How to get better results with cutting agates! -4K-

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How to get better results with cutting agates!

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Guideline:
How to achieve the best results when cutting agates:
1. Clamp it in safely. Use as much surface area of the rough stones on the vice as possible, so they have a lot of grip and the stone can not jump out easily.
1.2. When you want to cut the stone at an angle use wooden wedges to increase the surface area and grip on the stone.
1.3. Pull it in tight!

2. Avoid cutting through windows.
(Take at least 2-3mm security space, just so you have some space if the cut is not going exactly where you think it is going.)
2.2 cutting through chalcedony windows is fine, since there is no banding to be interrupted, but stay away from banded windows!
2.3 another exception is clean broken water-level banding. You can cut through there, since the banding won’t look interrupted like cutting through banded agate.

3. Avoid cutting through fractures. Also keep at least 2-3mm safe space. More is better, since the fractures might shine through the polished face, and not see them shine through looks better.

4. Try to cut through the biggest volume of the stone. This is usually the spot where the most banding is developed in an agate.
Important is to first take care of steps 1-3, so you won’t cut through any windows or fractures.
4.2 if you have no choice to avoid all windows and fractures go for the biggest volume cut, or try to at least avoid some fractures or windows. You tried your best. Some rough stones can’t be perfect naturally.

5. Water-level-banding. Try to cut it in a 90• angle facing to the lines, so you will get the most contrast out of the layered banding.
5.1 contrast in water level banding is good, but if you have both orbicular banding and waterlevel banding in the same stone, try to cut for more of the orbicular banding.

6. creativity. Agates can be put in the vice in different directions and angles. Usually there is not just one perfect cutting angle. Put it in safely, and also experiment a bit. If you took care of points 1-5 try to cut it in a different angle once in a while. Then sometimes you will be surprise on how the banding will change to comparable pieces!

7. Stalactite agates. Cut them always in the flow of the stalactites from top to bottom… unless you turn it by 90 degrees to the drip of the stalactites. Then you will get structures that look like eyes. Both angles can be very appealing. Weirdly angled cut stalactites not so much.

8. Pseudomorphs, if possible try to cut through the original crystalline spray point of the pseudo. To see the full crystal pattern. Unless you cut it at 90 degree angled, then sometimes you see the cross section cut of the crystals, which can also be appealing sometimes. Cuts inbetween these two angles mostly look more awkward and not as appealing.

9. Parallax, try to cut pieces with a high chance for this effect in an as steep angle as possible, when you look at the cut face from the front. When you cut agates like this the parallax will be the strongest. In an angled cut the parallax will not hit you right in the face, and will not be as clearly visible, because you’ll have to tilt the agate to see the effect. Also: pieces with parallax will be even more tight, if you do not cut them for the biggest face, but a smaller more dense face. This mostly makes sense with flatter shaped nodules. You should still try to cut them through the biggest volume even if you go for the flatter cut.

10. If a stone has several windows you have more informations on the stone to look inside. If one side is showing siginficantly better banding or colors it sometimes is better not to cut through the biggest volume, but try to cut it more on the side of the better looking window.
In this video, I will take you with me on my thoughtprocess of how I cut 4 different agates.
Cutting agates is not as easy as it may seem, a lot of thought goes into it, and sometimes difficult decisions need to be made. I explain how to place a cut to avoid windows in the husk of an agate and many more details that are helpful to know, if you want to cut agates.

Agates are truly amazing pieces of art, made by mother nature, but there is only one way to reveal their beauty: Cutting the agate.

I hope you enjoy this video.

Joshua Ritter
Agatebay