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Thank you so much! I think all in on this one, I'm just about 40-50ish hours. That also includes filming, and I am far from the fastest gem cutters out there.😅 It's a lot of work, but it's SO worth it! 😊

Absolutely! The transfer jig is definitely an essential piece of equipment. Without it, it would be nearly impossible to line the second half of the stone up properly. So many small little steps that all together add up to something beautiful! Journey before destination! 😁

Thank you!! It depends a lot on the hardness of the stone. I just blast the first one in slowly, checking frequently, until it reaches the depth I want. I keep a mental count as I go so I can get a baseline of what the others will need, then just replicate that. I usually have to take it out and look over everything a few times, redoing some of the numbers, until it's where I want it. 😊

My faceting machine is an Ultra-Tec V5 Digital. 😊

Hahaha, It's definitely taught me to be incredibly patient! There's definitely a level of meditation to it as well though! 😊

Thank you! I've done other dice in the past, but making whole sets comes with a suite of new challenges. The first major hurdle is sourcing enough of the same type and style of stone to make a whole set, which can be difficult to ensure. Additionally, cutting seven dice takes seven times as long. This is fine, but it pushes the price out of many peoples affordable range. I may make more full sets in the future, but for now I'll be sticking mostly to just D20's. 😊

Thank you so much! 😁

Yup! It's super nice because it's much softer than the stone so I can scrape the resin off without worrying about scratching the stone. 😊

Wow thank you, that's so kind! ❤

@@SageAndNettle You are very welcome. Thank you for sharing your work with us all.

Oooo you're totally right! Maybe on my next brown one I'll use blue for the numbering. Great suggestion! 😊

Thank you!! 😁

OMG thank you so much!! 😊❤

@SageAndNettle you deserve it! Quality content. Also any plans to do lapis lazuli? That's my favorite

YES!! I've been dying to add some lapis lazuli to my cut-list, but I've been struggling to find a suitable piece for a reasonable price. I went to a local gem show this weekend and scoured every booth looking for a piece but couldn't find any that were the right size. 😕 Hopefully one day soon!

Yes! It's a skill I've been needing to learn since I have a few really nice stones that aren't suitable for cutting currently. You can submerge the stones into some very thin CA glue and place that into a pressure pot and it will push it deep into all the cracks and stabilize the stone. Just need to get the right CA glue and a pressure pot, then I'll definitely be doing this for some of my stones. 😊

Thanks so much! To be honest, it's not the most affordable hobby to get into. I saved up for a long time to be able to get started, but I had my heart set on the Ultra-Tec V5 faceting machine. The faceting machine alone was $5,600 but all in I was about 9-10k before I cut my first stone. However, you could always get a cheaper machine or search for a used one on facebook marketplace (though be warned they can still be very pricey).

Haha, thank you so much! ❤

Ahhhh, you're totally right! I should definitely add a clip or two of actually rolling them. 😅♥

My very first d20 that I cut was just a random rock from my yard. You can see a small gif of it on the "my story" tab on my website! I still keep it on my desk, and I hope to make it into a piece of jewelry pretty soon! 😊

Thank you so much! ❤

For sure! There's been a few times when I was just starting that not cleaning while working came back to bit me. It super sucks when you get to the final polishing stage only for some bit of rock dust to land on the lap and throw some gnarly scratches into the dice. I learned that lesson pretty quick, haha! 😊

Me too! Plus, quartz is super durable so it makes for great dice! 😊

I tried that but they just sink to the bottom, haha! I have rolled a few of mine 100+ times just to see, and the results are just as random as any other dice. I'll always advocate to talk to your DM before you bring any stone/gemstone dice to the table, just to make sure they're okay with it first 😊

Thank you so much, that's so kind of you! ❤

Thank you!

Honestly, I'm not sure. Many metals are softer than the gemstones I work with, so I think it might work. Though I wonder what kind of wear that would cause to the laps. I'll have to look into it in more depth and get back to you. 😊

Hard work and trial and error! I also watched a lot of CZcams, which helped out a bunch, haha! 😊

Great question! It depends a lot on what you are cutting, and on which lap. I cut a lot of quartz family stones, which wears out my rougher laps (the 120 and 240) pretty quickly. I end up replacing them every 2 or 3 stones, or whenever I feel them start to slow down. Luckily the topper laps are only $10-20 each.

@@SageAndNettle oh wow i was expecting them to last a little bit longer than that but that isnt too bad a suppose

Both of those are really good suggestions! I just felt that the gold would have blended in with the browns and tans too much, and would make legibility a bit difficult. I do like how the white turned out though! On my next brown-ish stone, I'll definitely reconsider gold, even if it's not the most contrasting color. Thank you! 😊

Oooo that's a great suggestion! I'll reach out to my vendor and see if I can source some and get it added to my to-cut list! Thank you! 😊

Thanks so much, that's very kind of you! I put a lot of effort into both the dice and the video, and I'm glad that shows through! 😊Ooo, that sounds like a fun character! The die definitely fits well with the ties to the dark celestial being for sure!

Thank you so much!!! We'll get there with time, just gotta keep working hard! I'm still super new to geology, so it's fun for me to learn how things are formed and the history behind them too! Glad you enjoy the videos!😊

You're absolutely right, I misinterpreted some information in my research. Unfortunately, I lack a formal education in geology, so most of my information comes from personal research, which means I may not always be correct. I'm still learning too 😊 I appreciate you taking the time to let me know! I'll be more careful moving forward. Thank you!

😮Wow, thank you! Doug from Hedron Rockworks and his editor Andrew Janey put in so much work, and I can only aspire to reach their level of mastery. They both create such beautiful works of art, to even be mentioned in the same sentence is a huge compliment. Thank you so much!

Honestly, I never really considered it. Another person brought it up to me just recently as well, so I'll definitely be trying that on my next one. 😊

Thank you so much!! To even be mentioned alongside such a master artisan as Hedron Rockworks is an incredible compliment! 😊

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!! ❤

Oohhh! I could totally picture a Dwarf Twilight Cleric! A Cleric serving as a guardian to a sacred crystal cavern where the stars can be seen within the stones, a connection to the sky far far above. Perhaps a Cleric of Selûne? 😊

Thank you! 😊

Absolutely! 😁

Nahhhh, the softness is only really something to be aware of for me while I'm carving it, and to take in to account for the design. Now that it's completed, It'll be totally fine to roll without issue, especially with the bevel design. I just recommend that it be rolled in a felt or leather lined dice tray, and rolled away from other dice, just to be careful. If you're careful, and take good care of it, it'll last for years 😊

Thank you so much! The blue stuff is plastidip that I just kinda plop on there to cover any exposed areas. It's nice because it sets pretty quick, does a great job of protecting the stone, and is super easy to peel off when I'm done. 😊

It's just a standard adhesive vinyl masking film. It doesn't say that it's made for sandblasting, but it's worked amazingly for me. Glad you enjoyed the video! 😁