Lapidary / Gemstone Community Forum

Stone Talk / Moderator, Hummingbirdstones ( Robin ) => Share Our Finished Cabochons and General Cabbing Questions / Tutorials => Topic started by: Isotelus on September 05, 2014, 09:00:10 am



Title: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Isotelus on September 05, 2014, 09:00:10 am
Thought i would share a few classic Morgan Hill poppies with you and one Stoney Creek


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Justin on September 05, 2014, 09:04:22 am
Sometimes? I think it's always hard to let go of a good cab. On the flip side I think that's how you tell when you are selling a quality product. When your buyer is estatic and you are heartbroken it's good customer service.
Awesome cabs!


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Carol M on September 05, 2014, 09:47:01 am
WOW!!!
Really gorgeous Bryan.
Such lovely 'control'.  Well done yes16


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: abuahmad on September 05, 2014, 10:08:53 am
i feel the same way when i have to give or sell my cabs to somebody.  ura12


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Isotelus on September 07, 2014, 08:03:52 am
Here are a few Bruneau Jasper's cut last week, I thought you might enjoy.


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Carol M on September 07, 2014, 08:37:36 am
WOW, REALLY GORGEOUS!!!
Well done Bryan yes16


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Alvin on September 07, 2014, 07:20:41 pm
working with the good stuff. great job


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: domdeslagons on September 08, 2014, 04:10:44 pm
Nice cabs! I really like bruneau jasper, it is "smooth" or tender should I say?


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: GregHiller on September 09, 2014, 08:05:33 am
Nice work.  >I really like bruneau jasper<

Agreed, it's hard enough to shape properly without 'melting away', yet takes a phenomenal polish and rarely has any pits or cracks.  The trouble is getting material that has anything interesting in it without going broke buying it. 


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Isotelus on September 09, 2014, 01:57:13 pm
Cutting these stones from the rough Bruneau has been a pleasant trip down memory lane for this cutter.

In 1970 while on a family vacation as a young kid we looked up a guy in Nampa , Idaho who had a claim on the snake river dendritic jasper agate at the time. I bought some and as we were leaving he began to unload his truck and had all these milk crates of Bruneau Jasper he'd just acquired. As I fingered through a crate of broken pieces he said some of them might cut some nice cabs for someone who had the patience. I was allowed to pick out a couple boot/ shoe boxes of broken pieces- anything showing orbs, I bought all I could afford. He said it was tumble rough. 1-21/2 inch pieces and some very thick chips off really large nodules.

I could not find anything like this today-- my Mom passed a couple years back and I rediscovered this rough in my old basement shop- - 44 years had passed.


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Carol M on September 09, 2014, 03:55:05 pm
How large are the cabs, Bryan?   roughly dunno28


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Isotelus on September 09, 2014, 05:17:39 pm
The Ovals are kind of a custom size I cut for pendants and have for years
32mm x 16mm

The Tapered Rectangle is
27mm x 17mm

The Sail shape Triangle
28mm x 28mm x 28mm

These were cut for pendants, some of the larger chips in the rough will easy cut
50mm x 40mm . I thought because of the pattern they were well worth cabbing-- forget the tumbler.

I could never figure why he called it tumble rough Most of the rough is smaller split halves and 1/4 nodule pieces many 2" in one dimension none smaller than 1" x 1"X1". They were selected for pattern. The mans whole nodules were bigger than a softball- those were not for sale.


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Bentiron on September 09, 2014, 05:52:29 pm
Sure wish I had the wherewithal to purchase silver, those would make beautiful jewelry for sure.


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: john likes rocks! on September 09, 2014, 07:25:56 pm
Nice cabs and story .... thanks for posting!


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Isotelus on September 10, 2014, 10:07:06 am
Here is a fun one that was a keeper for me. The material is a natural largely black agate from the Challis Volcanic Area of Idaho. It has been a recent cabbing favorite of mine. One Shot by transmitted light shows a kinda cloud like fortification pattern around a black core. Other side is the Drusy/White side.


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: itsandbits1 on September 10, 2014, 02:00:03 pm
the black agate is very nice; well done, and you can see some of the cloud showing to the front bottom of the cab too.


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Bentiron on September 10, 2014, 06:12:26 pm
That's very pretty, WOW! You done good on that one for sure yippie24


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Carol M on September 10, 2014, 06:43:28 pm
Gorgeous Bryan.  And what great control you have over the shape [the left side versus the right side look like mirror images]
Do you just do that 'by eye'??


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: Isotelus on September 10, 2014, 09:09:52 pm
I loved the shape early on in learning to cut, originally it was from a template but I have not needed a template to cut this shape for years. All by eye now


Title: Re: Sometimes they are hard to let go of........
Post by: gjones on September 12, 2014, 12:48:59 pm
You are truly an artist with stone!!!    ura12