Are there special ovens/systems for enhancing gemstones? Where in the USA can one get such training?
206216
It's a complicated procedure! And it really depends on the rough material. \n\nIn the US, Ted Themelis sells special ovens and equipment for heat treatment.  He also gives courses.  You can reach him via his website: http://www.themelis.com/\n\nGood luck!
72548
My 9yo daughter and I collect the state quarters. \n\nWe don't actually "collect" shells or sea glass officially but whenever we go to the beach we look for good shells and especially sea glass which is nearly impossible to find. She does have a fews pieces of sea glass and we were inspired to find & keep them when we saw the sea glass jewelry in the shops down the shore. I said 'if we find sea glass we can make our own sea glass jewelry and maybe even sell them." we haven't made any jewelry as of yet but maybe we will someday.
444309
There are 2 sites that I personally recommend. I have been a customer of each for over 15 years  Isisbooks and Fire Mountain Gems. FMG is a fabulous place- you can get a printed catalog for free that has over 2000 products available for jewellry making and charms; in fact they have a section just for it. I mentioned Isis because they offer many wonderful oils for binding your charms and instilling positive results.\n\nI included the links in source section in case you're interested.\nGood luck in what you decide to do. I love my charm bracelets; some of the nicest items I have located I got from the local beach- I cleaned some seashells and annointed those, put some clasps on- turned out really nice with a lacquer coating- a clear nailpolish is what I used. Have fun!
23552
Here is a nice experiment to try.\nhttp://www.angelfire.com/mo/sasschool/DKScieMatter10.html\n\n"This tasty crystal making experiment is a great way to see the formation of crystals almost right in front of your eyes."\n\nAnother one.\nhttp://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/crystals.htm\n\n"Crystal Ornament"\n\nAnother.\nhttp://www.yesmag.bc.ca/projects/crystal_gardens.html\n\n"Crystal Gardens"\n\nOne for microscopic crystals.\nhttp://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/earth/waton/crystal.html\n\n"Crystal growing made easy"
116360
I have bought many pieces of jewelry from Jewelry Television. They were all spectacular! You can buy huge gemstone rings for under $100, while at a mall jewelry store you end up paying five times that! They even have a 30 day money back guarantee.
198582
"Heating of gemstones to enhance their color goes back centuries. It is considered a natural type of treatment since the process is basically a continuation of the processes that occur in the ground. The stone is heated to a very high temperature, which causes the inclusions (ref. Why Gemstones Have Color in Colored Gemstones 101) to reform themselves and improve the color by making either darker, lighter, more intense, or of a different color. It has been properly stated that without heat treatment the world would be without many colored gemstones. Because colored gemstones occurring in the colors we see are very rare. But heating can take an off-color stone and turn it into a beautiful gemstone. So don't be worried about heat treatment.\n\nCan I wear it everyday?: Heat treatment, for the most part, is permanent. As in the case of the tanzanite shown above. This stone is a brown color coming out of the ground. But turns a beautiful blue/purple (shown at left) after heating. The few exceptions would be kunzite which will tend to fade from its medium pink color to light pink and then colorless in daylight (which is why its called the midnight stone), and yellow sapphire, which can also fade when exposed to direct sunlight.\n\nWhat does this treatment do to the stone?: Basically, it rearranges the atoms in the gemstone. Sometimes, as in the case of ruby, the stone is heated almost to a point of melting, which lets the aluminum oxide in the stone reform to what is basically a new crystal structure. This lets the chromium reform to give off a better color of red. The same can apply to a type of sapphire known as gouda sapphires. These are milky white sapphires that turn blue, and account for many of the promotional quality sapphires out on the market today."\n\n"Heat treatment, for the most part, is permanent. As in the case of the tanzanite shown above. This stone is a brown color coming out of the ground. But turns a beautiful blue/purple (shown at left) after heating. The few exceptions would be kunzite which will tend to fade from its medium pink color to light pink and then colorless in daylight (which is why its called the midnight stone), and yellow sapphire, which can also fade when exposed to direct sunlight."\n\n"Through heat treatment at 500+ degrees celcius the rough tanzanite crystals turn their beautiful purplish-blue color. The rough tanzanite gems are then faceted into various shapes and then marketed to dealers who wholesale the finished gems to jewelry manufacturers and retailers. Tanzanite colors occur in various shades of gray, brown, violet, blue, reddish-purple, and tints of green."\n\n"The raw uncut tanzanite is put in a furnace or oven and brought near its melting point, then held there at that temperature for a period of time, inducing the stone to darken in color as it would in the earth if left to its own. This process may sound simple, but it is far from being an easy or foolproof technique. It is quite possible in this heat treatment process to have the tanzanite melt or overcook, leaving you with a worthless pile of rubble."
382693
go tothe website of the town you would like to attend and see if they have one. just do www.the town.com and put culinary arts in. Or try just www.culinary arts.com. I will tell  you that if you live near Alfred NY. they have one there. Good luck.
626108
Well is there Kimberlite in the mine? Is it ultramafic rocks formed at phenominal heat and pressure? No? Then you aren't going to find a diamond in that mine if you would have in the first place. There's a reason they're rare.\n\nAnd beeswax? Nothing. That's not going to help you unless you want to use it to stop up your ears to drown out the machinery noise. Actually that's a good plan. You don't want to loose your hearing.
45506
Doing this with an unamplified human voice is very hard, no matter what you use.  Basically, you'll need the thinnest, mosy fragile design you can find, and a very powerful diaphram.  Did you see the episode of Mythbusters where they did it?  They found a professional singer who could do it, but only after trying a couple dozen different glasses.  As far as what kind of crystal, I'm afraid I don't know that.  But ultimately, this will be much easier with an amplification system.
200824
It's not right in your area, but in your state. Try contacting the Genesee Valley Flint Knappers Association. They make stone tools like arrow heads and spear points, so they might be able to share some places to find flint and related silicaceous rocks. Also, the town of Herkimer NY is the source of the famous Herkimer diamonds, which are not really diamonds but nicely shaped quartz crystals. It's not far from you on the Thruway. If you want to take a day trip into Connecticut, the whole Connecticut River valley has lots of garnet, (the CT state stone). Contact some gem or rock shops, they can probably put you in touch with local collectors. Enjoy!
386064
There is a really good free program for this.  It is called Celestia.\n\nhttp://www.shatters.net/celestia/
5459
That's like asking how long is a piece of rope. Sapphires come in all shapes and sizes and are typically measured in karats just like diamonds or any other precious gemstone.
223930
Try gifting her with jewelry – I don’t know a Wiccan alive that would turn well-intentioned and well-associated jewelry down. Always consider the magickal properties of the jewelry you give her, though. I thought the following gemstones would probably make the best of impressions on your Wiccan lover:\n\nAquamarines are “helpful in fostering happiness in relationships and is excellent for workings regarding love.”\n\n“Emeralds have been associated with love for thousands of years. They are the stones of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and are said to promote domestic bliss, faithfulness, and devotion.”\n\nGarnets are “highly associated with strength, protection, energy, passion, and sex.”\n\nKunzite “is used in magickal workings to promote peace, relaxation, calmness, and love.”\n\nMalachite “attracts love and fidelity.”\n\n“Opals specifically facilitate psychism, beauty, luck, money, and love. The old superstition that opals are the bringers of misfortune is simply not founded.”\n\n“Rose quartz is primarily a stone of love and peace.”\n\nRhodocrosite is “a stone of love and peace, but it is also known as an energizer and promotes a productive energy flow. Rhodocrosite brings compassion, tolerance, and acceptance of change.” <--(That's a little something that could be usefull to anyone!)\n\nRhodonite “promotes love, peace, and tranquility.”\n\nSunstone “is reported to promote sexuality and desire.”\n\nTopaz “promotes, wealth, love, and healing.”\n\nTourmaline (the pink variety) “promotes love, comfort, and positive heartfelt emotions.”\n\nTurquoise is “a stone of love, serenity, peace, friendship, and marriage, as turquoise connects the three upper and the three lower chakras, bringing harmony and balance.”\n\nDon’t forget about the precious metal it’s set in (if any). Gold and silver have their own properties as well:\n\n“Gold is a well-known metal with ancient associations with Sun gods and divinity in general. It is a metal of nobility, and palaces and places of worship have been decorated with gold for centuries. Gold promotes power, wealth, and luck, and wearing gold is said to ensure a long, successful life. A strong and malleable metal, it is said to augment these qualities in its wearer. It is also protective and stimulates positive energy. Wiccan high priests often wear gold to symbolize the God.”\n\n“Silver is an ancient, pure, and powerful metal that has been used for thousands of years in association with the Moon and the Goddess. Silver brings calmness, peace, and sensitivity to its wearer. It augments spirituality, magickal ability, psychic visions, dreams, and meditation. It fosters mothering and nurturing qualities, and is protective of women, nature, and travelers. As much of the world's coins are made of silver, it is also a potent amulet for attracting money. Many Wiccans and worshippers of the Goddess wear silver jewelry, particularly crescents, in honor of her. Silver bells and altar pieces are often used to invoke the goddess as well. Silver also promotes love, kindness, and gentleness.”\n\nBest of luck, and blessed be!
236280
You need to find an art glass maker/blower who has his/her own studio. Laguna Beach in California has quite a few of them producing beautiful art objects. If you can, contact them and see if you can become an apprentice....that is the only way you are going to get an education in such a narrow field. OR, call local fine arts department of univeristy to see if they offer glass blowing.
13786
Check with a couple of local jewlers, shop around and get some info before you commit, they will talk to you and help you out, plus ALLWAYS negotiate the price most will move, just tell them that "that one is the one I really want but it is a bit higher than I can do now and will have to wait", it works, try it  xoffice.com
495679
Are you aware that 10k is the mininum fineness you can sell in the United States and still legally call it "karat gold?" Therefore, there isn't really a market for any karatage under 10k in the U.S. unless it's being resold as estate/antique jewelry. If you want to sell new gold jewelry in the U.S., you need to produce at least 10k - but you can always make it with smaller, thinner metal components to keep the price down.\n\nHowever, you CAN sell 9k gold in the UK. Not sure about Canada, but definitely Mexico (which I think has an even lower gold standard of 8k). \n\nThe market you are looking for in the U.S. is primarily the department stores, discount stores, jewelry chains, TV shopping and jewelry Web sites. Whether you would be manufacturing direct or delegating your manufacturing to the importer or another party, you will need to offer exceptional mass production capabilities - and even then, you will have a difficult time breaking into this market, as there already is tremendous competition from your own country, as well as China, India and other Asian countries.\n\nI have been involved in the jewelry industry for more than 15 years as a trade editor, PR/marketing and communications consultant. I have extensive industry contacts and may be able to play matchmaker for you. Let me know if you are interested.
206856
I was in this situation a couple of months ago, until it all fell apart, but that's an answer for a different question. ;-)\n\nI was really happy with some designs I found at a local custom jewelry shop... big companies overcharge, and can't be nearly as flexible with their designs (they have to sell what appeals to the masses).  If you find a small shop you trust, they'll probably give you a great deal on *exactly* the ring that you want.  That was my experience anyway.