Question:
I had a friend ask me tonight...
how did the round stones that I have happen? I was listing the stones that
I have laying on my desk, that I haven't played with, and she asked if they
were reconstructed. I thought the only way you reconstruct was if it was
like turquoise or similar.
She was telling me that you can't cut round, that it's ground to powder,
then "remake" it to get it round?
I always understood that the rounds were cut, also.
The stones that I have been purchasing are from HongKong, from
www.fourseasgems.com
Thanks for any information!
Answer:
-Oh good heavens, of course you can cut round! Does she actually believe
that, say, malachite with all the rings and patterning, is reconstituted????
I never got to take the lapidary class I wanted with my silver teacher (he
passed away this summer , but he told me many of the mass produced
beads are shaped on a lathe then tumbled for the final shaping and polish.
Makes sense to me.
-Of course you can cut round. Well, actually, you "cut" by shaping it into
something more-or-less round and then grind down the corners and uneven spots.
There was a guy at the Gem & Mineral Show doing a demo of how to make spheres
from rough. His method would be too labor-intensive for beads, but the idea
someone else mentioned of shaping them on a lathe would certainly work.
-Pete and I have gotten several stones from a prospector in Anchorage,
including several quartz crystal balls which he makes himself. He uses a
device that makes an increasing (then decreasing) circular cut around the
stone, which is held stationary.
