$21.03
DESCRIPTION-> Click "Learn more about this item" for article & instructions!
****************
SPECIAL NOTE: We've sold this product for several years under another name that turned out to have a trademark issue, so we’ve changed the name and updated this description to eliminate all mention of the previous names of both the original material (now trademarked) which had not been available for years, and our version which had a very similar name. This is the same product for which we've had over 250 orders and many 5 star reviews. The name was changed on 9/7/22.
This is the most popular size of Gemcutter's Friend. It also comes in another clear glass jar size and 2 sizes in polyethylene bottles which are cheaper per gram. You would have to transfer the poly bottle size into your own clear glass jar(s) (DON'T use clear plastic jars, all available clear plastics that I know of will cloud up & soften from organic fluids; also, don't get any on a wood finish, it will leave a "scar"). See the link above to display all of the sizes we carry. Note that there is also a gel version available for putting on rough that is too large to fit into a liquid container. Also, please note that Gemcutter's Friend is not a single ingredient, it is a mixture.
We've written a new detailed safety section on Gemcutter's Friend at the bottom just above "COMBINED SHIPPING". It's rather lengthy, so I'll state the short version up here: Gemcutter's Friend is non-toxic, safe to use daily (there are no fumes), and it's not flammable (unless you directed a torch right onto the liquid; it is also self-extinguishing- that is the definition for something that is "combustible"). The only way to effectively use it is with stone tweezers, so it's not likely you would dunk your fingers into it, but you should avoid getting it on sensitive areas of your skin like wrists. Occasional contact with fingertips should not pose a problem. MSDS sheets of the main ingredient classify it as toxic if you drink it.
This is an immersion liquid that is used by jewelers and lapidarists to check gemstones for fractures and other flaws. It will work for transparent or semi-transparent gemstones when they are immersed in the fluid it. Since gemstones have high refractive indices, if pre-cut rough gems are immersed into a liquid with a similar high refractive index they will appear to disappear with only flaws in the gems, such as dark inclusions, voids, cracks, etc., visible since the defects are of a lower refractive index. This allows the gem cutter to orient the best position of the stone to cut in the areas having no flaws. It's an "orientation maximizer" that shows where the largest cut gem from the rough is that will give the maximum dollar value of the cut gem.
On lapidary forums I saw mention of people dunking their stones in a variety of liquids with greater or lesser success in finding flaws. Some liquids were honey, anise oil, brake fluid, cinnamon oil, wintergreen oil, and others.
The best liquids were those that had a refractive index of 1.5 or higher.
Here are the refractive indices of some of the liquids I saw on the lapidary forums:
anise oil 1.54-1.56 (clear)
cinnamon oil 1.59-1.62 (usually dark)
cassia oil 1.58-1.60 (amber)
wintergreen oil 1.54 (clear)
clove oil 1.53 (always dark)
Of those, it looks like whoever used anise oil came up with the best candidate, since it has the highest RI and is clear. One problem with it is the fact that it's an essential oil and the RI can vary from variety to variety (there are several). Another problem is the strong licorice aroma it has (which may be a plus for people who like licorice!).
I was working with high refractive index ingredients used in the flavors and fragrances industry (they were available in small quantities and were relatively low in price) for a sculpture idea I was working on. So, since I had an assortment of high RI liquids to experiment with, I was able to formulate a mixture that was safe, low viscosity, low odor, crystal clear, bright, and had an RI of about 1.57
We decided to try selling some of my version on Etsy to see what interest it generated. That was back in November 2016. Since then, we've had over 250 orders for it, and many 5-star reviews. We consider continuing to sell it under the new name worthwhile (we changed the name on 9/7/22).
--------------------------------------------------------------
Safety Section:
We've had a couple of customers ask if there's anything in Gemcutter’s Friend that's unsafe or toxic. I've been meaning to address that in these listing descriptions.
Is it non-toxic, and safe? Presupposing you don't do the ridiculous- wash large areas of your body with it or drink it- the answer is categorically yes; it is not harmful. MSDS sheets of the main ingredient list ingestion (drinking) in the toxicity section. In other words, it is toxic if you swallow it.
MSDS sheets give the ingredients a relatively high passing grade in the non-hazardous arena. I use the word "relatively" because you do need to use common sense. Half of MSDS sheets warn about is "skin sensitization" in some people who repeatedly have skin contact. "Sensitization" means that you will develop allergic reactions, most commonly a rash, if skin contact occurs again. Although apparently the potential for sensitization is not universally recognized. The other half of MSDS sheets state "skin sensitization is not likely to occur".
It's very common to see the potential for sensitization in hydrocarbons. Many essential oils, solvents, glues, perfumes, personal care ingredients, and oils, have that capacity. One well known resin, epoxy, stands out as one of the worst. Cyanoacrylates and other acrylic resins and monomers (Super Glue and acrylics used by fingernail artists) are other resins that can cause it. Pretty much any of the thousands of compounds derived from crude oil are included in the list.
There is one other potential hazard that comes with hydrocarbons and that is flammability. MSDS sheets give the ingredients in Gemcutter’s Friend a low fire danger. I tested this as I do with other hydrocarbons new to me. I put a small puddle of the liquid in a common dinner spoon in the driveway and put the flame from a mini-torch directly onto the puddle. This material passed the test to my satisfaction. It took about 5 seconds to get the puddle to actually ignite. Its flame was low and weak. As soon as I removed the torch the flame on the puddle extinguished itself.
One of the physical properties of Gemcutter’s Friend is low vapor pressure, which means it evaporates very slowly. This is good to know because there is no fire hazard from fumes. Another physical property is non-reactivity with other materials. In MSDS sheets this is often phrased as "is hazardous polymerization expected". The answer is no for all ingredients. Others are "chemical stability" and "hazardous decomposition". The answers are yes for chemical stability and no for hazardous decomposition. As would be expected from the above information, all ingredients are non-DOT regulated.
The NFPA safety diamond (and the similar HMIS diamond) gives the main ingredient of Gemcutter’s Friend a 1, 1, 1 rating which is very common for essentially non-hazardous materials. Many essential oils used to make perfume have the same rating. If you're unfamiliar with the safety diamond, here's an online quote defining it:
"The NFPA diamond consists of four color-coded fields: blue, red, yellow, and white. The blue, red, and yellow fields—which represent health hazard, flammability, and reactivity, respectively—use a numbering scale ranging from 0 to 4. A value of 0 means that the material poses essentially no hazard, whereas a rating of 4 indicates extreme danger. The white field is used to convey special hazards."
Don't hesitate to ask if you have any other safety concerns or questions about this product.-
===================================================
1-2 business days
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
We're sorry, but at this time we do not ship internationally.
If you would like a smaller or larger quantity of a raw material, click the "Request a custom order" button and tell us how much you would like. Or just contact us and let us know what you'd like. We'll get back to you ASAP.
This problem usually occurs with multiple items. We have free shipping on many of our items. In your cart items will have the sum of all embedded shipping costs. If you place an order for 3 or more "FreeShip" items, you will receive a "rebate" for the excess shipping. The more items you have the greater the shipping refund will be. You can also message us to ask what the total cost of your order will be when excess shipping is refunded before you purchase.
Or, if you see "Request a Custom Order" or "Message Seller", you can request a custom order and your items will be put in a custom listing with the correct shipping. You would purchase it like any other listing.
If you have a technical question about an item we've listed, please don't hesitate to ask. We enjoy helping people out with a material or a process.
We give anecdotal information in our listings if we have any. If you disagree with it or think we're being inaccurate or misleading please let us know that, too.
If there are discrepancies in any of our listings let us know, we make mistakes like everybody and we'd like to be set straight and get those mistakes corrected.
Feb 1, 2023
Very securely packaged and arrived quickly. The RI is great and works well up to corundum for viewing inclusions or color zoning. I also appreciate that it doesn't smell horrible and its lack of color is really nice.
K Pipes