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Idaho Star Garnets |
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Cutting:
In order to make the most of your star cabochon, the rough stone should dictate the shape of your finished cut. Cabochons can also be shallow, medium, or deep. I prefer a deep cab in order to maximize the number of stars visible on a single gemstone. For the same reason, star garnets are usually mounted in a bezel setting.
While cutting cabochons is called "cutting", in actuality it is more trimming, grinding, and polishing. Star garnet can be cabbed into many different shapes, but round and oval are the most common. A wobble in an arm of a star shows a cut that is not symmetrical.
My advice on cutting a star garnet is to have someone very experienced with Idaho star garnet cut it for you, or to have a large supply of mediocre rough to practice on before you cut into your high quality rough material.
Grading:
In an attempt to standardize star garnet quality grading, Dale Bramlette has developed a chart which you may find useful: http://www.idahogems.com/sgrades.htm .
Photographing:
I have a lot
to learn about taking pictures of these beautiful gemstones. Some of them
I tried to put in direct sunlight, some I tried using a flash, and others
I tried to photograph while shining a light on them. All the the stones
pictured on this site were cut by me, but none of the pictures do justice
to the gemstones.
Availability:
High quality star garnet and any star garnet displaying 6-rays is extremely rare and undervalued due to its obscurity. While star garnets can be found in a variety of places, Idaho Star Garnets are the best known and of the best quality. I have heard of star garnets (4-ray) from several other locations including: India (red), Russia (brownish purple), Brazil (purple), and North Carolina (purplish brown, usually quite fractured internally). I am not aware of 6-ray star garnets coming from any place other than Idaho. If you're ever in doubt of their rarity and uniqueness, just ask for a gem dealer to find a match to a high quality Idaho star garnet that you obtain. I would cut two gems from the same crystal in order to make a matched set for earrings.