Portfolio - Macro Photography



I cabochoned this from an oval template, and it is a Royal Mexican Agate gem stone. There are a lot of beautiful things happening inside with swirls of orange and green. I think the bottom edge is green calcite, but I am not sure. I think this will become a necklace. It is 2 inches in length.


Named: MONTEZUMA

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

This is a pear shape I traced from a template. I did the stone cuts and did the cabochon on September 8, 2011. I forgot to trim my finger nails. Before I knew it, the diamond grinding wheel gave my nails a nice, neat trim, No harm done.

Named: JUPITER     

Macro Photography by John Bunnell



This is a free formed nugget of Sodalite. It is about one inch across and a very intense blue with lots of rounded planes - a real beauty. I think I found the rough stone at the Rose Creek Mine in North Carolina.

I had to grind away a lot of bad rock to get out the intense blue Sodalite, but it was worth it. It could be a ring on a large hand or a necklace. Big, bad Leroy Brown could wear this on everybody's nose and make a real impression.

Named: BLUE ICE

Macro Photography by John Bunnell







 

I explore for rough gem stones in rivers and in mines. I found this particular amethyst stone in its rough state in a mountain river. The rough amethyst stone was once again about as big as its final jewel.

I ordered the rough cutting and cabochon and faceting done. Then I did the macro photography. The macro photography was done using macro rings and a normal lens. My camera was on a tripod, and the lighting was soft daylight blended with a regular flashlight for added color. This finished amethyst jewel will become a ring.

Named: ROXY

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

I found these rough sister garnets in the ground at a mine. I had them cut, shaped, cabochoned, faceted and polished into finished garnet gems.

These faceted garnets are each about 1/4 the diameter of a dime in length. They will each become part of a set of ear rings. The macro photography was done with a mix of soft daylight and a flashlight at the same time.

Both Named: GEMINI

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

This is a faceted garnet, which will become a ring. The reflected colors are from the internal bounce light caused by the facets. It is a blood red garnet. I found the rough garnet while I was at a mine. This finished garnet gem is a little less than the diameter of a dime. Of course the rough garnet was much bigger.

The macro photograph is a mix of soft daylight and a regular flashlight, which brings out the reds.

Named: MARS

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

This is a very large finished Amethystic Calcite gem. It was free formed from a rough slab and is 3.5 inches across at its widest and .25 inch thick. It has 9 sides with soft corners and is perfect as a commanding amulet.

Named: TEMPEST

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

This is a closeup of Tempest, and it looks like a photograph from outer space of a foreign planet. It is a macro view of amethystic calcite. The mix of amethyst, calcite and quartz can be clearly seen.

Named: TEMPEST

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

Honey Calcite gem stone. I did the cabochon and macro photography using tungsten light. The tungsten really brought out the yellows and the oranges.

Named: LEMON DROP

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

This is a 2.5 inch tall amethyst crystal. I cut a flat side, so it would be a stand alone specimen in a display case. I even polished the cut. I want to go to Tignall, Georgia to dig for amethyst. It is such a beautiful gem.

Amethyst reminds me of frozen grape Kool-Aid in ice maker trays - a hot summer time treat when I was a kid. The macro photography was available window light on an overcast afternoon.

Named: KOOL-AID

Macro Photography by John Bunnell

These are Honey Calcite crystals growing as gems in a prehistoric clam. This is a Mircinarla clam, and it's specie is extinct. It is 1.5 to 5 million years old.

I dug this clam out of a Florida fossil site at Ruck's Crystal Mine near Fort Drum, Florida. This fossil site has these clams and a lot of other prehistoric, marine fossils.

This clam is whole and at least six inches in length. The gray material around the clam is the matrix mud where it died. I held a flashlight on the clam, while doing the macro photography. The soft yellow light highlighted the Honey Calcite.

Named: JOE

Macro Photography by John Bunnell