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New Man-Made Gemstone Material- Cristinite |
Cubic Zirconia this is zirconium oxide, not to be confused with the natural stone, zircon. This is dense material with a specific gravity of about 5.8(+/-), no cleavage, and very low heat sensitivity, if any. It makes a beautiful and interesting gem due to it's high (2.15-2.18) RI. It cuts relatively quickly and easily, but can offer some challenge in polishing. The traditional "best" combinations for polishing CZ are 100k diamond on typemetal or 50k diamond on tin. We have also had good results with 50k diamond on a BATT lap. Others have reported having polishing success with 50k diamond on ceramic, zinc, Fast Lap, Last Lap, and even wax.
| Light Amethyst | Lavender | Q-Purple | Pink | Peridot | Salmon |
| Gold | Yellow | Fire Orange | Dark Fire Orange | Red | Purple |
| Aquamarine | Emerald | Sapphire | Tanzanite |
"Boro-Silicate" Gem Material better known as glass, is good for pendants and earrings. The color does get lighter for smaller gems, which is true for most gem materials.
Facet with a metal bond 600, prepolish with a fine lap (1200 or 3000), and polish with cerium. Polish with light pressure to avoid chipping facet edges.
NOTE:
The rough is sawed blocks of material; the PICTURES are examples of finished gems to SHOW THE COLOR, not represent
what the raw material looks like.
Tourmalite Laser Gem-
This is a color change item: pink in sunlight and incandescent light, and a pleasing medium green in fluorescent light.
$ 0.12/ct.
Mount St. Helen's Ash, melted into glass. This is somewhat of a local celebrity here in the Northwest- gems made of he melted ash from the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helen's. This was manufactured by the folks that created one of the original trademarks for this material back in 1980. and it comes in the beautiful and ever popular bright blue with a hint of green, as well as pastel green/blue pieces. Some pieces may have some small bubbles, but most do not. This material is created in long rods, generally round to oval shaped, and most are between 6 - 8 mm in diameter.
Man Made Spinel - One of the finest gems- with a hardness of 8 and with a high (1.72) RI, which makes it a bright and beautiful gemstone. This material facets easily, seems quickest with a very fine prepolish (3k powder on a BATT or Wizard lap), then 50k diamond on BATT, or alumina on tin/tin alloy, or DARKSIDE.
| 100 clear: $0.19/ct. 102: light blue: $0.19/ct. 104: Aqua Deep blue: $0.19/ct. 106: Aqua light blue: $0.19/ct. 107: Aqua dark blue: $0.19/ct. 110: "Ceylon" light blue: $0.19/ct. 114: Light Azurite: $0.19/ct. |
117: Swiss Blue: $0.19/ct. 120: Zircon blue: $0.19/ct. 122: Zircon green: $0.19/ct. 130: Yellow/green: $0.23/ct. 135: "Erinite" light emerald green: $0.23/ct. 136: Deep emerald green: $0.23/ct. 140: Deep Sapphire blue/violet: $0.23/ct. |
| Golden Citrine: $0.12/ct. |
Med Orange Citrine: $0.12/ct. |
Deep Citrine: $0.12/ct. |
Dark Green: $0.12/ct. |
Mint Green: $0.24/ct. |
Blue, Light: $0.24/ct. |
Blue, Medium: $0.24/ct. |
Blue, Dark: $0.24/ct. |
 1.25 - Rose Pink $0.20
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 46 - Dark Alex color change $0.30
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 32 - Dk Ceylon Blue $0.34 00 Clear Sapphire Czochralski Method: $0.22/ct. |
Orienting man-made BLUE sapphire:of corundum, which have a lighter color density in the center of the boule, place the color in the culet of the stone. This will literally "flood" the stone with color.
The picture below is taken from a position of looking down
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YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet)- this is one of the finest man-made gems available. It has amazing, very saturated color, and a high (1.833) RI. With a hardness of 8.5, it makes for a very beautiful and durable stone for jewelry. It facets almost like typical garnet; facet with 600 grit, prepolish (preferably) with a very fine lap (I like the 1600 Dyna Disk), and polish with alumina on tin (or tin alloy), or DARKSIDE Lap. Some faceters use 50k diamond on the above laps, also.
| Almost Clear (not pictured) $0.30/ct. |
Rich Pink- (a rich pink, not a pale pastel) $ 0.49/ct. |
Emerald Green- (Rich green/blue) $ 0.49/ct. |
Orange (medium orange) $0.49/ct. |
Champagne Pastel champagne/amber $ 0.24/ct. |
There is no universal agreement on what angles to use for the various materials. We have put together a "cheat sheet" you can print directly from your browser which lists some of the more commonly faceted materials and their respective faceting angles published by 3 generally accepted sources. Each set of angles has slightly different optical characteristics, and the definition of which is "best" is purely a matter of personal preference.
The sources are:
All colors and measurements are to be considered estimates only; Please inspect your order when you receive it and form your own determinations. Of course, I offer 15-day return privilege on any unaltered materials for refund, credit, or exchange.
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For information on Facet Shoppe products and services, gemcutting,
and especially if you have comments; please send them to me!
For those who prefer snail mail, write to:
Facet Shoppe
PO Box 534
PorBurley WA 98322
USA
(360) 443-6313
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Use this opportunity to check out our quality faceting rough or take advantage of our discount prices on our full line of quality lapidary equipment and supplies. We offer prompt, courteous service, shipping on most items within 24 hours, a no-nonsense satisfaction guarantee, and excellent after-sale support. |
 
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