* Go to Natural Faceting Rough *

Synthetic Faceting Rough

New Man-Made Gemstone Material- Cristinite So new and so unique, we are giving it a special page!

Cubic Zirconia

Cubic Zirconia this is zirconium oxide, not to be confused with the natural stone, zircon. This is dense material with a specific gravity of about 5.8(+/-), no cleavage, and very low heat sensitivity, if any. It makes a beautiful and interesting gem due to it's high (2.15-2.18) RI. It cuts relatively quickly and easily, but can offer some challenge in polishing. The traditional "best" combinations for polishing CZ are 100k diamond on typemetal or 50k diamond on tin. We have also had good results with 50k diamond on a BATT lap. Others have reported having polishing success with 50k diamond on ceramic, zinc, Fast Lap, Last Lap, and even wax.

Mt. St. Helen's Ash

Mount St. Helen's Ash, melted into glass. This is somewhat of a local celebrity here in the Northwest- gems made of he melted ash from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helen's. This was manufactured by the folks that created one of the original trademarks for this material back in 1980. and it comes in the beautiful and ever popular bright blue with a hint of green, as well as pastel green/blue pieces. Some pieces may have some small bubbles, but most do not. This material is created in long rods, generally round to oval shaped, and most are between 6 - 8 mm in diameter.

Man Made Spinel

Man Made Spinel - One of the finest gems- with a hardness of 8 and with a high (1.72) RI, which makes it a bright and beautiful gemstone. This material facets easily, seems quickest with a very fine prepolish (3k powder on a BATT or Wizard lap), then 50k diamond on BATT, or alumina on tin/tin alloy, or DARKSIDE.

Man Made Quartz

Corundum

$0.13/ct 01 Lt. Rose Pink 01.25 Rose Pink 02 Dark Rose Pink 05 Ruby 12 Clear Sapphire	$0.16/ct 07 Ruby, dark red 20 Lemon Yellow 22 Orange Yellow 47 Alex- blue/violet to raspberry color-change 55 Padparadscha 57 Padpar. Oriental 59 Golden Ruby 61 Kunzite- Violet 65 Purple Finished example of #47 to show the color change:
$0.20/ct. 32 Dk Ceylon Blue	SOLD OUT 78 Djeva Green

Orienting man-made BLUE sapphire: To obtain the best color from flame-fusion split boules of corundum, which have a lighter color density in the center of the boule, place the color in the culet of the stone. This will literally "flood" the stone with color. The picture below is taken from a position of looking down the "long" axis of the boule. Not all blue boules are this light in the center, but the same orientation applies to obtain the deepest color.

YAG

YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet)- this is one of the finest man-made gems available. It has amazing, very saturated color, and a high (1.833) RI. With a hardness of 8.5, it makes for a very beautiful and durable stone for jewelry. It facets almost like typical garnet; facet with 600 grit, prepolish (preferably) with a very fine lap (I like the 1600 Dyna Disk), and polish with alumina on tin (or tin alloy), or DARKSIDE Lap. Some faceters use 50k diamond on the above laps, also.

Yellow- (This is canary yellow!) $ 0.59/ct.

Rich Pink- (a rich pink, not a pale pastel) $ 0.24/ct.

Emerald Green- (Rich green/blue) $ 0.49/ct.

Tanzanite Blue- (Blue violet) $0.69/ct.

Orange (medium orange) $0.49/ct.

Champagne Pastel yellow/tan $ 0.24/ct.

What Angles Should I Use?

There is no universal agreement on what angles to use for the various materials. We have put together a "cheat sheet" you can print directly from your browser which lists some of the more commonly faceted materials and their respective faceting angles published by 3 generally accepted sources. Each set of angles has slightly different optical characteristics, and the definition of which is "best" is purely a matter of personal preference.
The sources are:

• Glenn & Martha Vargas, "Faceting for Amateurs"


• M.D.R. Manufacturing, "The Book of Gem Cuts"


• Charles Schlagel, "Gem & Minerals" magazine, March 1966.

All colors and measurements are to be considered estimates only; Please inspect your order when you receive it and form your own determinations. Of course, I offer 15-day return privilege on any unaltered materials for refund, credit, or exchange.

* Go to Natural Faceting Rough *

Comments or Questions?

For those who prefer snail mail, write to:

                Facet Shoppe   
                PO Box 534 
                PorBurley  WA  98322 
                USA
                             (360) 443-6313 

Use this opportunity to check out our quality faceting rough or take advantage of our discount prices on our full line of quality lapidary equipment and supplies. We offer prompt, courteous service, shipping on most items within 24 hours, a no-nonsense satisfaction guarantee, and excellent after-sale support.

Ordering is easy at the Facet Shoppe; choose the way that works best for you...

Back to the Facet Shoppe Home Page Comments or Questions? E-mail us Now!