Interernational Lapidary Association

Share your current projects with all the ILA Family! Just send your images altered in size to 200 pixels in width (any height) along with a brief description of each to:

owner-faceters@caprock-spur.com

I "hand make" porcelain enamel beads by applying multi layers of white and
colored powdered layers of quartz onto a base of copper tube in a flame.
Wilma strings them (onto 46 tiny wire cables, that are plastic coated) into beautiful necklaces and earrings. Women really go for them and men buy them for gifts for women. We sell them at the flea market for $35.00 to
$200.00, depending on the number of beads and the various metal findings, i.e.; gold,
gold filled, sterling silver, goldtone or silvertone. I guess all the women that buy them are happy, as many of them stop by later to tell us how thrilled they are that strangers even comment how beautiful they are! Wilma really is talented at designing them and loves to do it. I guess it makes it sorta
worth while, 'cause I think it's a pain in the neck sitting for hours making those beads! (And burning my fingers!) ;o) I'll attach a picture of a necklace and me making the beads.

See 'ya 'gator,
Doug

Here is Jeff Graham's new free design, Gram Princess, in lavender/pink synthetic corundum. This is a very lively design, better than my feeble
photography shows. This one is 8.1mm square.

Also, the Hexabril, which was the USFG Novice class design for the Single Stone Competition this year. This one is 8.9mm across the flats and is cut in Laser Gems from Grady Harris of Creative Gems. I polished it with Cerium Oxide on a Last Lap. This was a practice stone - the contest required
quartz.

Thanks,

Ray Montoro

Paul,

These are two different pictures of a 431 gram gold and quartz specimen found in the Rio Maranhão Prospect in the state of Goias, Brasil.

The Prospect in in the bed of a dry river, but the specimen was dug out of the ground.

The difference in the pictures is the angle and the lighting (by the way the owner wants to sell the specimen if there are any
collectors interested).

Best regards,
Robert Lowe

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