Forums General Discussion Faceting rough

10 replies, 8 voices Last updated by Alan Balmer 4 years, 10 months ago
Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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  • #4737

    James
    Participant
    @James

    Looking for a place to purchase natural and man made rough. I’ve looked and there are so many options, that’s a good thing, but a bit overwhelming. I’ll be purchasing my first faceting machine soon. I’d like to be prepared though, so any recommendations would be appreciated.
    Thanks

    #4816

    flfaceter73
    Participant
    @flfaceter73

    Congrats on getting your machine and joining the rest of us.Here are some sources of natural stones,some offer hobby grades as well as top grades
    http://Www.westerngems.com
    http://Www.neweragems.com.
    http://Www.djgems.com
    http://www.Garsowgems.com
    For synthetic
    http://www.Usdgems.com

    #4825

    James
    Participant
    @James

    Thanks for the welcome and links.

    #4826

    flfaceter73
    Participant
    @flfaceter73

    sorry, these are the corrected website addresses; http://www.johngarsow.com,
    http://www.westerngem.com. the previous ones weren’t right
    also http://www.hashnustones.com is another one.

    #4902

    TDaniel
    Participant
    @TDaniel

    Hi James,

    It can be pretty easy to find clear quartz at your local rock shop – cheap too.
    I often dig through the amethyst bins to find that one cheap stone in there.
    Ebay can sometimes have some decent rough but it’s an expensive habit to get into and you’ll soon graduate beyond buying rough unseen. (Don’t buy overseas!)
    There’s always glass – I know a few folks who practice on marbles and love it.

    That being said, of course you should support your local facet grade rough supplier whenever you can. I just can’t afford to pay top dollar for something that I’ll never sell, ever.

    #4903

    randycarlson
    Participant
    @randycarlson

    Add PrettyRock.com to your list of suppliers. They are based in North Carolina.

    Welcome to the world of gem cutting!

    Randy C.

    #4911

    MSackos
    Participant
    @MSackos

    James,

    A great place to find rough is at the annual Tucson gem show around the end of January each year. There are more shows going on at the same time in Tucson than the average person would have time to attend! If you do get to Tucson for their big show, I would also recommend you attend the Tucson Faceting club (sorry I’m not sure of their official name) as they often have some events at this time. Great time/place to meet other factors and really nice people.

    At the Tucson show, all types and qualities of rough are available. Natural, synthetic and lab created rough can be found. A lot of the dealers mentioned here, can be found in Tucson, so you can meet them in person. As an example, I picked up a large piece of lab created emerald rough (a lifetime supply for me) from Chatham at the last show. They don’t sell rough online. Yes, I have heard that Chatham will not be selling rough in the future in Tucson.

    #5071

    Lowjiber
    Participant
    @Lowjiber

    Graves is famous for slow delivery on machines, but they’re fast and cheap for a lot of rough. I buy a lot of CZ from them.

    Just a thought…

    #5140

    James
    Participant
    @James

    Thanks everyone. I now have enough rough for years now. Although I find I’m still looking for more, and now I’m seeing that people are using their cabbing rough, and I’ve got hundreds of pounds of that. And I am still looking and being tempted to buy more.
    Addicted I guess. Wonder if there’s a 12 step program for rockhounds?

    #5280

    creativegems
    Participant
    @Creativegems

    You can also get synthetic rough from Creative Gems – http://www.creativegems.com Located in Texas.

    #5283

    Alan Balmer
    Keymaster
    @alanbalmer

    Creative Gems is highly recommended. I just wish you’d update your catalog.

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