A sphere machine, of course!
Beautiful, ain't it?
Have you seen rock spheres and wondered how they got so round and perfect? Here's a few more from my dad's collection. The middle one is my "Algae-on-a-Stick" fossil. Check out the blog I wrote about that.
People have asked if it takes a polish. This should answer that that question. My dad loved spheres. He had a nice collection of them. His eight inch, seventeen pound lepidolite sphere -- at the top of this essay -- might be worth more than the sphere machine that made it.
Actually, it's not that hard to make a sphere -- IF you have the right equipment. And therein lies the rub. The right equipment ain't cheap! One of the major manufacturers, Highland Park, sells their "standard" low speed sphere machine for just less than $1300. For "high speed" -- triple that price. For big spheres, triple the price again. (Up to 18 or 24 inches. ... The same web page at Highland Park lists both sizes as the maximum. As Mencken said, "Consistency is the hob goblin of small minds." ) Now you're up to five figures ... for a piece of lapidary equipment.
The relatively high price of sphere machines makes it a favorite for home mechanics to make their own. Search for "home sphere machine video" and you can find dozens of instruction videos. The reason spheres are not actually that hard to make is that the machine does most of the work. Grind and cut a rock down to an approximate sphere, slip it between the grinding cups, turn it on, and watch the machine work. Well ... there's a little more to it than that. But not a lot more.
Checking the source for rock prices (Ebay), the starting price for a nice agate sphere about five inches in diameter is around $500.
So, working with the lowest price machine, you can earn back your investment if you sell about three spheres. Or maybe not. The value of a rock that is big and solid enough to make a great sphere is considerable too.
Nearly all of the spheres at Ebay are from China. I thought that a phrase in the ad for a sphere at Ebay was unusually honest:
"Please be reminded that due to light effects and monitor's brightness/contrast settings etc, the color tone of the website's photo and the actual item could be slightly different. Due to the manual measurement and different measurement methods, the actual size could be slightly different. If you get the one with "crack" on the surface,called "ice crack", this is normal for all crystal, and some may have the "cotton fibre", it is not very clear. If you mind this, Please don't place orders." (Emphasis added.)
Good advice!
Therein lies the second rub. It takes an exceptional rock to make a great sphere. That's the reason people make them. Nothing shows off a great rock like a sphere does. A sphere sits there and says to everybody, "Naaahhh, Naaahhh, Naa, Naaahhh, Naaahaa. I'm great agate all the way through and you ain't!"
A perfect agate rock that big is usually pretty pricey.
I have a few in inventory. This Graveyard Point agate was cut smooth on four sides because I think my dad planned on making a sphere out of it, but never completed the project. It may or may not still be available. But I have more. If you're interested, leave a message.
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