A slight departure from making chains, yes. But we do need occasional decoration on the chains and I needed a diversion, so I took a gem cutting class. It is beyond my photography skills, but at least you can see from the first photo that the rough stone was very irregular in shape. Even so, I was very pleased to finish up with a 6 carat, cut and polished, citrine stone. The equipment used was an Ultra Tec to make the facet cuts.
The first photo is the rough, uncut stone from the underside. The stone is held onto a mandrel with wax. Yes, it is out of focus but it is the best photo I took that day, so it is the only record of the original shape.
The second photo is also the underside of the stone, after the first series of cuts, so it is starting to take shape. You can also see the Ultra Tec, including the cutting surface in the lower left of the second photo. The stone is on an arm that can be positioned at any angle on the cutting surface.
The third photo is the top side of the gem after the final cut. The fourth photo is the finished stone. It really is 6 carats and the color is rich. I did not alter the photos.
