I had some time over the weekend to cut a couple of new stones – a horrific Mahenge Spinel that was a nightmare to cut, first having a hidden crack and then shedding chunks while cutting. It survived but with a few scars, not the least of which is a severely over-cut table. But it is a very pretty and sparkly pink. It also gave me an excuse to use my new RedWing+5 lap, which worked with flying colours.
![Mahenge Spinel](https://i0.wp.com/www.omnifaceter.net/gems/spinel3_cr.jpg?resize=400%2C375&ssl=1)
The sadistic 1.2 ct Mahenge Spinel from hell...
The other stone is a completely stunning Afghan blue tourmaline. The piece of rough was gorgeous but as I was cleaning and skinning it, it started to show stress fractures developing. I quickly preformed the stone, dopped it and proceeded to cut it as fast as I could. The result is the breath-taking stone below.
![9.19 ct Afghan Blue Tourmaline Rough Afghan Blue Tourmaline Roug](https://i0.wp.com/www.omnifaceter.net/gems/bluerough_crrs.jpg?resize=550%2C449&ssl=1)
Rough 9.19 ct Afghan Blue Tourmaline from Lisa Elser
![3.2 ct Faceted Afghan Blue Tourmaline](https://i0.wp.com/www.omnifaceter.net/gems/bluetourm_cr.jpg?resize=500%2C455&ssl=1)
3.2 ct Faceted Afghan Blue Tourmaline
Not sure what I’m going to do with this tourmaline, but it definitely deserves a place of honor in my collection.