Questions About Lapidary and Jewelry Making
Advanced questions about jewelry making and lapidary techniques.
Why Choose a Barion Cut?
Gem faceters must consider factors like brilliance, color, and faceting yield before choosing a cut style. Learn what a Barion...
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Diamond Cutting for Hobbyists: Getting Started
With study, care, and the right tools, hobbyist gem cutters can add diamond cutting to their repertoire. Get started with...
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Are There Any Fair Gemstone Pricing Formulas?
Can gemstone pricing formulas help gem merchants and buyers make fair deals? Learn what factors should play a role in...
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Gems and Minerals: Facet Rough or Samples?
For faceting, the distinction between gems and minerals is usually clarity. However, learn why the decision to cut may be...
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Creating Ring Mountings for Deep-Cut Gemstones
Deep-cut gems like Barions may not fit in standard ring mountings. Jewelers can try to find special mounts or custom...
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Aquamarine Setting Advice
Aquamarines can look great, but what’s the best way to mount them? Novice jewelers should learn the pros and cons...
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Does Refractive Index Affect Gemstone Brightness?
Many factors contribute to gemstone brightness. Learn the role a gem's refractive index plays and the difference between gemology theory...
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Faceting Tips for Exotic Gemstones
Some gems are seldom faceted because they're rarely found in nature or rarely used for jewelry. Learn a few tricks...
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Some Advice for Cutting Tourmaline Gemstones
Cutting tourmaline can be difficult. Some gems seem to shatter easily. Learn faceting techniques to minimize this risk as well...
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What Causes Fuzzy Refractometer Readings?
Fuzzy refractometer readings may be the result of poorly faceted gems, the wrong amount of refraction liquid, and even stone...
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How Does Vapor Deposition Create Mystic Topaz and Aqua Aura Quartz?
Vapor deposition can be used to enhance gemstones like topaz and quartz with a metal coating or sheen. Learn how...
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Refractive Index List of Common Household Liquids
Gemologists may immerse gems in refraction fluids during examinations. This refractive index list of household liquids offers some common alternatives....
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Gemstone Orientation for Beginners
Choosing the best gemstone orientation for your rough takes skill and experience. Learn what factors you should take into account...
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How to Re-Oil Emeralds Safely and Easily
Oil treatment is a standard industry practice for enhancing emeralds. However, the treatments are not permanent. Learn how to re-oil...
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How to Find Curved Striae in Synthetic Ruby and Sapphire
Curved striae or lines are a telltale sign of synthetic ruby and sapphire. If you're having trouble seeing them, here...
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What is the Best Synthetic Corundum?
There are many ways to grow ruby and sapphire in a lab. However, determining the best synthetic corundum for faceting...
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What are the Best Rough Sapphire Stones?
The best rough sapphire stones may come from different sources, depending on the color you want. However, valuable blues may...
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What is the Average Gemstone Faceting Yield?
What’s the average gemstone faceting yield from a single piece of rough? Learn how to estimate how much material you’ll...
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Gem Cutting Acronyms and Their Meanings
You'll find gem cutting acronyms like L/W in faceting guides. Learn what these frequently used terms mean and how they...
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Bangkok: City of Gemology Schools
Bangkok is the center of the colored gem trade. Compare the top four Bangkok gemology schools and see why this...
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The Path to Success in the Gem Trade
Finding your path to success in the gem trade takes introspection, education, and exploration. Learn about your options for entering...
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Diamond Rough and Equipment For The Occasional Diamond Cutter
Finding good diamond rough and the right equipment can be challenging for a non-professional diamond cutter. Learn what to look...
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Polishing Gemstones For Beginners: Pre-Polishing Advice
Polishing gemstones is difficult to master. Pre-polishing plays a major role in how well a gem can take a polish....
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Lapidary Tips For Polishing Girdles
What are the best techniques and tools for polishing girdles? Learn how to complete your faceted gems quickly and easily...
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How To Make A Rock Lamp
With the right tools and a little drilling know-how, you can create a rock lamp with an agate or jasper...
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Advice For Properly Charging Ceramic Laps
A ceramic lap is an excellent choice for polishing gemstones. Here is a guide for properly charging ceramic laps and...
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What Is The Best Lap For Polishing Sapphire?
Polishing sapphire gemstones can be tough on laps. Learn the pros and cons of different laps and some techniques to...
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Choosing The Best Faceting Wax For Your Task
Faceting wax or dop wax comes in different colors with different melting points. Learn how to choose the wax best...
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Tips For Polishing Synthetic Corundum
Polishing synthetic corundum without leaving pits requires certain techniques and tools. Get expert lapidary advice here.
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Gem Cutting Machine Recommendations
What's the best gem cutting machine for novices? Read about some popular models and learn the importance of finding the...
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Beginning Wax Casting: Resources For Jewelry Makers
Wax casting makes it possible to create intricate and unique metal pieces for jewelry. Here are some tips for beginners...
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How Should A Gemstone Contact A Faceting Machine Lap?
Is a flat lap to dop swing really necessary? Learn how a gemstone should contact a faceting machine lap and...
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Advice For Preforming Gemstone Rough For Maximum Yield
To pick the right cut for a gem, you need to figure its maximum potential shape. Preforming gemstone rough is...
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Choosing And Applying Doublet Glue For Jewelry
What's the best doublet glue for creating assembled stone jewelry? Learn about the choices as well as tips for making...
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How To Restore The Spring Of A Sterling Silver Money Clip
Has your sterling silver money clip lost its spring? If you have experience with metalworking, learn these methods for repairing...
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Gold Refining Advice For Jewelers
Before you turn the alloyed gold you got a great deal on into gold jewelry, carefully consider what gold refining...
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Repairing Platinum Jewelry: Tips For Getting Started
Working with platinum is actually a little easier than working with gold. If you want to add platinum jewelry repair...
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How To Make A Quartz Wedge For Polariscope Testing
A quartz wedge can be used with a polariscope to help a gemologist distinguish the + or – optic sign...
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Advice For Grading Dark Colored Gemstones
Faceted dark colored gemstones can have intense colors but little brilliance. A simple formula can help a gemologist estimate a...
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How To Orient Sapphires With Silk Inclusions
Silk inclusions in sapphires are hard to detect. Learn to pick the best orientation and cut for these gems. You...
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Faceted Gemstones And Light Return Measurements
What factors determine the light return of faceted gemstones? Facet quality, polish, color, and cut style all play roles. Learn...
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How Can A Gemstone’s Optic Sign Change?
A gemstone's optic sign may be listed as either + or -. Learn whether impurities in a specific stone or...
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A Cabochon Bezel Setting For Unusual Opal Doublets
Cabochon cuts are popular for showcasing opal doublets. Learn a trick for making a bezel setting for doublets that are...
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Ring Sizing Advice For Novice Jewelry Makers
Ring sizing is an important part of jewelry making and repair. Learn a few soldering and annealing tricks from the...
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Facet Designs For Beginners
What are the best facet designs for novice gem cutters? Find recommendations for cutting styles, books, resources, and gemstone rough...
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Emerald Cutting Advice For Green Tourmaline And Rubellite
Dark green tourmaline and red rubellite gems can look very black in an emerald cut. Learn how to minimize this...
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Getting Started in the Jewelry Trade
How do you start making a living in the jewelry trade? You need to learn gemology and metalsmithing and get...
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Star Gemstones: Tips For Beginners
Want to start cutting beautiful star gemstones? Here are some helpful gemological resources for novice lapidaries and jewelers.
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