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Handling Stones

P: 7/12/2009 4:04:22 PM
oddoneout Ideal Rock Total Posts: 985 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 9/20/2007	What is the best way to handle loose stones so they are not dropped/damaged/etc.? Thanks
Posted: 7/12/2009 4:04:22 PM

There are 15 replies to this message. There are 15 replies on this page.

P: 7/12/2009 6:28:36 PM
Harriet Ideal Rock Total Posts: 11,800 Last Post: 11/19/2009 Member Since: 7/7/2006	Teflon-tipped tweezers over a gem tray. "The greatest experts are only as good as the sum total of what they have seen." (Souren Melikian)
Posted: 7/12/2009 6:28:36 PM

P: 7/12/2009 6:55:33 PM
marcyc Ideal Rock Total Posts: 7,829 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 2/27/2007	I also look at them over the center of my dining room table and have a piece of paper towel under it. Sparkle On My Friends!
Posted: 7/12/2009 6:55:33 PM

P: 7/12/2009 7:01:42 PM
icekid Ideal Rock Total Posts: 6,555 Last Post: 11/22/2009 Member Since: 11/17/2004	Date: 7/12/2009 6:28:36 PM Author: Harriet Teflon-tipped tweezers over a gem tray. Second that! It's not worth risking them in those temporary holders.
Posted: 7/12/2009 7:01:42 PM

P: 7/12/2009 7:05:28 PM
Lady_Disdain Ideal Rock Total Posts: 901 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 7/25/2008	As the person who can't handle gems on a tweezer, thin cotton gloves over a sturdy, non metal surface. Preferably with something over it so a dropped gem won't bounce. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have no will power... 3.29 kyanite cab
Posted: 7/12/2009 7:05:28 PM

P: 7/12/2009 7:13:56 PM
Chrono Ideal Rock Total Posts: 11,338 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 4/22/2004	I'm with everyone else that the best is tweezers over a gem tray. If those are not available, then thin cotton gloved hands over a cloth covered table.
Posted: 7/12/2009 7:13:56 PM

P: 7/12/2009 8:58:58 PM
Richard Sherwood Ideal Rock Total Posts: 4,879 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 9/25/2002	Until someone gets used to using tweezers, I recommend using fingers, over a soft surface. You can have a lot of accidents with tweezers, the most common of which is holding the stone too tightly, and it "pings" out of the tweezers, sails across the room, bounces off the wall and into thick carpet, or an aquarium, or a bowl of nuts, or somebody's pants cuff. Rich, Independent GG Appraiser Sarasota Gemological Laboratory
Posted: 7/12/2009 8:58:58 PM

P: 7/12/2009 9:05:03 PM
tourmaline_lover Ideal Rock Total Posts: 6,547 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 9/20/2008	I would also not handle stones with a tweezer if they're softer than a 7 on the hardness scale. Fingers are fine except for cuprite, which needs to be cleaned after coming into contact with skin oils.
Posted: 7/12/2009 9:05:03 PM

P: 7/12/2009 9:30:23 PM
QueenB29 Cut Rock Total Posts: 244 Last Post: 8/15/2009 Member Since: 9/3/2008	I remember reading you're not supposed to used metal tweezers on kyanite as well. Would you use your fingers to set it, or something else? Beth
Posted: 7/12/2009 9:30:23 PM

P: 7/12/2009 9:33:45 PM
tourmaline_lover Ideal Rock Total Posts: 6,547 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 9/20/2008	Date: 7/12/2009 9:30:23 PM Author: QueenB29 I remember reading you're not supposed to used metal tweezers on kyanite as well. Would you use your fingers to set it, or something else? If you're setting super soft stones, a lot of care must be taken, and the benchpeople that do this kind of work are few and far between. 99% of them only deal with diamonds and other common gems like sapphires. The softest stones I've ever seen set in jewelry are sphene, and I would be really scared to have anyone set it (around a 5 on the scale of hardness).
Posted: 7/12/2009 9:33:45 PM

P: 7/12/2009 9:53:27 PM
Gailey Ideal Rock Total Posts: 2,166 Last Post: 11/20/2009 Member Since: 5/14/2008	As told by me by one of our resident lapidarists (no, I'm not outing him) - "fingers and and old pair of y-fronts". Now that being said, there is some fancy-dancy English polishing cloth that some professionals swear by, it's got the funniest name and it escapes me for the minute, but I will see if I can dig it out. Gailey ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Life is not a dress rehearsal
Posted: 7/12/2009 9:53:27 PM

P: 7/12/2009 10:02:14 PM
Gailey Ideal Rock Total Posts: 2,166 Last Post: 11/20/2009 Member Since: 5/14/2008	Selvyt Cloths Gailey ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Life is not a dress rehearsal
Posted: 7/12/2009 10:02:14 PM

P: 7/13/2009 8:01:24 AM
oddoneout Ideal Rock Total Posts: 985 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 9/20/2007	So cotton gloves are the best for all gems (since tweezers aren't good for soft gems)? Thanks for the info and the tips about holding over a soft surface so the gem doesn't bounce.
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:01:24 AM

P: 7/13/2009 8:05:12 AM
Chrono Ideal Rock Total Posts: 11,338 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 4/22/2004	I like to use cotton cloth because it minimizes getting oils and dirt from my fingers onto the stone itself as I am handling it.
Posted: 7/13/2009 8:05:12 AM

P: 7/13/2009 7:00:05 PM
Pandora II Ideal Rock Total Posts: 6,272 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 8/3/2006	I like gem tweezers over a stone cloth. I also use lense cloths to polish up stones and to hold them - stops bits of lint getting on the stones.
Posted: 7/13/2009 7:00:05 PM

P: 7/13/2009 10:16:18 PM
Harriet Ideal Rock Total Posts: 11,800 Last Post: 11/19/2009 Member Since: 7/7/2006	If the gem goes awry, just use a torchilight. I've found melee in the HVAC that way. "The greatest experts are only as good as the sum total of what they have seen." (Souren Melikian)
Posted: 7/13/2009 10:16:18 PM

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