How to make a round bead?

I had a friend ask me tonight...

how did the round stones that I have happen? I was listing the stones that
I have laying on my desk, that I haven't played with, and she asked if they
were reconstructed. I thought the only way you reconstruct was if it was
like turquoise or similar.

She was telling me that you can't cut round, that it's ground to powder,
then "remake" it to get it round?

I always understood that the rounds were cut, also.

The stones that I have been purchasing are from HongKong, from
www.fourseasgems.com

Thanks for any information!
Mary


--
Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with
every division. That is life.
Drizzt Do'Urden (Exile - R.A. Salvatore)
================
MeijhanaDesigns - Unique Earrings and More!
http://www.meijhanadesigns.com

Oh good heavens, of course you can cut round! Does she actually believe
that, say, malachite with all the rings and patterning, is reconstituted????

I never got to take the lapidary class I wanted with my silver teacher (he
passed away this summer sob) but he told me many of the mass produced
beads are shaped on a lathe then tumbled for the final shaping and polish.
Makes sense to me.

--
KarenK
Desert Dreamer Designs
http://members.cox.net/desertdreameraz/
Ebay Sto http://www.stores.ebay.com/desertdreamerdesigns
JustBeads: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=DesertDreamer

She was telling me that you can't cut round, that it's ground to powder, then
"remake" it to get it round?

LOL - ask her for her source!

Carol in SLC
New auctions: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=5530

In article , says...

She was telling me that you can't cut round, that it's ground to powder,
then "remake" it to get it round?

Of course you can cut round. Well, actually, you "cut" by shaping it into
something more-or-less round and then grind down the corners and uneven spots.
There was a guy at the Gem & Mineral Show doing a demo of how to make spheres
from rough. His method would be too labor-intensive for beads, but the idea
someone else mentioned of shaping them on a lathe would certainly work.

Celine

--
Handmade jewelry at http://www.rubylane.com/shops/starcat
"Only the powers of evil claim that doing good is boring."
-- Diane Duane, _Nightfall at Algemron_

Pete and I have gotten several stones from a prospector in Anchorage,
including several quartz crystal balls which he makes himself. He uses a
device that makes an increasing (then decreasing) circular cut around the
stone, which is held stationary.

Tina


"meijhana" wrote in message
...
I had a friend ask me tonight...

how did the round stones that I have happen? I was listing the stones
that
I have laying on my desk, that I haven't played with, and she asked if
they
were reconstructed. I thought the only way you reconstruct was if it was
like turquoise or similar.

She was telling me that you can't cut round, that it's ground to powder,
then "remake" it to get it round?

I always understood that the rounds were cut, also.

The stones that I have been purchasing are from HongKong, from
www.fourseasgems.com

Thanks for any information!
Mary


--
Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with
every division. That is life.
Drizzt Do'Urden (Exile - R.A. Salvatore)
================
MeijhanaDesigns - Unique Earrings and More!
http://www.meijhanadesigns.com

$27 for a 1 3/4" crystal ball from the Brooks Range. Not talking beads
here. More expensive because of the crystaline structure which can
fracture.

For beads I believe they cut them down to a workable shape and then roll
them between two sheets of abrasive material, using machinery. Kind of like
when you roll a clay ball between the two planes of your hands.

Because certainly rocks are ground down into rounds. And are not all
composites. I have plenty of natural rock rounds -- crystal/quartz (and
other quartz like amythest, citrine), turq, fluorite, coral, natural pyrite,
etc.

Tina


"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson"
:

]Pete and I have gotten several stones from a prospector in Anchorage,
]including several quartz crystal balls which he makes himself. He uses a
]device that makes an increasing (then decreasing) circular cut around the
]stone, which is held stationary.

do you mind me asking what you paid for them, Tina?
because i've gotta believe it wasn't $5/16-inch strand!


-----------
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
-----------
It's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;
it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

Vicki, ever bought or seen gemstone cabochons? You know...flat back, domed
and polished front. Round gemstone beads, like malachite, amethyst, citrine,
onyx....the list goes on and on....are made in basically the same way. It
would be impossible to grind a gemstone to dust and somehow "reassemble" it
to form the same rings and gain the same inclusions you see in cutting
rough. You'd end up with a homogenous mix of colors, NOT a distinctive
texture/pattern. There ARE some stones which are "helped", like turquoise,
but even those aren't ground up and put back together.

Here's an explanation about "stabilizing" stones such as turquoise. Even
those aren't ground up, but pressure treated/injected with resin to harden
them.

http://www.lapidarydigest.com/StabilizingTurqOpal.html



--
KarenK
Desert Dreamer Designs
http://members.cox.net/desertdreameraz/
Ebay Sto http://www.stores.ebay.com/desertdreamerdesigns
JustBeads: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=DesertDreamer

And even then, the best turquoise is natural and not stablized.

Tina


"Karen_AZ" wrote in message
newsvjgb.7644$hp5.7050@fed1read04...
Vicki, ever bought or seen gemstone cabochons? You know...flat back, domed
and polished front. Round gemstone beads, like malachite, amethyst,
citrine,
onyx....the list goes on and on....are made in basically the same way. It
would be impossible to grind a gemstone to dust and somehow "reassemble"
it
to form the same rings and gain the same inclusions you see in cutting
rough. You'd end up with a homogenous mix of colors, NOT a distinctive
texture/pattern. There ARE some stones which are "helped", like turquoise,
but even those aren't ground up and put back together.

Here's an explanation about "stabilizing" stones such as turquoise. Even
those aren't ground up, but pressure treated/injected with resin to harden
them.

http://www.lapidarydigest.com/StabilizingTurqOpal.html



--
KarenK
Desert Dreamer Designs
http://members.cox.net/desertdreameraz/
Ebay Sto http://www.stores.ebay.com/desertdreamerdesigns
JustBeads: http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=DesertDreamer

Interesting, I've never seen quartz stone beads that were "re-created".
Even in FMG there are few re-constructed stones, though there are some that
are heat treated or dyed for color. In FGM and Rio, they all state what
processes have been used on the stones.

One way to tell the difference would be to look for the color variation
that's normal in these stones.

Tina




"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Karen_AZ"
:

]Round gemstone beads, like malachite, amethyst, citrine,
]onyx....the list goes on and on....are made in basically the same way. It
]would be impossible to grind a gemstone to dust and somehow "reassemble"
it
]to form the same rings and gain the same inclusions you see in cutting
]rough. You'd end up with a homogenous mix of colors, NOT a distinctive
]texture/pattern. There ARE some stones which are "helped", like
turquoise,
]but even those aren't ground up and put back together.

interesting.
i KNOW hematite IS ground up and reformed, not just "helped".
that's what got me started on this whole thing.
look he
http://ibead.sureshopping.com/search...recious+Stones

and look at the amethysts. they say "recreated", too. so does the
crystal. all the other are chips.

do you see why i'm confuzzled?




-----------
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
-----------
It's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;
it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis

I don't think the reliability of Rio was ever questioned, just the service
when they changesbthe catalogue service.

Tina


"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson"
:

]Even in FMG there are few re-constructed stones, though there are some
that
]are heat treated or dyed for color. In FGM and Rio, they all state what
]processes have been used on the stones.

well, we have had discussions here before about FMG and Rio and
opinions vary widely on their "reliability", if memory serves. and
that was part of what started my conversation with Mary last night.

]One way to tell the difference would be to look for the color variation
]that's normal in these stones.

but the "reconstructed" ones DO look "REAL". that's part of my
problem. even the ones in the catalogs.

h*ll, some of them look so real, you have to wonder if they're
PLASTIC!


-----------
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
-----------
It's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;
it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis