I am exited!! Turning into a gem cutter.

[mi528hz]

I have been cutting gems just over a year now. My profesion is electrician, my hobby is gem hunting/cutting. I got a call from a lady I worked for(electrical side job) who wanted to see my gems. I brought my collection, about 30 gems to her house. She wants 2 gems 10ct. amethyst and, is willing to pay $30 a ct.! That will be $600 for a days work! With the way the construction jobs are going, I am exited to have something I can fall back on for income! Thanks for listening to me brag.....had to tell someone.

 

[HollieGolightly]

That's wonderful! Is that your own cut on the background of your page? Very nice. Im not a cutter but I am a fellow rock hound. The latest stones that I have have collected would have to be sunstones. Man, those are pretty.

 

[mi528hz]

I love sunstones! I bought some rough stone at the rock show here this year! It has some really nice shillers in it. I have cut one sunstone in the past, it is nicer to cut than quartz. The pic on my page is one I dug up and cut. I was really happy how this one turned out. We dug up some garnets last week at a new dig spot we found, up by Lake Tahoe. They are awesome. I have not had time to go through them and find the clear cutting ones yet.

 

[HollieGolightly]

I am so envious of yall. Where I live no rock shows. Nothing to dig. Its a real bummer...
I would love to see your sunstones when you cut them. Did you get the red or orange? Or clear? That is what is so great about this sunstones, all the different colors. Never met a sunstone that I didnt love. Ü
Yeah, you did a great job cutting that one. Beautiful. I don't think I have ever seen that cut.

 

[me who]

I have been cutting gems just over a year now. My profesion is electrician, my hobby is gem hunting/cutting. I got a call from a lady I worked for(electrical side job) who wanted to see my gems. I brought my collection, about 30 gems to her house. She wants 2 gems 10ct. amethyst and, is willing to pay $30 a ct.! That will be $600 for a days work! With the way the construction jobs are going, I am exited to have something I can fall back on for income! Thanks for listening to me brag.....had to tell someone.

Cool, what machine are you currently working with?

 

[clyde2801]

Congrats! My wife is trying to retire as a police fingerprint examiner, and is starting to make custom jewelry molds using CAD and a computerized wax mill. She makes a design on the computer, the machine cuts it out of a block or tube of jeweler's wax, and the design can be cast into jewelry using the 'lost wax' method.

Good luck with your endeavor, it can be tough to break into a new venture.

 

[mi528hz]

Cool, what machine are you currently working with?

Ha funny you should ask. It is a jamb peg set up, I through together with hobby store pieces! It is calibrated to a point but, I still have to cut and look alot! My jamb peg is set up on an Inland Lapidary Swap Top. Kind of a crude set up but I am making due. I will post a pic of it in my album on here.

 

[mi528hz]

I am so envious of yall. Where I live no rock shows. Nothing to dig. Its a real bummer...
I would love to see your sunstones when you cut them. Did you get the red or orange? Or clear? That is what is so great about this sunstones, all the different colors. Never met a sunstone that I didnt love. Ü
Yeah, you did a great job cutting that one. Beautiful. I don't think I have ever seen that cut.

Where do you live Texas? Not sure of any other state where there is nothing to dig. The sunstone I got is orange with red shillers and it color changes to green on one axis! Where did your sunstone come from? Mine is Oregon.

 

[HollieGolightly]

Where do you live Texas? Not sure of any other state where there is nothing to dig. The sunstone I got is orange with red shillers and it color changes to green on one axis! Where did your sunstone come from? Mine is Oregon.

Hahaha Not Texas. Mississippi. Lots of limestone here though
Oregon for me too. I can't remember the last cutter that I bought from. Its been a long time. Probably a couple years actually. I bet the prices are crazy high.

 

[me who]

Ha funny you should ask. It is a jamb peg set up, I through together with hobby store pieces! It is calibrated to a point but, I still have to cut and look alot! My jamb peg is set up on an Inland Lapidary Swap Top. Kind of a crude set up but I am making due. I will post a pic of it in my album on here.

Okay, I had thought about trying one of those out when I started years ago but decided to rebuild an old Ultratec instead.

With the economy being down and the sudden loss of e-friend/mentor in the industry last years I haven't been into it for a while.

Oddly enough I just started blowing the dust off my gear a few days ago and I'm considering getting back into it for some extra cash too. I'm thinking about upgrading my faceting head from analogue to digital for speed.

Congrats on the cutting, the learning curve is a bit steep; but when that first finished stone comes of the dop it's pure magic isn't it?

 

[me who]

Okay I'm seeing Reno, Have you been out to the Dust Devil mine?

 

[mi528hz]

Boy, you said it! Pure magic is right!

 

[mi528hz]

Not sure I have heard that name but, can't place it exactly?

 

[me who]

Boy, you said it! Pure magic is right!

What's the base you're using? My rig came off ebay about $1K and in need of repair at the time.

 

[mi528hz]

That is something I would like to do next is build the findings for my gems!

 

[HollieGolightly]

Not sure I have heard that name but, can't place it exactly?

www.dustdevilmining.com

 

[mi528hz]

www.dustdevilmining.com

Thanks for the link. I remember now that I see the page. I got my rough from these guy's neighboring claim.

 

[mi528hz]

What's the base you're using? My rig came off ebay about $1K and in need of repair at the time.

The base is an Inland Lapidary Swap Top...Like I said I kinda pieced together my machine. It is pretty crude but I make it work. I paid the most for this part of my machine but, I can swap the top and have a trim saw when I need it! I am trying to upload a pic of my set up but I am getting errors?

 

[me who]

Not sure I have heard that name but, can't place it exactly?

Sunstone.

Dust Devil Mining Co. - Unearthing the Oregon Sunstone

I had planned on a trip a few years ago before they features it on TLC; after that the prices went nuts along with the crowds so I've read. At the time I had planned to fly into Reno and drive from there to the high desert plane and mine for a week or so just roughing it.

 

[me who]

Have you tried Batt laps? OMG they really speed up the polishing process.

The BATT LAP!