"Worthwhile" Rough?

[the_mother_thing]

Last May, I took my daughter to a gem mining place in NC while we were vacationing in the mountains. It was really intended as more of just a fun and different thing to do (and I succeeded in getting her away from TV & technology for a few hours! Bonus! Haha).

We sifted through a few large tubs of material, and walked away with a hefty bag each of rough gems and a fun memory. I had the place (Foggy Mountain gem mining) cut and mount one smokey quartz into a SS ring for me and my daughter chose a necklace for one of hers, just to have a momento from the trip. The ring is honestly a bit big for my taste and I don't wear it much, but I was more concerned that it was a bit of a tourist trap in terms of the quality of output so I didn't choose the one item I was REALLY interested in, as I wanted to verify it and put it in the right hands when I had time.

In my findings was what they identified as a piece of ruby rough. It is my birthstone, so I thought it would be nice to look into having it cut and set into a piece of jewelry for myself at some point. But how do I know if it is "worth" cutting, that it might be a nice/decent stone once cut? I don't expect perfection or smithsonian quality, mind you; but I would hate to spend a lot of money to end up with something undesirable.

How can I look at this piece as well as the other stuff I found, and determine what might produce nicely cut gems or cabs vs those that likely would not. Again, this trip was about the experience, not landing a gold mine. But if I could have a few pieces made from the rough, that would be pretty cool. I sadly lost the ID card to know what all else I have, but recalled the ruby specifically, and for size reference, put it next to a quarter.

Any ideas, thoughts? Pics of the mass rough and ruby follow. Thanks much for any help or suggestions. I did look on their website for an ID card but they don't offer one online.

 

[Edward Bristol]

It would only have value as a memory, not gem value. In any case it is 'only' cabochon quality.

However, there is no reason why you should not spend another 50 or 100 to have one polished and make jewelry.

 

[LoversKites]

Glad it was an enjoyable experience.

Since it is so included I don't think it could wield a cut stone.
Perhaps you could set it as a raw crystal pendant. I love those.

It would only have value as a memory, not gem value. In any case it is 'only' cabochon quality.

However, there is no reason why you should not spend another 50 or 100 to have one polished and make jewelry.

Could it really be cut into a cabochon? I mean, wouldn't the inclusions make it structurally unsound?

 

[the_mother_thing]

It would only have value as a memory, not gem value. In any case it is 'only' cabochon quality.

However, there is no reason why you should not spend another 50 or 100 to have one polished and make jewelry.

Thanks Edward. Is your opinion for the lot of stones or just the ruby? I know zero about this stuff, but I thought that a nice bracelet of cabs would be an interesting piece as well as memorable of the trip if nothing was gem-worthy faceted/cut. There were also a few pieces of garnet rough. As I was sifting through these, my daughter came out, and she had the ID card. Posting pics of the garnets and card for reference.

How might I go bout finding a cutter to cab a few pieces? I know of no cutters personally, and wasn't planning to spend a lot on this project. Or is there a good reputable link you might have for identifying the rough pieces so I could decide what I might use vs not?

In the third pic, upper left corner are what I think might be a couple of tourmaline pieces.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Tourmaline

 

[digdeep]

I think I'd pursue this in one of two ways.........either have the rough stones wirewrapped by someone or you and your daughter can play with them as I'm sure there are YouTube video's with info on wrapping. (You will still need to invest in some tools!) You can put as much or little energy into wirewrapping as you want. You can purchase sterling silver or gold filled wire online..........get a softer gauge if you are playing with the idea without a teacher/class/instruction.

Second thought.....look around for a local gem club as there may be someone who could facet the rough into cabs at a reasonable price. You'd want someone who could ID the stones, their hardness, etc, so you can decide what you want to do. That would be my second option. There are professional faceters and you are welcome to reach out to them, but they could be more expensive than what you want to spend. Do you have a dollar amount you are thinking of for this project? for the cutting? the settings? the bench to set the stones?

 

[endless_summer]

What a cool experience - I don't have anything to add regarding the project, but working through it and coming up with anything sounds like it would make for a fun memory with your daughter too

 

[PrecisionGem]

It's fun to pick through the buckets at places like you did in NC, however the material is not really facet grade material. I think that when you leave them a piece to cut for you, what they actually do is send you a different stone commercially cut, and toss your piece back into another bucket.

Facet grade material will look like pieces of colored glass, here is an example of rhodolite garnet.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, while a fun activity for kids, any good material would have been taken before they put the material in there in the first place.

 

[the_mother_thing]

It's fun to pick through the buckets at places like you did in NC, however the material is not really facet grade material. I think that when you leave them a piece to cut for you, what they actually do is send you a different stone commercially cut, and toss your piece back into another bucket.

Facet grade material will look like pieces of colored glass, here is an example of rhodolite garnet.

I had a feeling that was the case with the ring I had made. LOL

Do you have a dollar amount you are thinking of for this project? for the cutting? the settings? the bench to set the stones?

I think finding a gem club sounds like the right avenue, or a person who could cab a couple pieces for me for a fee. I am not all that "crafty", and I don't know that my daughter has much interest in doing that either at this point (she has a lot of other stuff going on at the moment ... Learning to drive, applying to a college program while in HS, and her regular studies).

I don't really have a budget in mind (terrible plan, I know! LOL) ... I don't have any idea what cutting a cabochon even runs (professionally or hobbyist). Any ideas so I can get an idea for how BIG or small I might consider keeping this project? If a cab would run me like $500 then I would say we would not pursue the project, but if it was <$100 (for instance) then depending on how much I might do a bracelet of a few pieces, or just a couple things for each of us. I really don't know. I don't have an endless pile of dough but I wouldn't mind paying for something pretty that would last awhile - in terms of material and memory.