January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
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 Post subject: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 5:43 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2017 4:05 am
Posts: 26
Good day to you all
After breaking the world record in lurking around here,
I belive it's time to introduce myself..even if just to express my graditude to the amazing people who share their knowledge and enthusiasm on this platform.
My name is Vistar, i live near Zurich in Switzerland, and my life evolve around stones.
Started cabbing many years ago, and thanks to the abundance of advices and encoragments here, i bought a used Facetron 3 years ago and started to play around with it.
Since i am a Goldsmith too, i hardly find time to facet stones, did only 8 or 10 so far, but i love it very much.
I owe big thanks to Arya. Watching his videos convinced me to try faceting. Many many Thanks, man.
I don't even remember what question i asked google 4 years ago, that led me to this forum, but boy i am happy i found it..
It changed the way i look and buy stones.
I fly to Jaipur, India, once a year to buy mostly strings and have my rough pieces cut into beads, but also buying stones for my jewelry.
Learning from the information available here has transformed my work completely..i now reject 98% of what is shown to me. [-X
And my jewelry look much nicer, set with well cut stones.
I am quite challenged digitally, so, will take me a little while untill i'll be able to post some photos here, but it will come.
Many thanks again
Vistar


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:57 pm 
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Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:34 am
Posts: 20
Location: London, UK
Hello Vistar,
I don't know if I and my few posts here count as a welcoming party, but since I share all you express about the site, the people and the forum /...and since you reached to claim to my unclaimed lurking record title [-X / I thought I had to stop here and say Hello!
I also share a lot of your experience around looking at stones after I found this place.
I am sure, that more goldsmith's views and opinions in the Lapidary Corner will bring even more wealth of knowledge to it. Now, after I've said that - stop lurking and start writing! :)

-ondzi


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:53 pm 
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Thank you ondzi for your warm welcome.
Since i am a total beginner in faceting,
I am here to learn and absorb,
Will come the time that i will tell my costumers i take a month off jewelry and dedicate it to faceting.
The desire is burning inside... Lots of amazing rough waiting in my safe, but the postman keeps on shoving bills into my post box... :evil:
Vistar


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 10:58 pm 
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Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21602
Location: San Francisco
Vistar, it's about time you pulled up a chair and sat at our table. Welcome!
Image


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 3:45 am 
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Thank you for your kind invitation, Barbra.
It is very nice indeed to be here.
A quarter of a centuty has past since a young man traveled from Gdansk, on the Baltic sea, with a Backpack full of 25 kg. Of Amber, 2 files and a packet of sandpaper to he Himalayas and started a journey that still develops.
So much to learn still.. :smt045
Kind Regards
Vistar


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 6:50 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am
Posts: 1322
Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
It sounds lik4 an interesting journey. Welcome.

Amber will always hold a special lace in my heart.

As a kid my father took us on a drive through Mexico, camping. On the way he told us how this was to finish a journey he started after getting out of the service, he wanted to follow the path that Cortes, at the time he got to the top of the Pyramin of the sun and moon in Mexico city, looked at the map...... saw where he came, and how far the had to go.... and turned around and went back home. WE finished the route..... But along the way we would stop at small towns and barter.

In one town, we came across a man with some Mexican amber, and we traded some children's cloths (I was one of 10, and we brought several bags of cloths, intending to give them to local churches along the way..... we found out that they made very good items for barter...... especially with mothers, who often had hand made things that they were selling). for a few pieces. I remember him looking for pieces with insects......

He passed away last hear, I have to clear out his place, and I hope that in one of the bags, or boxes that I come across the Mexican Amber...... He tended to horde things, so there is no way of telling where it ended up.

Later he gave me a piece he bought off of ebay, and I felt so bad when I told him it was a fake.


Anyhow, I ramble a lot....

But your mention of amber brought me fond memories of my father. Thank you for that.... It helped to have some good memories, (It has been a hard week, and the next few will be a challenge)


I hope that you enjoy Faceting.

Since you work in Gold, I am looking forward to seeing not only cut stones, but mounted pieces.


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 9:58 am 
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Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:16 am
Posts: 239
Location: Germany
Hi Vistar,
wellcome ;)
As we are not far away from you and facetting is really fascinating, I hope that you stick to this hobby.
probably we see at the munich show in octobre!
best wishes
Nikolas

_________________
http://www.gemstore-24.com
gemstones, precision cuts and more...


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 12:33 pm 
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Posts: 26
Hi Wilsonintexas,
Thanks for sharing your stories.
Was indeed an increadible adventure.
I don't cut Amber since many year now, but still find my self buying an occasional rough once in a blue moon. Just out of sentiment i guess.


Hello Nicolas, indeed , we are not so far from each other.
For me faceting is not a hobby.. I make my living cutting and selling stones,in addition to making custom made Jewelery.
I was never in the Munich show, but friends tell me it is a very good one. I would love to come, maybe this year, maybe next.. [-o<
Kind regards
Vistar


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 9:01 pm 
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Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:16 pm
Posts: 22
Location: Denver
Hi Vistar,

It is nice to see another goldsmith on here for the same reason I have chosen to facet. Maybe we can help answer questions about ideal setting conditions when they come up, or, inspire faceters to set their work. I think lurking is okay (I lurked for over a year) as you get to know the "vibe" of the forum and can get some knowledge under your belt before chiming in.

As a goldsmith I wanted to open up more creative possibilities with custom carved and faceted stones. Even if we cut mediocre stones, they would be much better than the windowed and wonky stones we often set from abroad, which people still happily accept. Now the acquisition of damn good rough is an art in itself!

Also, anytime we add a new skill to the bench, we heighten our other skills just a tad, even if its simply a better eye for precision. I think I even chop vegetables much more precise now :-)

I was inspired by Jean Noel Soni after setting many of his stones over the last few years living in the Bay, before moving to Denver. His work showed me the great possibilities one can achieve even from the improvised approach of faceting. I have great respect for both him and his work and chose to approach stone cutting in the same way (which I believe was inspired by the old mine-cutting ways), improvising facets on every stone. Its fun and original, even if some do not turn out as expected.

Last spring I studied with Dalan Hargrave, and for those that don't know, he is teaching classes seasonally at his ranch. I highly recommend the class for those that find interest. Both him and Kathy are amazing people.

I am actually 100% deaf at the youngish age of 36 as of 3 years ago and often read about the importance of cutting by ear, which was something I was concerned with. It was recommended I got the GemMaster since they began making them again, and because their "gauge" (Im not sure what this is called) is so precise when it comes to touching down a facet, which could help me visually. I ended up getting the digital Ultratec V5 because the new company making the GemMaster seemed to be a bit iffy with a 6 month wait. The digital angle read out seems to work pretty well for the time being...until the machine decides to walk out of alignment.

So far I have adopted the practice of feeling for the same things that people probably hear. One can actually feel the variation of the lap surface of a charged metal lap (like the BA5T) and how far into that variation of mountains and valleys one wants to take it. On the contrary, last time a hit the perfect height adjustment when polishing a table it was a moment of clarity. It felt like the stone was ice skating with no vibration to feel. Anyway that's a rant for another topic.

I guess that's going to be my introduction :-)

-JX


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Mon Jul 10, 2017 3:42 pm 
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Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2017 8:44 pm
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Hi

New on here as an officially registered member. Been lurking for a few months. I live in Oakland, California and have been learning to cab stones at my local SF Gem and Mineral.

I am a goldsmith, hand engraver and jewelry designer and have been wanting to incorporate cutting gems into my work. I found an old Raytech machine on Craigslist which I picked up cheap because neither the seller nor I knew if it worked. I have been teaching myself how to facet and so far it seems like it works pretty well and most of the error is on the part of the operator.

I just finished my first fully cut gem in some nice clean orange opal (just posted in Off the Dop) after playing around with modified pavillions as hybrid rose cuts in opaque material. Using a starter lap kit from John Rolfe. Had great results, prepolish and polish were a breeze. Still sorting out how much to cut at each stage but I know it will start to make sense after a few thousand stones.

it is always nice to learn something new and grow a little. I am loving the ecstatic feeling each time another facet is perfectly polished. Looking forward to more.

Thanks for having me on here.
Cheers
David G

http://www.engraverdavid.com


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 2:37 am 
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Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2017 4:05 am
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Hi JX and David,
Looks like the abundance of information and help available in this forum encourages more and more goldsmiths to start faceting.
Fantastic!!


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 4:50 pm 
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:21 pm
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Welcome, Vistar and David!

David, it's nice to see another new Bay Area cutter! I live on the peninsula.


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:41 am 
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Hello Vistar.
It is interesting that for some of us goldsmiths that faceting is the logical next step to making the most beautiful work we can. I have always been a little frustrated working with stones that are simple commercial cuts with the same thing over and over and the same shapes. In the other direction the cutting can be too crazy fantasy cut and it leaves no room for me as a goldsmith to do anything but frame the stone in gold.
I am looking to find a happy balance.

Also I just love learning more about the stones and their properties and watching them come to life in cutting. It has given me a whole new appreciation of what is good and why.


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:45 am 
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Hi Micellular.
Thanks it is good to be here. Definitely good to know other bay area faceters. Are you going to go to the SF Gem and Mineral Society show in August on the 19-20th?


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 Post subject: Re: Intro and greetings
PostPosted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 1:07 am 
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Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:21 pm
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Hi David,

I'll be in Oregon / Montana for a rockhounding and eclipse roadtrip during the show, unfortunately. Mayhaps we can meet up some other time! I would love to consult with a goldsmith about how to facet for jewelers.


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