Red sapphire (polishing advice welcome)
Red sapphire (polishing advice welcome)
I finished cutting a lab #sapphire a couple of days ago. Red sapphire is also known as #ruby. This design was a little bit above my skill level, but I am overall happy with my final results and enjoyed the experience I gained from trying it. 7.7 cts, 12 x 9.3 mm, synthetic corundum #gemcutting #lapi...
I took on a design way beyond my skill level just to see how I would fare. I didn't leave quite enough material for my crown so please ignore the small divot in the center of the table, as well as the occasional missed meetpoint. Learning experiences abound!
While taking my video I notice my table polish has an annoying streak across it at just the exact right angle of light. I polished the hell out of that table using my BATT lap and 60k Pandimonium - so how did I accidentally create this streaking? Did the lap need more lubricant maybe? Or not enough 60k? Or too much...? Argh!
Design is Superpear 96 by Robert Long & Norm Steele
12 x 9.3 mm, 7.7 cts
Synthetic corundum (sapphire)
I've done this cut many times... and it's one of the few pears that I'll do as it tends to be easier than other pears in my opinion and also produces the best light return. So, based on what I can see:
You still had room to cut down your girdle. I would have cut it down another 20%-40% of what you have there.
The polish in general looks good. Tables on a BATT can be tricky I've found, yet I still do them. I use a spray bottle only when polishing and spritz the lap when it starts to dry out, I do not use the drip tank for this. I also recharge the lap prior to cutting the table if the last facets seemed to take longer to polish than expected. Sometimes I recharge before the table just because. My best guess on this is that the polish issue was either the need to recharge, or not enough moisture on the lap.
My first try on this one was a total hack job with a mis-aligned index and a lot of missed meet points.
For a first time cutting this, you did an excellent job!
Arrrg my fat girdle habit strikes again! I definitely do regret not cutting it farther down. I'm going to give the spray bottle a try, I've got a lovely misting bottle that will probably work wonders for the job.
I agree with you the light return on it is lovely, I really dig the cut. I'll keep practicing it and hopefully improve my technique.
Really good job! I'm just about to dop some synthetic red-pink sapphire, and it'll be the first corundum I've done in a year - wish me luck!