I don't know if anyone else has done gem cutting, but it is a pretty easy hobby to pick up. There are high speed laps that sell for <$100. The rough is not expensive to source and there is an excellent free software package, GemCAD, by Robert Strickland, who made this beautiful program, retired, and now gives it away for free, asking only that you make a charitable contributions or reach out to say thanks.
I thought about it but couldn't figure out which machines are drop ship garbage and which ones are legit. Do you still have links on those <$100 machines? I'd be happy with even just beach pebbles prettied up, or cut up some of those garnets I hounded years ago
It looks like I was wrong. The price is ~$280 and it's here at Walmart but you can also find it at Amazon or eBay.
However, I use one and it works. I cut a piece of rose quartz into a gem and got it set in a pendant setting that I designed and had made in sterling silver on CraftCloud. I've also used that thing to polish countless other samples for work. The thing is a tank.
Still not terrible price but now we're in unbranded random drop ship machinery territory and I get nervous for anything above $100. But thanks I'll mentally adjust the pricing if I come across a used lapidary from a retiring hobbyist
Seems a bit outdated. Lab gems have completely cannibalized the market. When one carat D VS1 lab that are completely indistinguishable (by human eyes) from minerals are well under $200 USD, only a fool would be buying so called "natural" for about $1000-2000ish -- 1 ct aren't small, and no way smaller ones go for thousands anymore. Maybe if one insists on a De Beers brand but that's not the price of gem that's the price of marketing.
The author is from Sarat , they said, so there's probably some sentimentality involved here which is understandable.
it'll be wild if they figure out how to get them to pass the reflectance meters. I'm no expert, but I'm not even sure thermal is a good test anymore.
I'm thinking about selling an accessory -- some will have diamonds. I'm thinking of going all lab for it, purely to keep the cost down... which might not matter for what I'm selling (i know this is terribly vague.)
the lab diamonds just look great and avoid all of that ugly shit. DB is so sketchy too.
I remember going to a jeweler he showed me a lab and a mineral and there's no difference whatsoever -- there's more in a direct comparison between two minerals of different colour or clarity . For an accessory piece of any type that doesn't require a microscope, I would personally use a moissanite for the extra fire and sparkle over a diamond.
If you're selling multiple pieces maybe consider moissanite options . Over at /r/LabGroupSales the sellers always offer pieces in silver, different k gold, moissanite other lab gems so there's a price range for the same piece.
carsonc | 18 hours ago
I don't know if anyone else has done gem cutting, but it is a pretty easy hobby to pick up. There are high speed laps that sell for <$100. The rough is not expensive to source and there is an excellent free software package, GemCAD, by Robert Strickland, who made this beautiful program, retired, and now gives it away for free, asking only that you make a charitable contributions or reach out to say thanks.
chocobean | 17 hours ago
I thought about it but couldn't figure out which machines are drop ship garbage and which ones are legit. Do you still have links on those <$100 machines? I'd be happy with even just beach pebbles prettied up, or cut up some of those garnets I hounded years ago
carsonc | 6 hours ago
It looks like I was wrong. The price is ~$280 and it's here at Walmart but you can also find it at Amazon or eBay.
However, I use one and it works. I cut a piece of rose quartz into a gem and got it set in a pendant setting that I designed and had made in sterling silver on CraftCloud. I've also used that thing to polish countless other samples for work. The thing is a tank.
chocobean | 4 hours ago
Still not terrible price but now we're in unbranded random drop ship machinery territory and I get nervous for anything above $100. But thanks I'll mentally adjust the pricing if I come across a used lapidary from a retiring hobbyist
chocobean | 14 hours ago
Seems a bit outdated. Lab gems have completely cannibalized the market. When one carat D VS1 lab that are completely indistinguishable (by human eyes) from minerals are well under $200 USD, only a fool would be buying so called "natural" for about $1000-2000ish -- 1 ct aren't small, and no way smaller ones go for thousands anymore. Maybe if one insists on a De Beers brand but that's not the price of gem that's the price of marketing.
The author is from Sarat , they said, so there's probably some sentimentality involved here which is understandable.
tomf | 8 hours ago
it'll be wild if they figure out how to get them to pass the reflectance meters. I'm no expert, but I'm not even sure thermal is a good test anymore.
I'm thinking about selling an accessory -- some will have diamonds. I'm thinking of going all lab for it, purely to keep the cost down... which might not matter for what I'm selling (i know this is terribly vague.)
the lab diamonds just look great and avoid all of that ugly shit. DB is so sketchy too.
chocobean | 4 hours ago
I remember going to a jeweler he showed me a lab and a mineral and there's no difference whatsoever -- there's more in a direct comparison between two minerals of different colour or clarity . For an accessory piece of any type that doesn't require a microscope, I would personally use a moissanite for the extra fire and sparkle over a diamond.
If you're selling multiple pieces maybe consider moissanite options . Over at /r/LabGroupSales the sellers always offer pieces in silver, different k gold, moissanite other lab gems so there's a price range for the same piece.