Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am Posts: 1322 Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
A few people at my local rock club asked me to teach faceting. I am going to use the Gem101 design am looking for some garnet as recommended as a first stone.
I do not have any, and will need to buy some to get people started.
Post subject: Re: source for garnet for new students
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:52 am
Gold Member
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 am Posts: 1542
Decent looking garnet will be more difficult to find than something like a decent quality amethyst. If you use a nice amethyst, at least people will have a great looking gem when done with their first stone.
Post subject: Re: source for garnet for new students
Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 3:06 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 am Posts: 1542
If you just need a few pieces let me know how many, what size, and what shape you need. I have many kilos of African Amethyst from both Zambia, and Rwanda. I don't usually like to sell my rough, but to help new students I may be willing to supply a limited amount. Slightly included stuff would be free.
I have a good amount of garnets as well, but my garnets tend to be high end, and probably not suited for a first stone.
Post subject: Re: source for garnet for new students
Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2018 6:08 pm
Moderator
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:06 pm Posts: 2267 Location: Chapel Hill, NC / Toronto, ON
Hey Wilson,
If you're looking for cheap materials that are appropriate for a cutter's first (or first few) stones, there are some good options most of which have already been listed.
YAG (yttrium-aluminum garnet) is a synthetic that cuts easily, is not brittle, polishes easily, and has a high RI and dispersion. It can be as cheap as 10c/gram or as expensive as $3/ct for some related materials or colours. You can find it from RusGems, all over eBay, from John Franke (I think), or from whoever bought out Grady and Phyllis Harris's business "Creative Gems".
Natural garnets cut and polish easily, are not usually brittle, and also have a high RI. The darker materials can be as cheap as 50c/carat or less, although they may be extremely dark and may need to be cut to small sizes. Some of the other materials like rhodolite are also easily affordable and won't be as dark.
Natural beryls both cut and polish hilariously easily, with almost no effort involved, but have a lower RI and may need care in design selection. The lighter-coloured materials, like pale blues/greens/yellows, can be as cheap as $1/ct or less, and can be found in larger sizes too.
I recommend avoiding quartzes and feldspars for beginners, as quartzes can have very problematic twinning and other issues that make polishing difficult, and feldspars have cleavage. I used to recommend iolite since it's so easy to work with, but I've been hearing from some of the beginners I taught that when they first tried working with iolite they had problems with orientation and cleavage.
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