19310 pts ยท January 6, 2014
Tattooed and foul mouthed gem cutter / jeweler based in Raleigh, NC.
We use the term 'cutting,' and diamond edged saws are frequently used to trim up rough material, but yes, the actual process is grinding.
Certainly, compared with mined stones, they can be. Feel free to send me a chat. Myself and my colleagues are always eager to work :)
The first step will to be determine if the rough is of sufficient quality to be cut.
Feel free to send me a chat! I sometimes cut from supplied rough, but not always.
Occupational hazard.
I agree :)
It's one of the great ironies of my line of work. We take some of the most beautiful bits of nature and grind them partially to dust.
In this case, there was a little more waste than that, because the rough material was a little taller than I really needed it to be.
That's a great question! Typically, the normal yield from rough to finished stone is only about 30%, which means 70% is ground into dust.
Yes, I cut all three stones and made the ring as well. It's 14k rose gold :)
Thank you!
Like any colored stone jewelry, it would need to be worn with care.
They've got a Moh's hardness of 8.5, which is pretty tough, but not as tough as sapphire or moissanite.
Which I greatly appreciate :)
I do! I've just sent you a DM.
Why thank you.
Sapphires can run the full spectrum of colors. Most commonly they are blue, but they can also be green, yellow, pink, white, orange, etc!
I have not!
It is :)
I'm sorry to hear that, I'm glad you got to grow up with an appreciation for the craft though :)
I have cut many asscher cuts. They take more time, but I always love the end result.
The dop is then held by the mechanical arm with a chuck mechanism. The arm lets me control angle and rotation of the stone.
The machine consists of a spinning lap platen and mechanical arm. Stones are held with an adhesive at the end of a brass rod called a "dop."
Heh, I have had stones break off my dops before and that is never a fun day in the office. Fortunately I've never completely lost one.
It can come in a rainbow of colors :)
Are you asking if I grind corundum into laser rods for scientific applications? If so, no, that takes different equipment.
I don't know much of anything about waterjet cutting, but I don't imagine it would have the juice to cut through corundum.
Awesome, thanks for the support!
Hehehe, unfortunately, there isn't always a huge visual difference (worth capturing) at every step of the process. Sorry if it seems abrupt.
There is a line where the distinction is drawn. I am not, however, an expert on where the line lies.
We use the term 'cutting,' and diamond edged saws are frequently used to trim up rough material, but yes, the actual process is grinding.
Certainly, compared with mined stones, they can be. Feel free to send me a chat. Myself and my colleagues are always eager to work :)
The first step will to be determine if the rough is of sufficient quality to be cut.
Feel free to send me a chat! I sometimes cut from supplied rough, but not always.
Occupational hazard.
I agree :)
It's one of the great ironies of my line of work. We take some of the most beautiful bits of nature and grind them partially to dust.
In this case, there was a little more waste than that, because the rough material was a little taller than I really needed it to be.
That's a great question! Typically, the normal yield from rough to finished stone is only about 30%, which means 70% is ground into dust.
Yes, I cut all three stones and made the ring as well. It's 14k rose gold :)
Thank you!
Like any colored stone jewelry, it would need to be worn with care.
They've got a Moh's hardness of 8.5, which is pretty tough, but not as tough as sapphire or moissanite.
Which I greatly appreciate :)
I do! I've just sent you a DM.
Why thank you.
Sapphires can run the full spectrum of colors. Most commonly they are blue, but they can also be green, yellow, pink, white, orange, etc!
I have not!
It is :)
I'm sorry to hear that, I'm glad you got to grow up with an appreciation for the craft though :)
I have cut many asscher cuts. They take more time, but I always love the end result.
The dop is then held by the mechanical arm with a chuck mechanism. The arm lets me control angle and rotation of the stone.
The machine consists of a spinning lap platen and mechanical arm. Stones are held with an adhesive at the end of a brass rod called a "dop."
Heh, I have had stones break off my dops before and that is never a fun day in the office. Fortunately I've never completely lost one.
It can come in a rainbow of colors :)
Are you asking if I grind corundum into laser rods for scientific applications? If so, no, that takes different equipment.
I don't know much of anything about waterjet cutting, but I don't imagine it would have the juice to cut through corundum.
Awesome, thanks for the support!
Hehehe, unfortunately, there isn't always a huge visual difference (worth capturing) at every step of the process. Sorry if it seems abrupt.
There is a line where the distinction is drawn. I am not, however, an expert on where the line lies.