Jump to content

One thing you never do to amethyst


Recommended Posts

I'm not really fond of talking about non-Sacred related things any more, plus I don't really like talking about gems here any more (I have other forums for that), however I do remember a few people talking about appreciation for amethysts, and I just encountered something..... stupid (I can't sugar-coat it), so I thought I'd tell those who are interested that you NEVER put amethyst in the freezer.

 

A few months ago, a person came in wanting an amethyst skull the size of the one in the Indiana Jones movie, for today (Happy valentine's day, btw). I've been absolutely ecstatic, not just because he paid up front, but I love working with amethyst, and I've never had a chance to make a carving that size before (it's exuberantly expensive). So, right before closing, he brought the skull back with all types of cracks and fissures, it just looked beat to crap. Man, did that make my heart drop. It takes a long time to make a carving that size, plus, as with all my carvings,working on it was an act of love, not just business. This is why people come to me, I pour everything I am into each and every carving I do. Anyway, I asked him what he did to it, and how he thought I could fix it, and he told me that his wife put it in the freezer. He told me that she said amethysts "love to be in ice, and it purifies them". Something about chakras and third eyes and ether waves and dream stuff. I'm not belittling those beliefs, I just know nothing about them, I sell gems and carvings to people who love gems, what meditation new wave types of things you do with them is your business. Except this. I don't know if amethysts are purified by ice, but I can be darn certain that they don't love it. An amethyst will indeed melt ice around it, but not because it's "happy". I have no clue what the average person's understanding of thermodynamic reactions are on this forum, so I'm having a little difficulty thinking of an analogy. Plus, with a belly full of Valentine's Day dinner, and other activities, my brain's currently a little sluggish,so I'll cut to the chase. Leaving an amethyst in a freezer is like trying to fill a water balloon beyond capacity, it's gunna blow. Do this ole rock hound a favor, don't "purify" your amethysts by leaving them in the freezer.

  • Like! 1
Link to comment

That's not something I would expect from an amethyst. Although I wouldn't put one in the freezer anyway. I probably would never own an amethyst in the first place though.

 

I wonder if it was cold in general, or just because of a sudden change of temperature :dntknw:

Link to comment

It's painful to put a pice of your soul into your hard work only to see it ruined by others stupidity.

 

This reminds me of that old Scooby Doo episode where a guy hid his fortune (a 1976s million in jewls) in the refrigerator . Seamed logical – what thief would go looking for them there? Evidently a lot of people did it.

 

On a similar note, I once tried cooking raw meat in a microwave – put it on a ceramic plate and set it at max for 10 minutes. The meat became charcoal, fused with the plate and when I took it out, the plate literally exploded in my hands. I didn’t get cut or anything, but I learned several valuable lessons, including thermodynamics.

Link to comment

You know, that's a good thought, sudden change in temperature. After all, it happens with glass, right? Every waitress can tell you what happens when you take a glass straight from the dishwasher and fill it with ice. However, the honest answer is we don't know why amethyst reacts the way it does with ice. Even if you leave an amethyst outside in winter weather, it will still melt ice in your freezer. I don't want to sound too new age, but quartz in general is a strange gem, I've seen it behave in ways it shouldn't, such as luminescence. I've run expensive tests with sophisticated machines, and still can't explain why it's doing this. I have far more than a passing knowledge of luminescence (bio, electro, and chemical) and I still can't explain why this hunk of quartz is giving off a neon blue glow.

  • Like! 1
Link to comment

Oh, the thermodynamics reminds me of something. If memory serves, you wanted to use gemstones to make an eternal battery. That was you, correct, SX? Man, would I advise against that! As I said above, we don't fully understand why gems and minerals react to some form of radiation the way they do. Space might be the final frontier, but we still have so many frontiers here on earth that we haven't fully explored yet

  • Like! 1
Link to comment

Oh, the thermodynamics reminds me of something. If memory serves, you wanted to use gemstones to make an eternal battery. That was you, correct, SX? Man, would I advise against that! As I said above, we don't fully understand why gems and minerals react to some form of radiation the way they do. Space might be the final frontier, but we still have so many frontiers here on earth that we haven't fully explored yet

Yes, that was me. And as everybody else, I love looking for phenomena that will make me rich, powerful and/or benefit humanity. And now I have "amethyst" added to the list of things to keep an eye out for. Thank you.

Link to comment

Lol, the pursuit of fortune and glory, I hear that. Advise against it isn't the phrase I was looking for. Hmm, I'm not sure quite how to say it without sounding like an old hen.... Ok, I thought of something, the best way I can put it: I'm sure you know what you're doing, just be care, especially with heat and light when you deal with gems. Those little turds are sharp when they explode! Especially obsidian. I told a new carver once "Dude, you gotta be careful with that stuff, obsidian will slice you cleaner and quicker than surgical steel if sharpened correctly." And of course I got the "you sound like my mom, man!" with the eye-roll and all that jazz. And now, well, he's only got one eye to roll at me when I caution him, and I don't think we're going to be able to have cameras in our eyes, like in the first segment of V/H/S 2.

  • Like! 1
Link to comment

A large enough piece to make a decent size skull is going to have a fair number of natural imperfections in the crystalline structure. Any water in those imperfections would turn to ice and cause a problem. Did you clean your work at any point w/ water? I'd think so just imagining that various compounds you might use would need to be cleaned off. And just thinking, if you'd recently bought that chunk, it might have been cut using a wet saw not too long ago, resulting in water in the crystal.

 

Not to mention that silicon expands when frozen.

Link to comment

Ya know, I forgot about the silicon. I never thought I'd have to warn my customers about putting carvings in the freezer. Then again, I would have never thought that you'd have to warn people that coffee is hot or that shampoo isn't food

  • Like! 1
Link to comment

Ahhh, yes, Skullis.com. Sites like that are why I made my store. Back when I was a diamond appraiser, I came across Skullis and crystalskulls.com. Their skulls are beautiful, but far too over-priced, PLUS they have a huge shipping fee (at least Skullis, because it's in China). On top of that, you don't actually get the skull in the picture, but something similar. A few weeks later, I was at an estate auction for a deceased gemologist, and saw gems go for 5-10 times their actual worth. Upon asking one of the bidders why, she mentioned Skullis, and told me all of the things I already mentioned. So, thank you, Skullis, if you weren't so absurdly expensive and just total b.s all across the board, my little empire here would have never come into being :)

  • Like! 1
Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up