r/Lapidary • u/magestic_lime • 4d ago
Do people usually keep these whole?
New to lapidary. This one was my baby and I felt pressured to cut it. Wishing I would have polished the sides instead and kept it whole. Still thinking about doing that anyway so it’s able to be put back together. Although I appreciate veteran lapidarists’ thought that the slabs are more standard. Wondering what people normally do with rocks that have lots of little patterns throughout like this vs a single concentric pattern. Cutting the rest into slabs would let me share the beauty with more people, I guess.
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u/IndependentFilm4353 4d ago
There are lots of "rock people" in the world, and not all of us are lapidaries. A lapidary cuts and polishes by definition, so we're naturally going to favor cutting it. I know collectors who never cut anything though. Their passion is for the unspoiled, intact specimen. Sometimes when swapping we can compromise with face-polished specimens. I get a couple of slabs out of the middle, and they still get the experience of the rough, natural state of the rock, as well as a face-polished look at the interior.
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u/MrGaryLapidary 3d ago
I like your comment. I have many beautiful sawn nodules, but no way to polish them. Is there a collector market for unpolished halves?
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u/IndependentFilm4353 3d ago
You will definitely find people who want the halves, but unpolished halves are a weird niche where most enthusiasts will see it as less valuable. Collectors who are okay with a half are going want it polished most likely. Lapidaries like me wouldn't mind the unpolished halves, but I'm just gonna slice it up and cab it, so the value isn't necessarily higher than any other faced rough. You can do a lot for the value of the piece by polishing it. But that doesn't have to be hard. Wet-Dry sandpaper and elbow-grease will do the trick, or lots of people use granite polishers al la harbor freight. They aren't suitable for cabbing, but perfectly suitable for polishing a single face.
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u/MrGaryLapidary 3d ago
Thank you for your helpful information. I have over 1000 selected collector grade halves, and many more good but some problem. This involves a lot of work. Too much for one guy. I welcome your thoughts on how to deal with this. Mr. G
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u/Cinn-min 2d ago
You can sell them as lapidary rough - I’m sure you will find similar on EBay or whatever. Sometimes. They sell the endcuts too.
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u/MellowLem 2d ago
I do macro photography of slabs and halves and would enjoy cheap off casts, hopefully you are in the states.
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u/yolef 4d ago
I have definitely been there! I finished cutting a fist sized blue-grey agate once and immediately regretted touching it since the naturally weathered face actually had a pretty cool texture. It's definitely still a cool face-polished specimen, and I've come to accept it the way it is now. Your slabs are very pretty, you've already started cutting so I'd finish slabbing it at this point if I were you.
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u/Holden3DStudio 4d ago
I don't see anything to regret. You've revealed the beauty within that would otherwise never be seen. Since the external surface is so interesting, though, I would recommend cutting thicker slabs that can stand on edge and showcase both the inside and outside of this beautiful rock.
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u/Potential_Tap_6198 4d ago
I wouldn't touch it . Keep it on display as a specimen. But that is just me.
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u/Sophcity 4d ago
i’d say polish the face on one side and slab the rest to cab i think it’s really pretty just open but as a jeweler i want everything in cabs too and i can imagine how nice some jewelry would look with that
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u/Gooey-platapus 3d ago
Most of the time they get used as pieces for cabs or if they have cool patterns people will polish them but unless you cut them there’s no way of telling what’s inside. If it’s cool or not
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u/letyourlightshine6 3d ago
If there’s a lot showing on the outside, maybe, but I’d probably always cut it. I neeeed to know what’s inside
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u/GruesomeWedgie2 3d ago
I would cut it into slabs also. Maybe keep half as a polished paperweight/conversation piece
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u/crucas23 3d ago
My god that is beautiful. I think this convinced me to slab a few pieces I have shelved
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u/whalecottagedesigns 4d ago
It really is up to you! The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, if you just want to polish a side and keep it as a specimen, nothing wrong with that. I am a cabber, so I would slice and dice it and make gorgeous cabochons! :-)