Hello, I would like information on cutting, grinding and polishing charoite.
Thank you
Zoltán
I have pretty well solved the fracture problem. I should point out that this solution works because my intended final use is for jewelry (cabochons).
I picked up a thick slab of black jade at the Tucson Gem Show a few years ago. I slice a thin piece off of it that’s slightly larger than the stone (in this case, charoite). I glue the jade slice as a doublet onto the back of the charoite cab. The hardness of the jade reinforces the strength of the charoite. I have never had a charoite cab fracture since using this method.
The excess jade can easily be ground off right down to the girdle of the cabochon. And the exposed side of the jade takes a very nice polish.
I originally tried this approach to reinforce larimar. THAT is even worse than charoite for fracturing during grinding. The white parts of the larimar are VERY soft, while the blue is much harder. That jade backing helps. Jade happened to be a stone of convenience for me. I think the same could be done with agate, if the black backing is not preferred.