[Jewelry making - Article 00186] - Re: [Orchid] Gemstones that don't crack easily?

[Suzanne Wade]

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    Those who have experimented with firing stones in place in PMC have
    found that most lab-grown gemstones will withstand higher
    temperatures --I believe lab-grown stones fare better because they
    have fewer of the natural cracks and inclusions, and none of the
    treatments, that make natural gemstones such a crap shoot when
    heated. Plus if one does crack or is otherwise damaged, it's a
    relatively simple matter to replace it with something of like color
    and size. 

    There is a chart at the PMC Guild site compiled by Kevin Whitmore of
    Rio Grande that describes the results of his extensive experiments
    kiln-firing and torch-firing natural and synthetic colored stones in
    place in PMC. You might find this a useful source of information
    about various stones and their tolerance to heat. The site is
    www.PMCguild.com, look under "Getting Started" and "Technical Data
    and Charts" to find it. 

    Hope this helps! 

Suzanne

Suzanne Wade
Writer/Editor
suzanne AT rswade.net
(508) 339-7366
Fax: (928) 563-8255
www.rswade.net

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