujah Junction CA/NV.  And of course the famous Hogg Mine Rose Quartz location in Georgia.

Seeing imakedust's and lithicbeads' interesting rutilated quartz cab reminded me of one I cut some time back that's anything but a conventional shape and thickness!  The rough had a truncated bundle of golden rutile crystals surrounded by "Angels' Hair" single crystals but it had fractures in very inconvenient places.  I was determined to cut a designer cab to showcase the rutile bundle with a minimum of fractures in the clear quartz.  That meant it had to have a compound-curved back.  It might be a little trouble to set but I like the final effect. It has a high dome with overall measurements of 28.39 x 21.66 x 11.88 mm.

Front View: 



Side View:


   

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Hi. Did an old-style high dome for a school project a few years ago. Photo skills weren't so great then either, so I hope these pics are okay. This was from a chunk instead of a slab... .

[bgast1]

Vince, did you do that dome free hand, or did you use one of them cup thingies. Anybody have any plans or instructions on making one of those things that will screw into my Ameritool flat lap so that I can do perfectly round domes?

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Hi. That was freehand, with shaping done on a Genie and polish on Inland with foam-backed resin disks and polishing pads.

That style of dome profile is one I have to dop to even get them close, so at least that one did go on a stick. Usually don't dop unless it's a shape I can't pull off holding stone in hand.

Don't have one of the cup thingies... .