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Synthetic Faceting Rough

How To Order

These are all man made (synthetic) materials on this page.

New Man-Made Gemstone Material- Cristinite

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.

Clear Cubic Zirconia- $0.05/ct.

Colored Cubic Zirconia- $0.07/ct.
Light Amethyst Lavender Q-Purple Pink Peridot Salmon
Gold Yellow Fire Orange Dark Fire Orange Red Purple

CZX- $0.20/ct.
This is a special designation for the blue & green varieties of CZ. This is much more difficult and expensive to produce,
so it does cost more that the "generic", but it is still more economical than most materials.
Aquamarine Emerald Sapphire Tanzanite

Color-Change CZ: $0.24
CZ-RCC-1: color change, orange to a rich green under fluorescent light!
CZ-RCC-2: color change, lt. blue/violet
CZ-RCC-3: color change, violet/lavender
CZ-RCC-5: color change, pink/lt. green
CZ-RCC-6: color change, yellow/peach
CZ-RCC-7: color change, yellow/pink
CZ-RCC-8: color change, dk blue/dk teal
CZ-RCC-11: color-change, lt green/pink
CZ-RCC-14: color-change, green/blue
CZ-RCC-16: color-change, dk amber/pink

Lithium Niobate: $3.50/ct.

This is a clear stone with a slight amber cast, regarded as a "diamond simulant" in the 1960's.
RI= 2.2-2.3 H=5 Strong dispersion! Polish with 14k, 50k, or alumina
may have low heat sensitivity

"Boro-Silicate" Gem Material

"Boro-Silicate" Gem Material better known as glass, is good for pendants and earrings. The color does get lighter for smaller gems, which is true for most gem materials.
Facet with a metal bond 600, prepolish with a fine lap (1200 or 3000), and polish with cerium. Polish with light pressure to avoid chipping facet edges.

NOTE:
The rough is sawed blocks of material; the PICTURES are examples of finished gems to SHOW THE COLOR, not represent what the raw material looks like.
Tourmalite Laser Gem-
This is a color change item: pink in sunlight and incandescent light, and a pleasing medium green in fluorescent light. $ 0.12/ct.

Mt. St. Helen's Ash

Picture

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.

Mint Green and Blue/green $ 0.20 per ct.

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.

Picture of syn spinel
100 clear: $0.19/ct.
102: light blue: $0.19/ct.
104: Aqua Deep blue: $0.19/ct.
106: Aqua light blue: $0.19/ct.
107: Aqua dark blue: $0.19/ct.
110: "Ceylon" light blue: $0.19/ct.
114: Light Azurite: $0.19/ct.
117: Swiss Blue: $0.19/ct.
120: Zircon blue: $0.19/ct.
122: Zircon green: $0.19/ct.
130: Yellow/green: $0.23/ct.
135: "Erinite" light emerald green: $0.23/ct.
136: Deep emerald green: $0.23/ct.
140: Deep Sapphire blue/violet: $0.23/ct.

Boules average 400 cts for most colors; the examples in the picture range from 20 mm to 25 mm in diameter.
Some boules have minor crazing on the outside that will not affect the finished gem.

Man Made Quartz

Golden Citrine:
$0.12/ct.
Med Orange Citrine:
$0.12/ct.
Deep Citrine:
$0.12/ct.
Dark Green:
$0.12/ct.
Mint Green:
$0.24/ct.
Blue, Light:
$0.24/ct.
Blue, Medium:
$0.24/ct.
Blue, Dark:
$0.24/ct.

Corundum

"lab grown" sapphire- split boules (flame fusion process)
Most split boules average about 200 cts


1.25 - Rose Pink $0.20


2 - Dk Rose Pink $0.24


5 - Ruby Rose $0.24


7 - Ruby, Dk Red $0.26


20 - Lemon Yellow $0.28


20 - Yellow Orange $0.26


46 - Dark Alex color change $0.30


47 - Alex color change $0.30


57 - Oriental Padparadscha $0.30


60 - Tanzanite Color $0.32


65 - Purple/Magenta $0.32

Finished example of #47 to show the color change:
Incandescent light Fluorescent light


32 - Dk Ceylon Blue $0.34

00 Clear Sapphire Czochralski Method:
$0.22/ct.

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.

Picture

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.

Picture of YAG colors

Almost Clear
(not pictured)
$0.30/ct.
Rich Pink-
(a rich pink, not a pale pastel)
$ 0.49/ct.
Emerald Green-
(Rich green/blue)
$ 0.49/ct.
Orange
(medium orange)
$0.49/ct.
Champagne
Pastel champagne/amber
$ 0.24/ct.

A Rarity: Man-Made Eulytite $1.50/ct.

Bi4(SiO4)3 This is a water clear stone, very rare in nature!
Impressive display stone when faceted! Not good for jewelry
H= 4.5 RI=2.05 Polish with 14k, 50k, or alumina
HEAT SENSITIVE! USE COLD DOP PROCEDURES (Epoxy or superglue)

A Rarity: Man-Made Sillenite $1.50/ct.

Bi12(Si0)20 This is an orange stone, somewhat fragile.
Impressive display stone when faceted! Not good for jewelry
H= 1-2, RI=2.5 Polish with 14k, 50k, or alumina
HEAT SENSITIVE! USE COLD DOP PROCEDURES (Epoxy or superglue)

How To Order

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:


Faceting Angles for Various Man-Made Materials

 - Line here -

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.

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Comments or Questions?

For information on Facet Shoppe products and services, gemcutting,
and especially if you have comments; please send them to me!

For those who prefer snail mail, write to:

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


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Page maintained by John Franke, facet@gemcutter.com.
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Updated: 2-20-13 All Rights Reserved.