Yeah, Lowmead is the place for odd shapes alright. I like that last one, double-terminated with alternating bands of amethyst and smoky
Very difficult to capture in a photo but there was a definite increase in brightness with the second smoky with a lowered crown.
The stone lights up more from the inside and shows that nice smoky coppery colour. Some people may say "it's only quartz" as they have on other forums but they are often missing the point because as good as some of them are at producing outstandingly well-cut stones, they are not fossickers - some of them have never actually stuck a pick in the ground despite having been cutting stones for 20 years :/
Regardless of what a stone is, there is a different quality entirely to something
you found yourself. Much more meaningful than something simply bought from a catalogue that came from some far-off place in Africa or South America (and who knows if it really came from there anyway, look at how the best Australian sapphires are often sold as "Ceylon" by unscrupulous Thai dealers
). And some of the Lowmead stuff facets a stone that looks beautiful and of course, it's just the right hardness and durability to use for general jewellery setting. I'd really love to find a clean faceting piece that was half amethyst, half smoky and cut it in a long step cut, that would look cool
