Gemstone Tumbling, Cutting, Drilling & Cabochon Making: A Simple Guide to Finishing Rough Stones

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About the Author ---------------- Rock hounding is more than a hobby for author Jim Magnuson, it’s a serious and rewarding avocation that helps him connect with nature. He has been an avid hunter and student of various gems, minerals and fossils since his childhood, when he first began to hunt for stones in his native state of Illinois. In addition, Jim enjoys sharing his passion not only through showing and gifting some of his finds, but also through writing, another lifelong interest. Throughout Jim’s career as an Information Technology professional, he has developed his technical writing skills while creating new processes that reduce complexity and improve efficiency. These same skills proved to be invaluable as he set out to create a modern-day guide for beginning agate hunters. Jim is also a member of the Minnesota Mineral Club and enjoys attending other rock and mineral clubs as a way to further his learning and branch out into other types of agates, gemstones and geology. Rocks and lapidary work are both a rewarding personal avocation and a profession for Val Carver. While he is both educated and established as a practicing engineer, his life has been centered around rocks, gems and minerals for the past 20 years, including ownership of a first-class lapidary supply and rocks, gems and jewelry business in Princeton, MN (Minnesota Lapidary Supply and Rocks & Things). This is not to say that Val has abandoned his engineering background and training, because he has continually leveraged that expertise to develop innovative lapidary tools and processes. It has also enabled him to work closely with lapidary wholesalers to both develop and procure high quality and economical lapidary tools and supplies. Val is always looking for ways to help his customers achieve success and satisfaction with their rockhounding and lapidary areas of interest, and he takes personal time to consult with them as they explore and learn some new machine, tool or process. Val’s direct style helps hobbyists at all levels to skip through “layers of frustration” that often occur in the early learning stages. He has given the same energy and focus to helping create this book for lapidary hobbyists so they might experience the same personal rewards that he enjoys. Carol Wood took up professional photography as a means of satisfying a lifelong passion for creating and sharing things of beauty. She has a keen eye for seeing perspectives in things that on the surface appear to be mundane or quite simple. Given her training and natural instincts for perspective and complementary lighting that enhances visual clarity, Carol is able to produce high-definition photographic images that enhance but don’t distract from the given subjects. These skills are essential in providing a guidebook that novice agate hunters can use as a just-in-time visual reference guide. In addition to Carol’s photographic pursuits, she also enjoys outdoor activities with her friends and family, especially activities that have both a mental and physical component. As a result, she has become an avid rock hound in her own right and has gradually built a collection of beautiful agates that adorn her home in northern Illinois. Carol has also developed a personal interest in making jewelry pieces using gemstones she has found, and thereby has become familiar with many of the lapidary tools and processes in this book. Carroll would have a hard time choosing between the joy of finding a beautiful gemstone and that of completing a lovely new jewelry piece! Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. -------------------------------------------------------- Prior to making any cuts, there are a number of important factors to consider before actually turning on the saw. The following general guidelines will help determine how to cut, your cutting angle and the width of your cuts. Don’t Waste Material Before you cut, estimate how many slabs or slices can be obtained from the stone. If you’re cutting multiple slices, consider how thick they need to be for your planned use (in jewelry, etc.). Highlight the Most Attractive Features Cut at an angle that exposes the most striking features. Sometimes you will need to make an “exploratory cut” near the outer surface on one side of the stone; this can help you determine subsequent cuts that will yield the best slabs that highlight natural colors and patterns. Remove Flawed Areas Always remove the rough and fractured sections of stone first, but remove the smallest a of stone possible; if you discover additional fracturing after the first cut, the stone is probably better suited for tumbling filler or use as a display stone in an aquarium. Square Up the Sides Depending on the thickness of the stone, you might need to cut away the rough exterior surfaces on both sides first in order to get multiple interior slabs with flat surfaces. Starting a Cut When cutting away the rough exterior surface, start your cut from the side of the stone where you will be cutting away the most material; this helps the saw blade get a solid entry and “bite” into the stone. This will also create a smoother and more even surface and will make sanding and polishing your gemstones easier later. For a Slab to Drill Through If you’re planning on drilling through a slab (called face drilling) to make a jewelry piece, thin slabs are best. Drilling through thick cuts is costly (drill bits are expensive) and time consuming; if you’re planning on using a piece for jewelry, we specifically recommend a maximum thickness of 1/8–1/4". Cutting a Whole Stone Cutting whole stones is tricky, especially if there are no visible features, such as patterns, on the outside to guide you. If there is no visible pattern, cut the stone across its widest point. This will give you the largest possible slabs, if that’s how you intend to cut it; it also will expose the maximum a of surface area if you are polishing the face of each half. If there is exposed pattern (as often happens with agates), you should cut at an angle that highlights the pattern. Avoid Cutting Very Large Stones If your stone is substantially thicker than the height of the saw blade above the table (which is 2" for a 6" saw blade and 3" for an 8" saw blade), you will have to roll the stone 180 degrees to be able to fully cut through it. Stones that require this might be too large for the saw; cutting them can result in uneven wear on your diamond saw blade―and it could even bend the blade, rendering your expensive diamond blade useless!