From mid-2021, newsletter articles are no longer posted separately here. Interested readers should scan through the newsletter headings under the ‘Newsletters’ tab.

FACETIPS – A GEM CUTTER’S NOTEBOOK

by
Duncan Miller


The faceting articles published over the past few years in the Mineral Chatter have been compiled into a single 128 page document, available for download for those interested in saving all the articles together. To download the pdf file click here.

A 29,18 ct cuprite from Onganja, Namibia, cut by Duncan Miller and now in a private collection in Germany.


Browsing Archive: May, 2016

Azurite Suns: Mineral Masterpieces from Australia

Posted by Site Moderator Webmaster on Wednesday, May 25, 2016,

Reproduced with the permission of Eric Greene of Treasure Mountain Mining

Azurite is a soft, deep blue copper mineral produced by the oxidation weathering of copper ore deposits. It is a favourite amongst mineral collectors because of its rich blue colour and wide availability in a variety of forms and colour variations, from sharp, lustrous brilliant dark blue crystals to thick, rich, colourful royal blue coatings on matrix.

Azurite suns are a unique form of azurite that has been found in ...


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Re-polishing a Table Facet

Posted by Site Moderator Webmaster on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, In : Faceting 
Anyone who re-polishes worn stones, or who tries to remove a scratch from a table facet, will be familiar with a common problem. Some stones, in my experience particularly tourmaline, appear to develop a resistant ‘skin’ during polishing, which impedes the re-polishing process. The effect is that you cannot re-polish the facet, which just slides over the lap, with your usual polishing combination. I think it is due to work-hardening of a surface layer; but there are other opinions about w...
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