Bringing a Merelani Mint to life

[GregS]

That stone is killer! I admire your skill.

 

[minousbijoux]

So does 10+ ct put it up at a collector stone level? Did the purchaser tell you how much they love it? Was it hard to say goodbye to another of your creations? How long did it take from rough in hand to completion?

I'll ask you my serious questions tomorrow - about rough and dopping.

Thanks again.

 

[Roger Dery]

Thank you to Chrono, pregcurios, elizaloo, pinkjewel, JewelFreak, katharath, royalstarrynight, pandabee, MakingTheGrade, NexivRed, Trill, TL, minousbijoux, Laila619, JaneSmith, The sun is shining and GregS, for your compliments and kind wishes, very much appreciated.

As requested I will follow up with answers to some questions shortly.

 

[Roger Dery]

So does 10+ ct put it up at a collector stone level? Did the purchaser tell you how much they love it? Was it hard to say goodbye to another of your creations? How long did it take from rough in hand to completion?

Hi Minous,
- in this species and color category, I believe anything over 5cts in a fine minty hue puts it into a true collector level. If these were routinely available, then most every custom gem cutter will have them in inventory. But that is not the case as only a few have them. One must keep in mind that Merelani roughs are also quite expensive to buy. For a part-time or hobby cutter to invest in a cherry-picked piece of this rough will be quite an investment on their part. The particular piece of rough used to create this cushion was acquired on a quick trip to Bangkok just a few weeks ago. As this size was NOT available when I was in East Africa in June.

- "Did the purchaser tell you how much they love it? " Since this project was not a direct sale from me, I may never know. But I'm sure they love it, how can they not?

- "Was it hard to say goodbye to another of your creations?" Fine red Spinels, classic Ceylon blue Sapphires and Merelani Mints are my all-time favorite gems to look at. They are, however, very popular and in demand. So it may not be easy to let them go (especially after spending hours working on them), but in this craft one must learn to let them go.

- "How long did it take from rough in hand to completion?" Start to finish not including interruptions for photography, was at 4-1/2 hours. That being said, I did not document time spent "thinking" about how to go about completing the gem. And then, on the premise I may want to do this exact design again, I placed my stats and info into a Cad program for reuse.

Great questions Minous and thank you for your interest. Hopefully, some find this topic interesting and useful.

 

[Roger Dery]

Excellent work. Thanks for taking the time to document the process. I believe you said 42% yield. Was this before or after your preform?

Hello doorman,
It would always be from the original, untouched starting weight. As one could easily manipulate the percentage ratios by taking more off. This piece started off just over 25cts, after pre-forming it was 17cts. In the rough, it was already a well-shaped piece and ideally suited for a square cushion outline.

 

[chrono]

The yield is very high. Let's presume you kept the high crown and small table; how much yield could you have achieved?

 

[Roger Dery]

The yield is very high. Let's presume you kept the high crown and small table; how much yield could you have achieved?

Hi Chrono,
Without using software to estimate, I would say the piece would end up 3-1/2 to 5% higher in weight.

 

[Kelli]

This was so cool! Thank you for sharing!

 

[minousbijoux]

Okay two more questions - my last two and the ones that have been burning up my mind for a few days.

First, you said at the outset that on a light colored background "it does not look really promising." May I ask why you said that? While I see a perceived difference in the saturation intensity between the paper shot and your in hand shot, to my untrained eye, it does not look huge. Can you say more about what you saw and why you were concerned with the stone in the paper shot?

Second, dops and wax. It seems so counterintuitive to me that wax can hold/glue something as impervious as stone to a surface. I just don't get it! Is it almost like a vacuum seal is created? Glue I understand, but wax seems so malleable and benign, like it would unable to compete with the stone. Any thoughts to help us get it?

Again, thank you very much. Pretty great that you've hung around long enough to answer questions as well.

 

[Roger Dery]

Hi Minous,
You asked:

First, you said at the outset that on a light colored background "it does not look really promising." May I ask why you said that? While I see a perceived difference in the saturation intensity between the paper shot and your in hand shot, to my untrained eye, it does not look huge. Can you say more about what you saw and why you were concerned with the stone in the paper shot?

Had this been a crystal that I spent $200 on, I may not have given much thought to how nice it is/was. It would be just another piece in my stock. But this was a very pricey piece even for those gem merchants who only handle high end goods. So looking at it in my shop lights compared to the buying environment in Bangkok - well, it sorta took my breath away as it was a little nicer color 'over there'. So yeah, in the white background with 5000-Kelvin lighting I was a little concerned. 20 years ago there may have even been some perspiration showing on my brow

Second, dops and wax. It seems so counter-intuitive to me that wax can hold/glue something as impervious as stone to a surface. I just don't get it! Is it almost like a vacuum seal is created? Glue I understand, but wax seems so malleable and benign, like it would be unable to compete with the stone. Any thoughts to help us get it?

The use of a sticky kind of wax to adhere gem rough for lapidary work goes back a long time. Probably 200 years or more. The black type shown in some of my photos is known as "Banker's No. 6" and I believe it has been manufactured since 1906. It is tried and true. As a wax, it has a fairly high shellac content, and when in a liquid/molten state has quite a capacity to adhere to substances (including my fingers when clean!).

The waxes used in lapidary are normally firm and rigid when cool or room temperature - as compared to being flexible or mold-able. Once they are in place, they are fairly consistent, firm, but brittle. A firm knock though can send a gem flying across the room. So even in this context, it is best to be safe and consistent in one's movements.

Working with wax is not for the uninitiated. It is best to have practiced a technique - and even better to have an experienced hand show you the ropes as to best practices. Once a technique has been well-developed, and practiced several hundred times, it is a skill one can put to good use and save valuable time.

Working with glues, epoxies or other adhesives have their place. And are well-suited for the lapidary who can not invest the time in developing a wax methodology. That being stated, I too from time to time resort to glues especially when working with gems that are heat sensitive, averse to thermal shock, or I need to see the whole stone through transparent type glues to process a recut or a repair.

I am hopeful this is useful info and not too technical. Sometimes going down the explanation path isn't all that much fun - for the reader

 

[derbygal]

Love this. Thanks for posting, Roger!

 

[minousbijoux]

I am hopeful this is useful info and not too technical. Sometimes going down the explanation path isn't all that much fun - for the reader

I beg to differ, but then I asked the questions! This is all fascinating to me and I thank you.

 

[Shushinator]

Wow. Wow. WOW! Roger you are the man! Im so happy I got ahold of two of your mints. Only problem is that they have ruined my romance with tourmalines forever. I must say this is the awesomest thread ive read in a while. what a rock.

Minousbijoux, i was wondering every step of the way; how did he let this go? and does the owner realize what they got ahold of? and 'i would love it more than they do!!' I would take that stone over an emerald for personal jewelry any day of the week.

So does 10+ ct put it up at a collector stone level? Did the purchaser tell you how much they love it? Was it hard to say goodbye to another of your creations? How long did it take from rough in hand to completion?

I'll ask you my serious questions tomorrow - about rough and dopping.

Thanks again.

 

[chloeishere]

Wow, this thread was a fascinating read. Thank you for sharing, Roger!

 

[sphenequeen]

Roger - thanks for sharing this! It is intriguing to see how such a gemstone goes from rough to faceted material.

 

[jstarfireb]

The stone turned out to be magnificent, and it's fascinating to see the journey from start to finish!

 

[Indylady]

I'm a little late to this thread, but thank you Roger! Such an incredible thread. Thank you for taking the time to post it.

 

[motownmama]

really cool thread!

 

[chrono]

It is not an uninteresting read at all; this is exactly what CS has been missing for years. I welcome back such informative and educational posts from those in the trade.