Dug this out of the ground in Douglas county in Oregon, and when I first pulled it, my thought was carnelian. But the really glassy luster on a few parts are making me second guess myself. I’m stoked about the stone either way because it’s SO red. There were both carnelians and common opal in the area. What do y’all think? Carnelian, or just a really juicy, red common opal?
I’ve been teaching myself how to cab via YouTube videos. So far I believe I’ve made 40 cabochons. I’m definitely still learning, but I’m improving! The very last picture has all my cabs together and are numbered. (except #40)
Got a couple pounds of this stuff several weeks back, and finally cabbed my first piece today! I’m still learning, but I think this is my best one yet. I like that it’s so translucent that it appears almost purple in the palm of my hand. Holding it up to the sun revealed some interesting little inclusions too. I hope y’all have a great day!
I’ve been polishing some Malawi agates lately, and this one is being so stubborn. The surface seems riddled with micro fractures and pits, I’ve tried to go back to my 600 wheel and then back up to the 3000 wheel and they’re still there. They don’t seem to be very deep. Is it just this specific agate? I can live with a few tiny pits here and there, but this thing just isn’t as cool as I feel like it should be. Do I need to go back down to the 280?
I’m still fairly new to this hobby, and rocks in general. I mainly work with common things like jasper and quartz. I’d love to try my hand at some red corundum, but I am not confident in ordering any yet. I’m aware that some can be dyed to look more vibrant, and this is what I want to avoid. And since it is not gem quality material I’m after, hopefully it won’t break the bank? Do any of you know of any legitimate sites that have undyed red corundum rough?
Thank you for your time, I appreciate everyone in this sub!!!
I’ve cabbed 24 stones over the past month or so on my CabKing 6”. I have no prior training, and have been using YouTube as a guide. I posted the first 12 I did a few weeks ago, so here are the second set of 12. I added a picture of all 24 at the end. Everything was taken as far as my 3000 wheel. I really hope you all enjoy these, this hobby is so satisfying!!!!
From the top of Column 1: Moss agate Iron stained quartz Maybe some kind of chalcedony?
Column 2: Black jasper Banded rhyolite (Mexican wonder stone) Chalcedony
Column 3: Jasper possibly Chrysoprase Chrysoprase
Column 4: Moss agate Jasper Quartz w/chalcedony