For me, it's round brilliant, and square cuts, with minimal facets. Time = money, and you have to be a very keen puppy to do other cuts on small stones. Barry.
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:00 pm Posts: 391 Location: Dolan Springs, Arizona
For 3 to 5 mm sizes I cut 9 main rounds with Vansant spikes. Usually try for matched pairs for earrings. I think this pattern gives rounds extra sparkle especially sapphires.
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:00 pm Posts: 391 Location: Dolan Springs, Arizona
The diagram is called "Tom" as is the poster above and here below. I will be glad to post a diagram as soon as it stops snowing so I can get to my shop computer.
Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2006 9:44 pm Posts: 1079 Location: Washington State
Qld Barry wrote:
...with minimal facets.
Barry.
I would consider anything under 4mm to be a small stone and with these I think the minimal facets is important in that in causes the average facet area to be a bit larger. I think that when facet areas get too small relative to the stone size, that the stone starts to look really "fuzzy" and not as sharp as one would want.
Shapes aren't quite as important as long as they are as close to being a 1:1 aspect ratio as possible. This means squares, squarish cushions, rounds and rovals will give the best show. Do you use GemCad? If not then you should consider it, since it allows you to modify any design to fit your end use quite rapidly, (and test them somewhat with GemRay).
Hi Tom, Was just going to look for a suitable SRB design for a couple small stones, will wait for your posting and thanks in advance.
Wife has been wanting me to cut accent stones out of small Montana Sapphires that I have been keeping out of her site (don't like cutting small stones). So I told her I would look around for designs for small stones and happened upon this thread.
Off topic: Moved to Kingman Az. from Portland Oregon last year to get away from the 9 months of grey every year in Portland. Woke this morning to 3" of snow. A very white New Year to come.
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:00 pm Posts: 391 Location: Dolan Springs, Arizona
Hey Harold Welcome to the Mohave Desert. I'm freezing my butt off up here in Dolan. I much prefer 110 degrees. Lets get together in the New Year. I will my goto design for small sapphires tomorrow. I've sold a lot of these to Jewelers for earrings, problem is you need a 72 gear index wheel. But you could convert to 8 fold axis.
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:06 pm Posts: 2267 Location: Chapel Hill, NC / Toronto, ON
Dang, I forgot how far northwest Kingman is from Phoenix! I kept thinking, "Mojave? You mean Sonoran?" and then realized I was totally wrong
John, if you're cutting small stuff, stick to any design with lots of symmetry (triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, etc.), and try and keep the total number of facets at 50 or below. Interesting designs aren't really useful for things below 5-6 mm, so avoid them.
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:00 pm Posts: 391 Location: Dolan Springs, Arizona
Here is my standard small round pattern. I like my smalls to look like little balls of fire, not simply reflections of color so I add more facets than most I guess. Its fast to cut because you can polish in all but the mains. I cut the nine mains in and then switch to my split lap (8k and 60k) touch the mains to 8k and then 60k . Then go back to the small facets, touch them on 8k the finish on 60k and done. For 3mm I may omit the girdle facets.
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