New Member Introduction

Gem Related Discussion
1

Hi there,

My name is Seth. I am new to the forums. I just recently got into gem polishing and cutting as a hobby. I’m 30 years old. I am a neurology nurse by trade and I find that making jewelry for family and friends is something that really helps me decompress after dealing with the challenges and stresses of my job. My dad was the one who really got me interested in geology and gemology. He was a rock hound who was particularly interested in Native American artifacts and ancient stone tools. I am interested primarily in labradorite, opal, obsidian, and moonstone. I do my carving and polishing with a dremel as I do not have the funds yet for a lapidary grinder or faceting machine.

Any knowledge and experience you all could offer me would be much appreciated and I will do my best to be an active and productive member of these forums .

Thank you!

2 Likes
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You know Seth, there is a video that you can see on Youtube, Building an 8" Flat Lapidary Machine - YouTube - that is about building an 8" flat lapidary machine that may work for you much better than a dremel - not as fancy as normal machine with all the bells and whistles but it is something you may be interested in doing. And looks fairly easy and cheap also. Could build one to facet the gems, by hand of course, and then one that is separate for the polishing. Hand cutting is a bit more tricky as you know but it’s definitely not unheard of and I’ve seen some nice moonstones come out of India that were hand cut. I’d definitely suggest looking into this. Might even be able to facet an arm on it or something to help you. Possibilities seem limitless -