Lone Star cut

[mickey]

Being from Texas, I thought that I'd play around with this cut. Thinking it was a piece of quartz, I tried polishing with cerium oxide and then a spectralap. It didn't polish, so I realized it was not quartz. I then tried aluminum oxide thinking that it might be topaz and only got a fair polish. I then smeared some holy cow on an old spectralap and it finally polished. Does any facetor out there have an idea on what this stone might be?

[chilly]

Mickey,

That cut is the the BOMB!!! I love it what ever the stone is.

Chilly

[gsellis]

Kind of looks like CZ.

[xtldggr]

Hi Mickey,

How about Goeshenite (clear beryl)

xtldggr

[lizziebird]

Very pretty!

[bammer]

I cut Goeshenite (clear beryl) and finish with
1200 diamond lap
14,000 diamond paste on my lightning lap
then
50,000 diamond paste on my lightning lap.

Could be clear Sapphire also.
same polish method should work for Sapphire also.

if it is totally flawless it could be lab CZ.
same polish method should work for CZ.

you can get a light Refractometer test on it to see what material it is.

from /earthsci.org:
Along with the microscope and refractometer this is a major identification tool in gemology. As light passes through a gem the presence of certain chemicals will cause specific wavelengths of light to be absorbed. Instances also occur where wavelengths are intensified or the stone actually emits light (fluorescence wavelengths - rubies, spinel). When light is spread out by a prism or diffraction grating spectroscope into a wide band these absorbed wavelengths show up a lines or areas of darkness in the spectrum. While the actual wavelength numbers can be used in identification usually only a pattern of lines is used to identify the stone. It can be the fastest way of checking out large numbers of stones, even small ones, especially red gems, as spinel, ruby and tourmaline have distinctive spectra. It can be used to identify synthetic verneuil sapphire, blue synthetic spinel, almandine garnet to name a few. Note that British gemmologists have the red on the left and Americans have it on the right when looking at spectra.

[mickey]

Thanks for the info. I checked the stone out as best I could with my loupe and I couldn't find any flaws. It was in a box of faceting rough from an old rockhound and I don't really think it is goshenite or sapphire. From what I've read CZ has to be polished with diamond. Is this true or can it be chemically polished? Also, is topaz polished with difficulty using al. oxide? For now, I'll put it aside until I can see if someone can test it.
Rebecca, this is the official gemstone cut for the state of Texas. It is supposed to be cut in a light blue topaz though to be "official".

[Doug]

It could be the lab boules of spinel. I have cut that and it is softer than either the CZ or synthetic corundum and is easily available in clear. You owuld have to use diamond on either CZ or corundum to polish from my experience. No matter what the material is it is a fine cut with good polish. Well done.

[gsellis]

Doug could be right too. In fact spinel would explain the bluish tint (or that is just the camera.) Spinel and CZ would be fairly easy polishes with diamond. I have never tried anything else. I do diamond first and then if it does not polish, I fall back. But feldspar and quartz groups get either CrO or CeO when I go to polish.

[saskrock]

Cool stone whatever it is.