From what kinds of minerals is it possible to make a ring, i.e. a finger ring? the kind of rock I’m considering is layered, and probably sedimentary (IANAMineralogist). Furthermore, who would one talk to about having this done?
Thanks
I would say Gemologists are the people who would cut it and polish it for you, and I would think that you could make a ring out of any rock/mineral.
I would suspect that most rocks are too brittle to last long as a ring. Sure, you could cut and polish any stone into a ring, but it would be quite thin and would likely break…
You could do it yourself with suprisingly few tools, it just takes LOTS of time. I made a few necklace pieces called gorgets (not quite this intricate though) using only a belt sander and a dermel tool. It just takes hours and hours and hours because you have to go so slow, if the stone gets too hot it cracks. Not sure how rock types might play into this, the layered part scares me because these always split along the ‘grain’ on me.
If you have access to a small sandblaster you may really be in luck.
Is this for a small or large finger (IMO the bigger the better). How thick will the band be? In my very small bit of experience working with stone is not difficult, just time consuming.
On this site, http://www.andrewberry.co.uk/gemstones.htm, it says
A Lapidary Digest entry recommends “corundum, chalcedony, and, outstandingly, rhodonite …” (and the previously mentioned jade) “… nephrite and jadeite”.
Or you could go the ‘modern’ route of grinding up the stone into powder, could also be crushed into powder, mix up the powder with a strong resin and hardner, pour into a mold and wha-la! A stone ring.
Or you could play around with FIMO, a plastic that you can shape like clay and then bake into a solid. They have many ‘stone’ clays.
If you DO grind any of this stuff, please be careful not to breathe the dust, some of those materials that make pretty stuff are VERY hazardous.
Thanks for the feedback, guys! I’m thinking a very thin ring “around” a gold ring may be the way to go…
To make this ring you’lll need to look up a stone/gem cutter or possibly ask a lapidary. Most gemologists you find are likely to be in the appraisal business but may be able to offer a recommendation.
From your brief desciption of the stone, you may have a hard time finding someone to work on it. Most layered stones will have a tendency to chip or crack and a lot of cutters don’t want that responsibility (unless of course there’s a big payout in the end!) Don’t try this at all if this stone has any sentimental value. They may steer you toward a thicker design (for strength).
In spite of that, I think you should give it a try. If it works out you’ll have a beautiful, unique piece of jewelry that you can say is your own design!
I don’t know, viking. I had a Vietnamese girlfriend who had a bracelet that was made out of an amber colored stone which was pretty thin. It lasted roughly twenty years on her wrist before breaking. (She was terribly upset when it happened. She’d worn it since she was a small child and had grown since she’d put it on and couldn’t take off any more. When it broke, she was inconsolible for days.)
Just to pick a few nits, the people who would actually do this type of work are called Lapidarists, as in the Lapidary Journal which someone quoted. Gemologists are the guys who grade precious stones. And, *many[/I} stones are suitable, as proven by the fact that any rock and gem show will have baskets of them for sale, dirt cheap.
However, to address the actual question, sedimentary stones are the least suitable category for this purpose. Not all are as layered as some, but all are relatively fragile. Most are not particularly decorative, either, so I’m curious which stone you originally had in mind.
“Dawn breaks on MarbleHead”, as they say around here. (Note to scorekeeper: I expect extra punnagement points for being able to use that in a thread about sedimentary rocks. The mother lode, so to speak!) I’d be willing to bet you’re thinking of banded Agate, which does have visible layers, comes in lots of nice colors (including lots of colors nature never put there, thanks to dyes), IS sedimentary, but also is reasonably sturdy. It’s actually a very suitable material for such purposes, and is often used for them.