Quartz is one of many common gem materials that can be faceted. With a Mohs hardness of seven, found in crystals of enormous size, and often water clear, quartz is an excellent material to use in learning the art of faceting because it is inexpensive and forgiving.
Quartz does have a small problem, a conchoidal fracture. Though quartz will fracture, its hardness allows it to forgive a mistake so that a cautious artist can work the mineral with care. One real advantage is that quartz is inexpensive and available in crystals of excellent size and quantity. The cost of equipment would be a more significant deterrent to faceting.
PATRIOTIC INFLUENCE
With November upon us, it’s a time when patriotism is even more robust; as the country practices the right to vote, and we honor military veterans on Veteran’s Day. These things and more also make it the perfect time to share the story of Jerry Muchna, a long-time rockhound and revered faceter, whose patriotic gemstone carvings are unmatched. He was born in 1905 and sadly passed away in 2000, at the age of 94. Although he was too young to serve in World War I, “the war to end all wars,” he developed a very strong sense of patriotism as a teenager, growing up in a small Midwestern town.
This story is from the November 2020 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
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This story is from the November 2020 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORGAN HILL POPPY JASPER
In California, there are very few places to collect semi-precious stones. Many locations from the past have been either exhausted of the material or the land has been developed.
THE ACORN
The briolette gemstone has the same design attributes of a regular gemstone, however, the pavilion is elongated and the crown is usually domed. This is perfect for an elegant pendant, earrings or a pendulum.
HOW TO PUT A PROTECTIVE CAP ON A CAB
To protect a specimen cab, often a cap is needed. In my case, I had a slab with the because of the color of the background and the pattern. This background had a more silicified consistency than most sandstones. It had no graininess like most sandstone, so I'm inclined to compare it to a jasper. The pattern was typical of a dendrite.
The Resilient Revival of Anne Brontë & Her Stones
For the first time, the Anne Brontë rock collection underwent complete description and identification, and along with Professor Hazel Hutchison of Leeds University and Dr. Enrique Lozano Diz at ELODIZ (a company specializing in spectroscopy analysis), an analysis of that collaboration, Anne Brontë and Geology: A Study of her Collection of Stones, was published in April 2022 in Volume 47, Issue 2 of the peer-reviewed journal, Brontë Studies & Gazette.\"
Amazing Women with Rock-Solid Careers
Explorers, Geologists, Educators & Jewelry Makers...
The Case of the Bleeding Glacier
It's a gory sight called Blood Falls. Ever since British geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor first noted it in 1911, it has been a mystery.
Asteroid Samples Are Said to Hold Invaluable Secrets
If Only Scientists Can Pop the Lid!
Paleontologists Embrace a New Method for Seeing Fossils within Rock
Fossil bone can be delicate. Attempts to remove it from a hard rock matrix by picking and scratching or etching with acids can be time-consuming and/or may end up obliterating that which you hope to study.
Need a Map of the Ocean Floor?
Call in the Seals!
A Step Closer to Hydrogen, the "Climate-Friendly Fuel"
As I reported last June, the world is racing to find sustainably renewable, nonpolluting sources of energy to replace our carbon-based reserves of coal, oil and gas.
