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Daily Wire Tip Feb. 24: Shining Gemstones

February 24th, 2010

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
February 24, 2010

Question:

How do you get that perfect mirror shine on your focal gemstones?

Answer:

As I am not sure which type of stone you mean, cabochon or faceted, I’ll give a general answer for cabochons. The reason this has to be ‘general’ is because the lapidary world is a huge venue and a lot of the polishing techniques used really depend on both the hardness and the make-up of the stone. For example, some softer stones are worked all the way to the polish stage and then we use Zam for the final polish, while some other materials receive their final polish from the use of either cerium oxide or Lindi ‘A’ on a leather pad (glued to a flat lap), and on agates we use a very fine diamond paste on a felt lap (using a regular silicone spray as the extending fluid). I have to credit my husband for the gorgeous polish he gets on the cabs I use, which has come from a LOT of experimenting (and you should see the bucket of, “well, that didn’t work”, which is future fodder for our tumblers).

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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