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Lapadarists, gem cutters,large gem dealersledite A

tccox
I would like to supply a smalldislpay yor the kids. want them rather large around .30 kts. Some may cut and polishnied but bulk would simifasished, unfinishee. I have no tools other than a tumbler so out Ill I could is poblish them anmd thnatg is geting old
I will appeciate all advice and try avoid obvious mistaakes. Yes the name of the game is CHEEPO, TOM EDIT
WOW: My sleeping pill kicked in early looks like. I will try to translate:
I am trying to build a small display for the kids with large polished and unpolished pieces. I can find plenty on ebay but the biggest and best are in Thailand or some such place and I am a little afraid to send my money there. Thanks again, Tom
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Comments

12 comments

Date Votes
  • ljwrench
    ?????????
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  • Colt Super
    ?

    D.
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  • reloader44mag
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    I would like to supply a smalldislpay yor the kids. want them rather large around .30 kts. Some may cut and polishnied but bulk would simifasished, unfinishee. I have no tools other than a tumbler so out Ill I could is poblish them anmd thnatg is geting old
    I will appeciate all advice and try avoid obvious mistaakes. Yes the name of the game is CHEEPO, TOM

    I think the obvious mistake was posting this thread
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  • spurgemastur
    Not entirely sure what you're trying to accomplish, but if you're tumbling raw stones, count on losing close to half the mass of the rock in the process.
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  • jwb267
    [?][?][?][?]
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  • He Dog
    I think you need to look for a lapidary society or rock hound club in your state. Those folks could give you plenty of advice and will know who to hook up with for supplies, equipment etc. I would bet you can find a contact on line with a little googleing.
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  • fishkiller41
    Watch-out ,the little kids don't choke on them. Small objects and small kids don't mix..

    Jeff
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  • spurgemastur
    Most discount gem finishing happens in Asia. On the other hand, Thailand is known both for its gem business and the gem scams that happen there. Do a little research before sending money there if you decide to go that route.

    If you want semi-finished and unfinished stones and already own a tumbler, that's the easiest way to do it.

    A friend of mine has a wet grindstone with a lapidary wheel on it. I've used this to shape and begin polishing stones and then finished polishing them by hand on wet/dry 600 grit sandpaper (hint: save your fingertips; use epoxy to glue the stone to the head of a nail or some other stick before doing this). 600-grit doesn't really get you to jewelry quality but puts a decent shine on the stone. If you need to buy the grinder you're in for about $400. If you already have a grinder that can go wet, I think the lapidary stones are fairly cheap (<$30).

    I know nothing about lapping stones.

    Your original e-mail said something about 0.3 carats. That's TINY! On the other hand, 30 carats is enormous (picture a half-sphere with the diameter of a nickel). A 10-carat sphere would be about pea sized.

    If you want, I'll contribute a couple stones to the collection. E-mail me your snail-mail address and I send at least one rough star-garnet and one semi-finished star-garnet (the Idaho gemstone, known only from one location in ID, and one or two secret locations in India). Neither is likely to be gem quality, but you never know!
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  • deputydog214
    Tom you have mail.
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  • tobefree
    If they have good feedback send the klinkies~~~~
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  • Zebra
    Tccox:
    I use to be in the wholesale gemstone business and frequented the Jump Start Gem show in Tucson, AZ and other states. Also have been on trips to Mexico to buy opals. We still have about $20K in GIA gemoligical equiptment and some old stock of stones. I could donate the kids some finished Mexican jelly and fire opals as well as some faceted topaz and some man made color change alexandrite and ruby.
    Email me.
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  • tccox
    Thanks to all for your replies. Special thanks to Paul, Jason & Randy. Your offers and websites have given me much info and places to loook. Tom
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