Some fun inclusion photos with my new "camera" set up.

[colorluvr]

For those of you who followed some of my questions about how to get "closer" photos, I thought I'd share a few photos I took of my fun "Rainbow Topaz with Colorful Needles" (vendor's words) that came from Scott - American-Thai.

Setup: First is the vendor photo, BTW, none of my photos have been altered or lightened or otherwise messed with. The next three photos were taken through an inexpensive (and old) stereo microscope, but instead of using the Nikon, I just used my little (once again, not new) canon PowerShot A570 IS. It is a point and shoot, but it does have a macro setting which I used.

The first photo on the next page was taken with my Nikon D70 w/Sigma 105mm F2.8 macro (classified as medium macro) lens. The next three photos - on the next page were taken by putting flipping a canon 50mm 1.8 lens ($20 on ebay including shipping) and attaching it with adapters (another $20) to my to the Sigma lens. I have to get about 1/2 inch away to get this setup in focus, but the end result was pretty cool IMHO.

So instead of spending a bunch of money on new lens, etc., thanks to all of the helpful people on this forum, I have discovered the world of inclusions and only spent $40!!! I figured I have LOTS of stones to practice on I did however, order a gemstone holder to use with the microscope (which I haven't received yet), but I needed that anyway. After changing the settings on my Nikon and getting better lighting, I discovered I didn't need anything else to get good photos of my gemstones, my problems were all user errors, but I really do enjoy doing the inclusion shots.

 

[colorluvr]

Regular macro and flipped lens shots:

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Geeeeez how cool !!!

 

[kenny]

I love it . . . so cool!

 

[movie zombie]

very cool!

MoZo

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Super nifty! I wish i could get that close, it'd make checking for naturals soooo much easier

 

[colorluvr]

Super nifty! I wish i could get that close, it'd make checking for naturals soooo much easier

I agree, my eyesight isn't what it used to be and even though I can adjust the microscope (and my camera) so I don't need glasses to see, it will be nice to have an actual picture to look at, instead of my eyes starting to water after I've stared at something through the microscope for too long.

Now I just need to find out which of my gemstone book (many of which I haven't read yet) have the best photos and explanations of inclusions.

 

[Largosmom]

Nice job! Bet this is just the beginning of a fun new hobby. I was wondering how visible those iridescent needles were as I've been looking at his stones.

Laura

 

[colorluvr]

Nice job! Bet this is just the beginning of a fun new hobby. I was wondering how visible those iridescent needles were as I've been looking at his stones.

Laura

Not quite as obvious as his vendor photo (unless you were in perfect lighting perhaps) but still visible with the naked eye.

 

[colorluvr]

One more set:

IRL shot, macro shot, flipped shot and microscope shot of 5.93 CT - 13.0 x 8.7 x 7.0 mm Spessartite from Tanzania (vendor couldn't verify if it is a loliondo or not). He says he's had it for a few years and his contact didn't specify the mine. This stone is quite included, but truthfully, IRL, it looks so neony (it is a neon pumpkin orange color, and doesn't have the red tones you see in the IRL shot) you really don't notice them that much. I think it will make a nice pendant some day.

 

[Largosmom]

The vendor photos remind me of contra luz opal...need the right lighting to appreciate the affect. I've purchased a couple of stones from this vendor and am very pleased with them. Great packaging and he added a gem cleaning cloth and a postcard from Thailand with thanks for the business. He has some unusual stuff. I got a tourmaline cab with iridescent inclusions and a zircon that changes color when heated. Fun!

 

[Largosmom]

Oooh, cross posted while you were posting that spess....YUM!

 

[colorluvr]

The vendor photos remind me of contra luz opal...need the right lighting to appreciate the affect. I've purchased a couple of stones from this vendor and am very pleased with them. Great packaging and he added a gem cleaning cloth and a postcard from Thailand with thanks for the business. He has some unusual stuff. I got a tourmaline cab with iridescent inclusions and a zircon that changes color when heated. Fun!

I assume you are talking about Scott (the spess obviously didn't come from him - LOL). Yes, he is a great seller. I have a couple of his tourmaline cabs also (you mean the irridescent Chrome tourmalines - right?). One is yellowish green and one is a true green.

I bought a little 5.7mm Jeremejevite from him also... I love most of his stuff, but the auctions usually go out of my price range. You must have been the one that out bid me on one of his color change zircons - LOL!!!

 

[Largosmom]

Yes, I do mean Scott. And yes...perhaps it was me who out bid you, . I got a squarish irridescent chrome tourmaline cab and one of the tenebrescent zircons. I haven't heated it yet to make it go orange, but will when the weather gets better. I haven't photographed those stones yet. The zircon is kind of a cool brownish color with darker reflections unusual and very nicely cut.

I'd like to do a pendent with the tourmaline, perhaps with a confetti sunstone and something else with an interesting pattern that would complement the other two stones.

Ah well, now everyone is off looking him up on ebay and he has some nice things up there right now. Lucky me I'm not bidding at the moment though I stop by and check out the wares about once a week--so you are safe from me for now!

Laura

 

[Arkteia]

Fellows, I am sorry to bother you, and you have the right to keep the vendor's name a secret, but if you choose not to, who is Scott?

 

[chrono]

Crasru,
Your answer is in the first paragraph. Scott - American-Thai.

Colorluvr,
Those magnified pictures are amazing. I could spend hours just examining all those stones and more.

 

[LD]

Great photos colorluvr! I love taking photos of inclusions as well. The one problem I've found is then trying to identify them correctly. I have a few books that have some great examples but then there are always ones that I find that I can't see in a book and am left mystified! I posted this next photo on another forum asking what it was - and it turns out to be just a bog standard inclusion but it looks far more exciting than that doesn't it? I thought it was some form of foreign body - or alien spaceship!

 

[stci]

Those pictures are incredible! Fantastic! Thank you to share!

 

[T L]

Colorlvr,
Thanks for sharing those. WonderfuL!!

 

[Largosmom]

There is a whole skyline in that stone, LD, castles in the clouds.

psst, check his site...

 

[Aoife]

I love these photos, thanks for posting them. Honestly, some of these look like photos you could frame and hang on your walls they're so fascinating to look at.

 

[colorluvr]

Thanks so much for the nice compliments on my photos. My next experiment will be with a Russian (I hope) demantoid I have. Should be some fun inclusions in that one. If I get any good ones, I'll share. As most of you know, getting a good IRL shot of a demantoid isn't easy, but I have high hopes for the up close and personal ones.