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Author Topic: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question  (Read 2624 times)

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Subhematoma

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Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« on: November 15, 2017, 10:37:20 AM »

👋  I have a question for tne community, I have a round 14 mm unheated pink sapphire.  I want to flip it over and grind, shave, faltten the point off the bottom of it.  I would actually like to cut it in half but think that would require more then I possess.  I have a dremel, A press, many bits, water pan. Is this possible to do?  I would also wonder how much of the vvs clarity would be changed from doing this?  Or would it completely ruin it as I have not a clue.    :occasion14: thanks to all who reply and hello to my new friends I hope to converse with.
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gemfeller

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2017, 11:25:20 AM »

A round 14 mm. unheated pink sapphire of VVS clarity -- if natural and of good color -- would be worth a heap of money.  I can't imagine why you'd want to do as you suggest.  If you understand the optics of faceting you'll realize the area you want to grind off is essential to creating the stone's brilliance by reflecting light back through the table of the stone and to the eyes of the viewer.  Doing what you suggest would completely ruin the gem. 

Even cutting it in half and having each half re-faceted to proper proportions would result in an unacceptable loss of weight due to the geometry involved.  Why in the world do you want to do that?

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Subhematoma

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2017, 04:50:24 PM »

Awwww all i know is what ebay listed as. I know nothing but what it said. :Bash:   Its pretty but 3.00 dollar item.  So i am not sure what it isbut looks pretty.  Guess if someone could tell me what it is, feels and looks like glass. 

Sooooo with that said, ur saying if I grind the bottom it will ruin the pretty spinal I see in the stone. Wish I could link the stone. I will try.  Anyway, grinding it ends the pretty look?

It was a lapidary thought I had.
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gemfeller

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2017, 05:12:46 PM »

All I can tell you is a $3 "pink sapphire" isn't natural sapphire and probably isn't even synthetic material.  Glass is probably a good guess.  The "unheated" and VVS comments make me  :laughing6:


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edgarscale

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2017, 05:49:20 PM »

Awwww all i know is what ebay listed as. I know nothing but what it said. :Bash:   Its pretty but 3.00 dollar item.  So i am not sure what it isbut looks pretty.  Guess if someone could tell me what it is, feels and looks like glass. 

Sooooo with that said, ur saying if I grind the bottom it will ruin the pretty spinal I see in the stone. Wish I could link the stone. I will try.  Anyway, grinding it ends the pretty look?

It was a lapidary thought I had.
sounds like you got bit...meaning most of us got taken by pretty words and shinny things some time in our life.  don't worry it will happen a few more times over the years.  you'll get good advice from this site.  don't be shy in asking. 
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50% rockhound and 50% wire wrap
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Subhematoma

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #5 on: November 15, 2017, 06:31:08 PM »

Search 131287780087 at ebay too see similiar item i purchased, would be nice if someone could tell me what it was I thought actually is
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gemfeller

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2017, 07:25:36 PM »

Search 131287780087 at ebay too see similiar item i purchased, would be nice if someone could tell me what it was I thought actually is
I did look at it.  If the item I saw is the same you're referring to you should read the fine print.  For $15.75 (shipping included) you'll receive a 1 to 5.5 mm. heated natural pink sapphire.  This is the type of stone called mellee - tiny stones that are used to decorate center stones.  On millimeter is 0.0393701 of an inch.  Check it out. 

The site does seem legitimate but I see no 12 mm. stones offered.  The largest they seem to be selling in that EBay posting is 5.5 mm. (.77 carat) for $659.00 plus shipping/insurance.  That seems to be a somewhat realistic price.  You could probably do better with a multi-stone purchase.  A 12 mm. *unheated* stone would be many times that price.

Hope you're not too disappointed but EBay gem purchases require reading every single part of the description with a very critical -- perhaps even cynical -- eye.   Hope this helps.  I'm happy to help out if needed in the future.
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Subhematoma

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2017, 07:32:29 PM »

 thank you gemfella. Awesome lesson. I dont mind it at this time as i am creating and just need pretty not valuable.  So, since you seen the item, can i grind that bottom point of a round gem like that keeping the pretty spinal i see from the top?  Just a design idea. I may just try it to see what happens, just dont know my best choice with my dremel bits to start with.  Thats all. But again ty for the ebay tip, love learning.
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gemfeller

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2017, 07:47:24 PM »

Subhematoma, I made a mistake in my posting above.  The first price I mentioned is for a 1 mm. stone.  Larger stones are more expensive.  I have no idea what size stone you purchased.  But if you grind down the pointed end (pavilion) you'll lose all the life and sparkle from the stone.  That's what faceting is all about: focusing light that enters the crown (top half of the stone) into the pavilion and reflecting as much as possible back to the viewer's eye.  It looks like you want to make a cabochon out of a faceted gem.  Anyhow, good luck with your project.

 
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Subhematoma

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #9 on: November 16, 2017, 04:35:12 AM »

Pavilion and crown. Thank you for that. Also the understanding of light refraction with faceting. And lastly the basic reason of facetng. I will find another route for my design. Which is a hole into a cab and a gem placed in the cab. Appreciate your time and good morning  :coffee2:
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ileney

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Re: Hope to ❤️ this sight. Facet a facet question
« Reply #10 on: November 16, 2017, 06:04:59 AM »

You may possibly have purchased a lead-filled sapphire. These are being offered more and more. If so, basically, my understanding is these are deeply flawed garbage quality natural rubies and sapphires that have been cooked to such high temperatures that the inclusions burn up and then the holes or gaps are filled with lead glass, which greatly enhances clarity and color as well. Sometimes they are cooked to such an extent that several stones fuse together. They look very pretty and most of the rubies you see at Macy’s and many other jewelry stores are actually lead filled, thus worth only pennies on the dollar at most compared to a natural ruby or sapphire. However, funny things do occasionally happen on eBay so I don’t know that I’d go around chopping it up without first testing it to make sure it isn’t something good. I have personally received tons of junk on eBay but a couple of times I did get huge bargains from people who didn’t label what they had correctly. Under a 10x loupe you should be able to see gas bubbles if it’s a lead filled  sapphire. If not, or if you instead can see natural flaws in the stone,, consider other tests.
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