Topic: "Gemstones" Rare Magic Gems by Jeff Stone

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Posted by: scarnecky (Feb 26, 2009 8:30pm)

Warm greetings~

I just wanted to let everyone know that Gemstones by Jeff Stone is now available.

I had the privilege of checking out most of the footage before the editing process. Since then I have been pretty excited for Jeff to release this work.

There are many reasons for this, but the main reason for my excitement stems from the fact that Jeff has taken a huge step with every aspect of this work. The quality of production, and the effects included are strong examples of Jeff’s efforts to share, express and ultimately grow within the field of close-up magic.

There are a few effects included on this DVD that I predict will stir quite a buzz in the magic community. Allow me to reveal just a few of those.

Under My Skin- Is a very powerful and novel effect, which I am concerned with describing without giving away the method/secret. Let me just say that it IS one of those reputation makers we all search for. The idea is one of those few where after seeing it you will say to yourself “darn it why didn’t I think of that”. There is some building and preparation involved however you can make up a bunch and be set for quite a while. I CAN say that it involves a deck of cards and a dime- the dime magically and surprisingly finds the chosen card.

The back palming items Jeff explores is SUPER cool and in my opinion very valuable. All of the tips and ideas, as well as demonstrating something he does very well just might cause you to take another look at something you haven’t done in a while.

There is a card box utility idea that- in my humble opinion is well worth the price of the DVD. I had never seen it before, and you can surely bet that I will be using it~ easy to construct with almost limitless applications.

Jeff’s S.S is also something I can’t really explain without giving away the secret/method. It is a way to vanish small objects (employing something most of us wear every single day) without using your sleeves or a TT. Simple and direct~ the coin goes in your hand, both hands are closed then turned over- the object vanishes completely. Again this is something I feel could be well worth the price of admission.

If you enjoy magic that is to the point, doesn’t take a great deal of preparation, and you are looking for a few powerfully novel ideas you WILL use, I think this fine product surely fits the bill. Besides all of the great material, Jeff has created a webpage that will be completely dedicated to the growth of Gemstones. There will be so much more included and available to everyone who purchases this DVD. It is my understanding that this will also be a highly interactive website designed to let anyone who so chose’s to delightfully get involved.

My gut instinct tells me that Gemstones is going to resonate quite well with a lot of magicians, beginners and seasoned pros alike. Jeff’s first DVD Stone Cold Magic was pretty much dedicated to cards, but Gemstones has a plethora of effects, using keys, coins, cards, film canisters, Listerine strips, and let us NOT forget Twinkies.

From my personal perspective- this is a brief but honest break down of only a few of the items included.

Gemstones by Jeff Stone is available at Stone Cold Magic. It is also my understanding that there will be several other magic dealers who will be carrying this, however between now and the 28th of February - Saturday, the price for Gemstones goes from the intro/pre release price of $19.95 to $25.00.

In Thanks

Scar

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Posted by: jprace (Feb 26, 2009 9:04pm)

Just ordered mine! It looked too good to pass up!

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Posted by: takeachance (Feb 26, 2009 11:55pm)

How does the technique play for finger rings. I know it will probably work to a degree, but I'm looking to improve on the retention style vanish I presently use. Any improvements/benefits with this guys
cheerz

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Posted by: jstone (Feb 27, 2009 1:35am)

Quote:

On 2009-02-26 23:55, takeachance wrote:
How does the technique play for finger rings. I know it will probably work to a degree, but I'm looking to improve on the retention style vanish I presently use. Any improvements/benefits with this guys
cheerz

If you're referring to the SS vanish, it works great. In fact you can see it in the trailer. I vanish my wedding ring. The SS Vanish technique is a barehanded complete vanish of just about any small object.

Let me know if that helps. :)

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Posted by: Steven Leung (Feb 27, 2009 3:16am)

Being owner of Stone Cold Magic DVD, I highly recommend everyone to consider this new release from Jeff Stone.

Jeff's material is easy, direct, and very entertaining to the audience and fun to we as performer.

I just spent all my quotas on TA set, sorry Jeff will get yours once my budget get better next month.

Best wishes to the release of Gemstones DVD!

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Posted by: takeachance (Feb 27, 2009 5:55am)

WOW like the look of the demo, thanks for the reply. I'll be ordering when I get up tomorrow. It looked like some pretty good workers in there. I really liked the ring vanish so everything else will be a bonas

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Posted by: jrl41090 (Feb 27, 2009 3:52pm)

Is it just me or does anyone else see the similarity between Jeff's SS Vanish and Yanick Chretien's Muscle Vanish? Both employ the same basic idea, I'm sure of it.

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Posted by: jprace (Feb 27, 2009 3:55pm)

Jeff also taught his vanish on Underground Jam I believe, which was out before Yanick's DVD.

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Posted by: Review King (Feb 27, 2009 4:53pm)

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On 2009-02-27 15:52, jrl41090 wrote:
Is it just me or does anyone else see the similarity between Jeff's SS Vanish and Yanick Chretien's Muscle Vanish? Both employ the same basic idea, I'm sure of it.

I find when people don't have all the info/facts and they say they are "sure" of something, they turn out to be wrong.

Jeff's a big research/credit guy. A PM to discuss it before shouting speculations might have been a better route to take.

It's wonderful to see Jeff releasing material again!

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Posted by: jstone (Mar 1, 2009 3:10am)

Quote:

On 2009-02-27 15:52, jrl41090 wrote:
Is it just me or does anyone else see the similarity between Jeff's SS Vanish and Yanick Chretien's Muscle Vanish? Both employ the same basic idea, I'm sure of it.

I'm not familiar with Yanick's work. However, I've been doing the S.S. Vanish for over 10 years. The current handling of it that I released on Gemstones began formulating during the Underground Jam filming, but I've been playing with variations and the basic idea since 1996.

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Posted by: scarnecky (Mar 1, 2009 6:29pm)

After doing a bit of research I was able to check out Yanick Chretien's Muscle Vanish. While quite beautiful to watch, Jeff's S.S. utility vanish is completely different..

The coin does seem to end up in the same place however the method/procedures for getting "it" there are poles apart... In addition the S.S. was designed to vanish a wide variety of small objects and is NOT just limited to coins..

Scar

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Posted by: Cameron Francis (Mar 6, 2009 11:09am)

Got this yesterday and took a look at it this morning. One word: COMMERCIAL! Really good stuff on here. My personal faves were Quarterback, Doctoring Daley & Safe Key Ping. All stuff I could see myself doing. Pick it up!

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Posted by: Darrin Cook (Mar 8, 2009 7:21pm)

I got in last night at about 10 o'clock and opened the mailbox to find Gemstones, so I immediately sat down to view it. For all it's worth, here are my thoughts:

Quasiphoto-- Great trick and presentation. I like the fact that it's sleightless, but could play very well on stage/parlor. I think the trick could be combined with a memorizing the deck routine.

Visa 2.0-- I like how Jeff is able to explain how he revised someone else's trick because of real world feedback from performances. This gives me confidence that the material on the DVD is real, and not just envisioned in an opium dream.

Miser's Nightmare-- You've got some great vanishes with four ungimmicked coins, including the SS Vanish, which is worth 25$ as a stand alone item. I mean, how many times could the average magician use a clean, gimmickless, impromptu vanish that does not use sleeves, lapping, etc.?

Under My Skin: Loved the premise. I think this could be routined with “Sucked Up.”

I love the effect “Slapped Flat.” It's an overlooked, inexpensive trick from Elmwood magic. This could also be routined with “Under My Skin” for a killer climax.

Dollar Bill to Twinkie: Killer, killer stuff. If a magician can't get comedy out of a dollar bill in a Twinkie, then he ought to take up Amway instead. This is really clean, or as clean as digging a dollar bill out of a Twinkie can get. For the guy who's looking for a stage routine, this is it. It's easy to do, and you could set this up 15 minutes before the show with a stop at a 7-11. I'm not recommending this, but to paraphrase the bumper sticker, “Feces Occurs.”

The line and justification for tearing the bill is priceless. A lot of magicians feel like they get their money's worth if they get one good trick –the real pros would just as soon have one golden line that means the difference between doing tricks like an automaton and performing real entertainment.

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Posted by: asanghi (Mar 9, 2009 6:33pm)

I just got this DVD. Some very, very good thinking and implementation, esp. Miser's N'mare and the $ in Twinkie.

Congrats Jeff! Keep 'em coming...

Apurva

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Posted by: scarnecky (Apr 2, 2009 10:38am)

In my haste~ I forgot to mention how much I like Miser's Nightmare. From my viewpoint coin effects/routines can get quite complicated and hard to follow. But Jeff has put together a fairly easy/direct/bold coin routine that actually serves as a powerful template..

If you are a hard core coin guy- your not going to find anything new here except for maybe a new way to look at keeping things simple and more importantly magical as Jeff has.

There are some very good deals going on at Stone Cold Magic right now - check em out!

Smoothly

Scar

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Posted by: Cameron Francis (Apr 2, 2009 6:32pm)

Another one I like as well! When working for lay folk, I only do coin stuff that's easy to do and easy to follow. Misrer's Nightmare truly fits the bill.

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Posted by: mormonyoyoman (Apr 6, 2009 10:15pm)

I hate Jeff Stone!

Not only does he have an incredible testimony and skill in teaching a Gospel Doctrine class (No small feat when you consider how much more unruly adults are than children!) but he has created and demonstrated some ridiculously simple and easy manifestations of impossibility. Yes, I said "simple and easy" because they are, when it comes to the mechanics -- but, oh how you'll WANT to put in the rehearsal time to make these become YOURS.

I hate that he's so creative and that he finds the shortest distance between point A and point B. I hate that "Miser's Nightmare" (and its attendant sleight) is better every time I see it, and that I can stare right at it, know exactly what he's doing, and it still looks miraculous. What's crazy about this, is even I can do it! He's made it simple enough for even a 10-thumbed man!

You'll believe that a dime can vanish and reappear inside a card -- INSIDE a card -- which the volunteer had examined. You'll believe that a card can burst into four pieces instantly. You'll believe that Jeff Stone is one of the creative geniuses of our time, and all-around good guy.

All this with a minimum of spam. You'll like the Spam Guy.

*jeep!
--Grandpa Chet (confessed friend of Jeff)

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Posted by: mormonyoyoman (Apr 7, 2009 10:21pm)

Hey, turns out that purchasers of Gemstones get a free ticket to a little old Gemstones hidden bonus boffo keen bee's-knees website, and it is purty darned good! Just had a fun 37 minutes smurfing that site. Fun stuff -- Go try it.

Didn't see the Spam Guy there, though.

*jeep!
--Grandpa (who misses the Spam Guy)

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Posted by: jstone (Apr 10, 2009 5:23am)

Quote:

On 2009-04-07 22:21, mormonyoyoman wrote:
Hey, turns out that purchasers of Gemstones get a free ticket to a little old Gemstones hidden bonus boffo keen bee's-knees website, and it is purty darned good! Just had a fun 37 minutes smurfing that site. Fun stuff -- Go try it.

Didn't see the Spam Guy there, though.

*jeep!
--Grandpa (who misses the Spam Guy)

For the record, the "spam" referenced above is of the mystery meat variety and not the annoying email variety... It's a bit of an inside joke for anyone who owns my DVDs... fun little mystery meat silliness for those who have my stuff. :)

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Posted by: rnaviaux (Apr 10, 2009 4:50pm)

I really enjoyed VISA 2.0 and Misers Nightmare as well.

The changes incorporated into VISA 2.0 made a lot of sense. Lots of opportunity for creating your own patter lines with this one.

Misers Nightmare isn't in need of much patter and, most importantly for me, you don't need to be able to do a classic palm. I have a fondness for routines where something vanishes and stays vanished. Gertners take on saltshaker through table is an example of this. You shouldn't go directly into another effect after something like this because the longer the coins are gone the longer the effect.

Randy

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Posted by: jstone (May 23, 2009 3:03am)

Hey guys . . . just an update for you:

As you know, the DVD comes with free access to a website with bonus video clips and handling ideas, etc for anyone who purchases the DVD.

The site is updated regularly, and I just added a bunch of new stuff. There are contributions on there from:

Jay Sankey
Wesley James
Liam Montier
Donny Orbit
Brad Gordon
Darrin Cook
Joe Diamond
And More

So for those who already own Gemstones, first, thank you! Second, go check out hte site for all the updates: Gemstones Site.

For those who do not own Gemstones, you can still check out the site. However, much of the content is locked and can only be unlocked with information that comes with the DVD when you purchase it.

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Posted by: Ba Ba Booey (Dec 6, 2009 7:31pm)

I just got Gemstones the other day, and it certainly contains some gems in it. The website has some good stuff on it, too!

-Mark

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Posted by: jstone (Dec 8, 2009 2:18am)

Mark,

Thanks for the support brother. Gemstones started off strong. Then sales slowed. However, suddenly there's been a recent surge in sales again. Murphy's has reorder 2 or 3 times.

Thanks to all of you for the success!