Whats a good cleaner for gemstones thats safe and efficient? Is ammonia really necessary?
A. Nix on the ammonia: it stinks heartily and that’s about it. Use ordinary eyeglass cleaner, or you can toss the gemstone into a shot of vodka (seriously!). Vodka is vegetable based alcohol so it’ll do a great jog cleansing a crystalline surface while evaporating without stains. You can then drink the vodka – and maybe your eye sight will no doubt detect a fantastic gem improvement. Q. Gemcutting sounds like something where you’d be better served by enlisting the help of an experienced teacher. I live too far away from such a resource. A. Most gemcutters don’t have quick, easy access to instructors either – which is why the bulk of American gemcutters are self-taught. I keep insisting that it’s that easy, and information is easy to come by. There’s the lcal guilds plus an active lapidary newsletter community, federations, local clubs, private instructors. Furthermore, many guys and gals simply lash up with colleagues on a share-the-info basis. Q. I attach gemstone rough to a metal dop
