Jack's Gems

I am going to start a page like Sneaky's to post the gems that I cut. This way they won't take up heaps of new topics and flood the gemstones category with heaps of different topics on 1 gem each.

A white to pale blue topaz from O'Briens creek. It has a few rutile inclusions but cannot see as many in person. The stone is more bright and more intense in person.



By the way, does anyone have any tips on how to get better photos of faceted stones? I can't seem to get the full brilliance in the photos I take.

Some recent cabochons:

Fossil on top and the bottom two are agates. All Australian material.


The three dark brown and red stones are Australian Jaspers, pink top one is rhodonite, bottom pink and white one is Australian agate, middle one is opalite from Norseman and the left one is crazy lace agate from Mexico I believe.

Nice stone's there Jack keep up the good worck mate :Y:

Thanks Gemhunter! I'll post some more later, maybe tomorrow.

Some nice looking cabs there Jack :Y:

I particularly like the very bottom one.

Great stuff jack keen to see what else you've done that lace agate cab also looks excellent aswell as the others :Y:

Also a tip for taking better photos try sit the gem holder with stone in it in the corner of a shallow box so at least half the gem holder or so is sticking out put somthing else against the gem holder to hold it in the corner of the box and that should allow you get better focus with the camera and should take a cleaner photo hope this helps :Y:

Thanks Lefty!

Thanks for that tip also, Gemhunter! What type of lighting should I use? Outdoors or LED or something else.

Just tried indoors and outdoors. Outdoors gave the better result. :Y:

All outdoor photos of the same topaz and an Australian labradorite.
These two are not in direct sunlight.


This one is.

Nice photos mate I prefer the photos where the stones are not in direct sunlight I think you see more of the stones true color aswell as nice reflections where as the photo in the direct light shows alot more reflections rather then it's true color but that's just my opinion they look great anyway LED light are good aswell as torchs but show alot of reflections of the light color but I guess it would be better if you just try with whatever lights you want either way I think you'll appreciate them :Y:

here is a photo I took of one of my peridots I just held the gem holder in my hand for a quick photo but thats not in the direct sunlight although it looks like it because the sun on my fingers the stone itself is slightly in the shade

sorry that photo was in the sunlight this in the shade

Opals from Coober Pedy :Y:

Some more opals


This one has really cool stripes through it and they all go parallel with each other. Very interesting gem.

I think I would probably give my right arm to find an opal like the one in the second photo :Y: Very nice Jack.

great opals jack these are my best opals those striped ones sure do look special dont they :Y: