How many opals do you have to throw at Richard Simmons before he dies? What's the best stone to get if you're low on money but want to look like you've spent millions? If a diamond is the hardest stone, can a diamond cut a diamond? I'll be back with more. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Avatar: Be more specific. What do mean by a Common Stone stone? BlueSoul: None. Just whip out a katana and cut his head off. Depends. Low on money? How Low? How much do you want to spend? But possibly an Imperial Topaz would do. But I really need more to work with. The only thing that can cut a diamond, is a diamond. A diamond may be extremely hard, However, I could shatter one like a piece of cheap glass if I wanted to. Bring it on..... Later T
HEY!!! i just saw this thread, and, i don't know how i could have overlooked it before... i am totally into gems and semi-precious stones...rocks, too. i have a lapidary (a Lortone tumbler) set-up here at my home. i am currently tumbling a rather small load (only 3 lbs. of stones that i found down by the quarry) of agates, quartzs' ..and seems like there will be some carnelian and moonstones in the batch as well (i can never quite tell until the very end, when they are all polished what they actually are, as, the beginning product ends up looking quite different from final polished stone.
Cool. If you have any questions, id be happy to help you out. I know a bit more about the semi-precious and precious stones faceted and used for jewelery by the way. Ok.... Later, TPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
well, i do have a question: i have been experimenting with my polishing compounds...and, i have been using Aluminum Oxide, and, also Cerrium Oxide. but, they are both doing only an OK job in the polishing department.. is there anything better than either of those polishing compounds that you might recommend?? i also polish pieces of glass that i found down by the river( yep..the mighty Mississippi ) and, i make wind-chimes out of them. they are usually pretty old pieces/shards washed up a-shore, some of them are the old cobalt blue and cranberry and depression glass colors...really neat.
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Actually, it was just a random question. I was thinking of something for my mom's birthday, but it really depends on where you get the piece, how it's laid, and all that other stuff. Imperial Topaz sounds nice...can I get that for $54.47, 4 marbles and a bottle cap? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Neat, how? Electrolysis? The ol' "throw a fat man on top of it" method? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Some more: What's with the significance of birthstones? Do they really have anything to do with your birthday? What's the world's largest and most expensive stone, where's it located, and what's the combination to the safe? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Is there any evidence of gems being able to do all sorts of mystical stuff (e.g. find water)? Or are they just crackpot theories? Where and when was the first diamond found? And by who? How do you determine the value of a gem? How is it that jewels became so precious, when they are nothing but mere stones? Hey, me too. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! But my mom told me they were from beer bottles, so I didn't keep them.
Pumpkin: I have absolutley no idea. I know stuff about gems and Jewelery, not tumbling however closley related. Blue: Well.....No..... But if you really want to get her something I could tell you what to get. Just tell me two things: Birthday and what some of her other jewelery Has, stone wise (Just tell me colors unless you know the stone). With that info I could tell you what to get. Nope. Grap a torch, heat it up for a minute. Then Drop it in water. Instant Diamond dust. (it wouldnt really turn into dust but it would shatter like glass) Ummm not really. I do believe they have Historical significace. You know how most constellations have greek origins? well im sure birthstones come partly from that, partly from historcial events, partly from legend. Im actually not too sure. But I'll tell you this, There is a Nice size diamond that was found and studied for 6 months before the guy who found it cut it. I believe its still the largest ever found. Imagine studing it for 6 months as to figure a way to cut it eliminating the most flaws and still have the largest size.... Crackpot theories. However, Gems/Crystals have very unique chemical properties and sensetivities. There is actually a gem called Kunzite that is sensetive to UV light and will fade from its natural pink to a dull color if exposed for a long period of time. Im not entirely sure where and by who but I believe the first recorded usage was between 1400-1500 A.D. And some more history? Cleopatra's "emeralds" were mostly, if not all, actually Peridot, the birthstone of August. Well a couple of major factors are luster, hardness, color, and rarity. Rarity being the largest factor. However a larger factor is involved. The Most important and truley 10's more important than the other most important factor: Popularity. Ever heard of Tanzinite? Beautiful stone. Its been around for 50 yrs. 15 yrs ago I could have bought a 5carat stone for $15. Current Market value: $300 a carat. A company rediscovered it and spent all their time and money advertising it. An interesting Question. Answered by this: Welcome to the Human Race. :bugeye: Later T
September 29th, and I really don't notice what kind of jewellery she has...maybe I'll just get her something else. A badly drawn picture might be worth less, but the sentimentality value would be through the roof. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Thanks for the offer though. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! That's cool! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Now, to find me some diamonds to experiment on...*lol* I see...I would have just thought it was part of Hallmark's or Tiffany's marketing scams. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Yikes! Never heard of Tanzinite, but the historical reference is interesting. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! One more question for today, one that's probably the easiest to answer: How, and most importantly why, do you know all this? :bugeye: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Well ive been working for a jeweler for 2 years now (apprenticing actually). Not to mention I want to take a course with GIA (LOOKY!!!) and become a certified Gemologist. I will be able to complete their distance learning program before I graduate high school (Im a sophmore, 16 on Thanksgiving Day!). Thus I could start out making 30K a year going into college. SWEET! and im going to go to college for astronomy. So Ill be a professional Gemologist and Astronomer. But enough babbling. Now you know. Later T:bugeye:
ok...so, you aren't too much into the processing part (ie. lapidary, etc) of the rocks/gems thing, i take it...but, that doesn't stop me from sharing a very cool semi-precious find i found. hmmm. that sounded funny. anyways.. i rock hound, too...i go to the Mississippi River banks and a local quarry to look for rocks. we have lots of cool Geodes in Iowa..hey, could be why it's the State rock. hmm. ok, i digress.. my most awesome find to date is a little smaller- than- fist size agate..the colors/bands swirled in crimsons, fire oranges and rusts...BUT!! wait!! there's more..i noticed there was a cloudy patch of a light-hued smattering on its surface...so, i decided to smash it open and...guess what i found? beautiful amethyst crystals!! that was pretty fun and exciting. yep. i didn't expect to find that...not in this area...but, anyways..that's fun to find treasure like that. (to me..it's treasure) ok. end story. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Oh Plz Ms. Pumpkin, share away. Ive went to Creed colorado and was escorted by a sherif to an abandon mine. I had a rock pick and And 6 feet tall pile of ore infront of me. Needless to say that every rock I broke open, every rock, contained a geoed, was pure quartz, or had some amethyst in it. Later TPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! well, darn it....am i ever jealous...hmmm. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! if you live out near colo. you are lucky...the best gems and semi-precious stones are found out that way...i got stuck in a cruddy state ...it can't produce anything for me but LIMESTONE and Geodes. grrrrr. i would love to find a garnet or citrine...but, no such luck here. actually, garnets and citrines (amitrines, too)are about my favorite at the moment.. ..oh, yeah...tanzanites, too. . i am intrigued by their color propensities and their over-all beauty. really. my birthstone gem is the emerald...i do love it, but, i act like i don't, mainly because it is so darned expensive, and, i can't afford it. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! i do like aquamarine and blue topaz as well. what's your favorite? and, btw...what the heck was a sheriff escorting you for?? i don't understand?? were you on a private mine area? or what??
Nope. I was just visiting Aquamarine is really cool. My favorite stones are Kunzite and Amythest. However Alexandrite is really cool and so is Tourmaline. In addition to this being a very small town, the mine areas were all closed off due to falling rocks, collapsing wood and buildings, ect. Bascially everything dangerous related to an old mine. Also I was a bit younger. Ill be 16 on thanksgiving day so I was about 11 or 12. But it was pretty sweet. Anyything else?:bugeye: Later TPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
"anything else"? well....yeah, but, with that buggy-eyed glare, i'm kinda afraid to ask....Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
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umm im doing a school report bout 2 pages back to back i need answers to these questions who started birthstones (teacher said sumthin bout tribe-arrow) what did birthstones signify when did birthstones begin where do birthstones come from why were birthstones used how do we get birthstones ADRIAN JONES JUNIOR HIGH
There is a substance known as borazon, which is a compound of alternating boron and nitrogen atoms arranged in the same manner as the carbon atoms of diamond, that is actually harder then diamond. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borazon
I have a gem story, too! When I was about 6 years old, I was on Umnak, an Aleutian island with my dad. We were walking up a creek and there was this huge boulder in the middle of the creek. Several pockets had formed on the boulder and inside were amythest or garnet. It was really cool, but there was no way to get any of the crystals back with me. Oh well.
