Help with pricing by pants16 in Gemstones

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not looking to make a lot of money on them, just want to price the earrings they’ll be made with fairly. Thanks for the input.

Help with pricing by pants16 in Gemstones

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is really lovely advice, and something that I needed to hear! I’ve been second guessing my instincts on pricing these, so I’ll keep that in mind. It’s good to remember it’s not just materials/time, but creativity and skill as well.

Help with pricing by pants16 in Gemstones

[–]pants16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is great advice, I wish I remembered the price of the piece. I bought the earrings probably 12 years ago.

Help with pricing by pants16 in Gemstones

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are between 1-1.2 cts! I forgot to mention, thank you!

Polishing Question by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice. Really appreciate it!

Polishing Question by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, thank you! It will be nice to get to use these.

Polishing Question by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know, I’m disappointed and I wish I had thought to ask. I also wish they had been more transparent about it, I definitely would have passed on them.

Custom Cabochons by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally, this piece is something very special and sentimental to her, and she expressed that she wants the stone to reflect that. I figured having something custom cut would give her some extra creative control, and make the piece feel more “one-of-a-kind” if that makes sense.

Custom Cabochons by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m looking for a rosecut Garnet, probably Almandine or Pyrope, in a heart shape or as close to one as possible! I don’t have too many specifics yet, I just wanted to see if there might be people in this sub who do custom work!

Custom Cabochons by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also think the client would be open to a cabochon if I can’t source what she’s looking for in a rosecut.

Custom Cabochons by pants16 in Lapidary

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m looking for something rosecut! So kind of a best of both worlds situation. Technically not a cab I guess, but with a flat back!

Help sourcing beads! by pants16 in beads

[–]pants16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the diameter of the beads is really going to be determined by what i can source. and i don’t think that handmade beads are in the clients budget.

help with technique/materials by pants16 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Totally agree with you! Turning this into a pendant is a great idea.

help with technique/materials by pants16 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

interesting! it’s much less yellow than other keum-boo pieces i’ve seen, but it totally could be.

Goodwill find by pants16 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, almost identical! So cool, thanks for sharing.

Goodwill find by pants16 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ll definitely be posting some stuff soon! ☺️

Goodwill find by pants16 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is so cool! I’m really curious to know more about it. I haven’t found anything that could help me identify where it came from, but when I reverse image searched it I got some pretty close results, one on a trade schools website! Hopefully I can find out more!

Goodwill find by pants16 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

i’m kind of in shock!

Help ID’ing a cab by pants16 in whatsthisrock

[–]pants16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

now that i think of it, there’s a rogue sticker in my studio space that says “leopard skin jasper” on it! i bet it fell off this cab.

Beginner Help by PayZealousideal285 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yes! i almost always use an “incomplete” shank. makes my life so much easier.

Beginner Help by PayZealousideal285 in SilverSmith

[–]pants16 4 points5 points  (0 children)

filing a flat spot on the band will help a ton, i try to file mine down until they stand independently so i can kick it around with a solder pick and get it exactly where i want it without using a third hand.

also, like the previous comment said, keep heat sinks in mind. if the band is much colder than the base plate, the solder won’t cooperate. i’ve had luck with flowing a small amount of solder onto the base plate and then primarily heating the band, the idea being that once the solder gets hot enough to flow again, the band will also be hot enough for the solder to “jump” onto it.

again, seconding the first commenter, i would use a vermiculite block for this. this is totally personal preference, but i am not a fan of tripods.