All, Does anyone know if the groves cut in “Lazer Stones” are actually
vaporized by a lazer? As far as I know the development of lazer
cutting in stones is still not refined enough to make lazer cutting
economically feasible. I know we can drill stones and inscribe
stones, but that is a far jump from making groves in multiple stones.
Customers look at my “concaved” stones and say they are “lazered”.
They definately are not. They are cut on cylindrical arbors,
controlled by an indexed head, just like a facetor. I think this is
some more misleading marketing by the jewelry industry.
Gerry Galarneau
They are NOT cut with lasers. They’re grooved with simple diamond
grinding wheels, made with a V shaped front edge. Crystalite makes
them, so do other firms. You can also buy phenolic or wood wheels
with matching V shaped front faces to polish the grooves. Lasers HAVE
been used to cut out fancy shape diamond girdle outlines, though, as
well as just plain “sawing” with a laser in diamonds, especially when
it’s desired to cut the crystal in directions other than the commonly
used cubic planes for sawing or octahedral ones for cleaving. But its
not, so far as I know, commonly done with other gems. Leaves a
frosty finish, not a polish
Peter Rowe