Hiddenite Faceting Information
Essential Tips and suggestions about Hiddenite Tourmaline Faceting. Helpful information, details and guides on how to Facet Hiddenite Tourmaline stones.
Hiddenite (Spodumene)
Color: Emerald green, yellow-green, yellow
Moh's Hardness: 6-7
Refractive Index: 1.655-1.68
Critical Angle: 37.31°
Specific Gravity: 3.16-3.20
Cleavage: perfect in 2 directions
Fracture: Uneven, very splintery
Dispersion: .017
Heat Sensitivity: Yes
Birefringence (double refraction): Medium (.015)
Crystal Structure: Monoclinic
Treatments: None
What I prefer to polishing with: Tin lap with Alumina oxide. Zinc laps with 8,000 pre-polish and 50,000 polish.
Jeff's Comments: Saw as little as possible, it is very tender and will fall apart from too much sawing and the vibration. Orient for best color which is usually the "c", cut slightly off the from the cleavage plane ("c"). Use a fine lap during the cutting process, a coarse lap tends to aggravate cleavage problems and chipping.
Related Articles
Tourmaline Gem, Price, and Jewelry Information
How to Describe a Tourmaline Crystal by its C Axis
Green Tourmaline and Rubellite: Emerald-Cutting Advice
A Faceter’s Guide to Rough Gem Stress
Latest Articles
800 Years of Mogok: A Celebration in Tenuous Times
What is the Average Gemstone Faceting Yield?
Pyroxmangite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information
How to Identify Emerald Simulants and Synthetics
Never Stop Learning
When you join the IGS community, you get trusted diamond & gemstone information when you need it.
