Enhancement Strategies for Perfecting Kunzite Gemstones
In the world of gemstones, Kunzite requires a delicate touch and careful techniques to achieve optimal results. Its perfect cleavage, sensitive colour, and challenging properties make it a gemstone that is not for beginners.
When sawing Kunzite, it is essential to use a high-quality thin blade and a saw with minimal vibration to reduce the risk of fractures. Once fractures appear, they should be carefully removed using a fine lap.
One of the recommended methods for dopping Kunzite is cold dopping, which involves using a glue that sets at room temperature. This method is less likely to damage the stone compared to hot dopping methods. It is, however, crucial to keep a solvent handy to dissolve any glue that accidentally sticks to unwanted surfaces.
The orientation of Kunzite is also crucial. The C axis, which typically has the best colour, should be perpendicular to the polishing table, but not precisely so, to prevent cleavage issues. Handling Kunzite gently is also essential to avoid causing separations due to its perfect cleavage.
Polishing Kunzite requires patience, as it may lead to headaches. The recommended laps include an Ultra lap (Spectra or alumina), a tin/lead lap with tin oxide, or a wax lap. It is essential to avoid using anything coarser than a well-worn 600 grit. Gem cutters from Afghanistan reportedly use tin laps with 14,000-grit diamonds for a high polish, achieving well-polished results.
Despite the challenges, Kunzite is not commercially appealing due to its colour fading and poor wearability, except for some collectors. It is not recommended for daily wear in jewelry due to its perfect cleavage. Furthermore, cutting Kunzite may not be profitable.
In summary, when working with Kunzite, patience and gentleness are key. It is important to be aware of its delicate nature and to handle it with care to achieve the best results. Having a bottle of glue solvent handy and avoiding shock are also essential to prevent any damage to the gemstone.
A skilled jeweler understands the importance of delicate handling when polishing Kunzite, as its perfect cleavage necessitates a gentle touch and specific techniques to avoid causing separations. When incorporating Kunzite into jewelry, one should consider its limited commercial appeal, watching out for color fading and poor wearability, making it more suitable for home-and-garden decorative items rather than everyday lifestyle jewelry. Selecting an Ultra lap, a tin/lead lap with tin oxide, or a wax lap is recommended for polishing Kunzite, while taking care to use only a well-worn 600 grit or finer to avoid damage to the gemstone.
