I’ve been cutting my own cabochons for a few years now, and people say I’ve got an eye for composition. I tend to agree; that’s always been a strong point for me.
Presently I’ve got at least two hundred stones available, but finding an audience of buyers has been problematic. At times, my cabochons get picked up almost immediately on being listed, but other times nobody seems to even see them. Disheartening!
One of my used to be *go to* selling venues on Facebook is now crickets for my offerings, while importers of factory-produced stones continue to sell. Sure, I can’t compete with cookie cutter cabs at $5 to $10, and I don’t expect to, but the site has become so deluged with that level of offerings that I feel seekers of quality stones have left the site. I know jewelry makers are still making beautiful things, so despite the inflation besieged economy, they still need to buy beautiful cabs!
And so, I’ve started my own Facebook selling venue, American Lapidary. Here you’ll find well-crafted designer gemstones created by lapidary artists residing within the United States. I require selling members to provide links to their various social pages in order to vet them for inclusion. Jewelry artists looking for stones cut by established lapidary won’t have to sort through dozens of factory cut cheap stones to find materials for their projects.
While currently a showcase for my own material, American Lapidary is open to selling members from within the United States. There are a few already signed on to the group, but our buying population is still low. Hopefully once word gets out and the group starts to become more active, sellers will find it worthwhile to include their stones too.
So – please come take a look at the group and sign up as a member if you feel it will be of interest to you – the link is at facebook.com/groups/americanlapidary!
My shop on Etsy still carries my cabochons too, of course. Simply click on the Cabochons Section to see what I’m offering! And, to see my work in progress images(and get first dibs on stones hot off the cabbing wheels!) follow me on Instagram @TalismanToo.
Sometimes I wish the term for a person who takes a piece of stone and turns it into a gemstone was called something more romantic, or intriguing, than a Lapidary. Maybe something like Gem Wizard…(kidding).
Lapidary doesn’t evoke an image in my mind. Does it for you? It even sounds, I don’t know – almost medicinal. But, it’s what we have to work with.
As an adjective, it pertains to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing them. When used as a noun, it refers to a person who cuts, polishes, or engraves gems.
Also, a Lapidary practices the art of…lapidary. Doesn’t THAT sound special? A person who practices the art of medicine isn’t referred to as a medicine!
Scientists are further defined by their area of study, such as Rocket Scientist and Biologist. Or, Geologist!
There ARE several practices a Lapidary can specialize in. Diamond Cutters, as an example, do faceting work. Makers of stone knifeblades do flintknapping. Tumblers…tumble(mimicking nature as a river grinds stones to a smooth surface). Those who create the beautifully carved stones one sees in gift shops are practicing carving. And people like myself, who cut, shape and polish stones are….what? Cabochon Cutters? Nope. Just good old Lapidary. Not even Lapidarists. Though some DO allow this usage, I’m guessing Merriam (Webster, for you youngsters who use Google) would be wagging her index finger back and forth in the international symbol for “Ummm, no.”
Still wondering what a Lapidary is, and does? Here: take a look for yourself! To see more examples of stones, or cabochons as they are more properly called, take a look here to see examples which I’ve crafted.
The art of lapidary lies in an attempt to create a cabochon(in my case) that is as perfectly formed an polished as possible. That requires impeccable symmetry in the doming, a bezel (the sides of the cut stone) that is of uniform height the whole way around, and no – NO – scratches remaining from the process of grinding from a flat shape through doming process, to finished work.
Not all stones are created equally, and some are more equal than others. Most obvious is the hardness of a type of stone. We’ve all heard that diamonds are the hardest of all, but where does that leave every other mineral? A system called the Mohs Scale of Hardness was developed by Frederich Mohs in 1822 with a range of 1 to 10; with Talc(originally used in baby powder, later shown to be cancerous) as the softest, and – you guessed it – diamond being a 10 out of 10.
My preference in stones are Picture Jaspers, as well as some Agates, which happen to be in the mid range of the Mohs scale, between about 6 and 7. I’ve cut softer material, such as Sonoran Dendritic which can vary in hardness depending on the specific type of material. Theoretically, the hardness is 6, but the stone shown below practically melted away as I began shaping it. I would have said it was much softer.
What are cabochons used for, once the Lapidary(that cursed term again!) finishes with them? Mostly, they are placed into metal settings for use in jewelry or other adornments.Traditionally here in the US, people would learn some level of silversmithing to incorporate their collections of pretty rocks into decorative pieces which they’d either sell of gift to lucky friends and family.
However, in the second half of the 20th Century, imported goods, both material for lapidary work and finished cabochons began to gain in accessibility, and jewelry crafters began using these much less expensive stones for their creative projects.
On the plus side, the range of interesting stones allows for creative people to focus on their jewelry making, and allows them to offer their work at a lower price, since the labor involved in cutting the stones is much less in the 3rd world countries where this work is most often done.
Regarding negative points, buyers of finished work often don’t realize why a piece that includes a stone cut in the states costs more than something comparative using a stone from another country. To be fair, the difference between *most* stateside cabochons and commercially processed stones from overseas is pretty clear when one takes the time to examine the stone. But to the untrained eye, the focus often doesn’t make it past “oooh, pretty!” with regards to the stone.
Do you like eye candy, in the form of rocks(Rock Candy – hahaha)? Let me show you a few more examples of cabs I have cut in the last few months.
Succor Creek JasperDeschutes JasperCaldera PaintOwyhee Jasper
Here are some pictures showing my cabochons once I’ve put them into a jewelry setting.
Blue Dream JasperMontana Agate
Leave a comment and tell me which ones are your favorites, and feel free to ask questions! I’ll do my best to answer if I can.
I got back to Quartzsite, AZ about two weeks ago and couldn’t wait to get back in the lapidary shop!
Even though I had enough material to work for this entire season(and probably enough for a few more after that!) when I headed back east last spring, that didn’t stop me from buying more.
Amethyst Sage Agate
During the spring and summer months, I bought a beautiful slab of Amethyst Sage Agate, a small slab of Blue Mountain Jasper, and even a little piece of fossilized dinosaur bone. Then, within days of arriving here in Quartzsite, I just had to wander over to the Desert Gardens Rock Showgrounds to see the early arrivals. I ended up picking up about $100 in rock from Jeff Hill of Silver Hill Lapidary, who always has mouth watering goods. So, let’s just say I was set to get busy.
One thing that came as a surprise, once I started cutting stones, was that the time I was “away from the wheels” had allowed me the ability to take a step back and be more aware, for lack of a better word, as I worked a stone. I found I was now more able to understand the process of how my efforts impacted the cabochon as I worked on it; how the importance of getting the shape right(and the scratches out!) while working with the 80 and 220 grit wheels makes the difference between an *okay* cab and a “pretty damned nice, if I say so myself” one(I have a way to go before I dare say I am turning out professional caliber cabochons, even though I DO see that I have paid for plenty of cabs of lower work quality that I am currently capable of).
Last year, I just didn’t get it, and my gawd, I would spend so.much.time. beating away on the 320 and 600 wheels on the Lortone machines at the Quartzsite Roadrunners lapidary shop. I am now going through all stages of shaping the cab(not including cutting preform on the trim saw) in less than an hour per cab. Pros will laugh, but this is a huge reduction in work time for me.
One interesting thing was that I DID join a rock club in New York this summer, and they had Diamond Pacific cab machines, which are generally regarded as the best available. Though I was only able to make a few cabs there(I became frustrated at the lack of available access to the shop and quit), the difference was immense. When I got to Quartzsite, there was a big surprise waiting for me…. they had gotten a Genie! Just one, but when I can get on it, I do, and the results have been such an improvement.
Now for the interesting part….I’m able to get *almost* the same level of quality out of the other machines that I considered so inferior last year. Though I DID end up taking the piece in the picture below to the Genie, I honestly was almost – not quite, but close – to this polish before doing so.
Wild Horse Jasper
That can only mean that, like a camera, it’s the user that defines the product. Having a great machine is nice, but if you don’t learn how to work it, the results won’t be any different than on lesser equipment. Nonetheless – I still want a Diamond Pacific Titan for myself back home…..
Along with my newfound clarity as a lapidarian(yes, it IS a real word, though I thought I was making it up when I wrote it). I had saved some money for materials. Let’s hope I still have some at my disposal once the rock shows here are in full swing, but along with that hundie to Jeff Hill, I stopped at a rock shop in Wisconsin on my way west.
I had purchased a set of templates online from The Gem Shop during the summer, and realized they had a brick and mortar store that was literally on.the.way. to my sister’s house. They have a basement, and large amount of outdoors space allotted to rough materials in so many types of rock, and it was nearly overwhelming. Luckily, as I was looking around trying to get some bearings on the massive inventory, my mind saw a bin labeled “Wild Horse Picture Jasper,” and that bin was like a magnet, drawing me in…. The piece above was cut from rough in that bin, as was the one below. I got one more cab from the slab, and that was just one slab from a fairly small rock. I still have two more cabs to come from the slab, although they won’t have the blue “sky,” and I think I have 3 or 4 more slabs. That means I’ll get at least 10 good cabs, and perhaps as many as 20, from the one rough rock. I’ll use them in pendants, and to be honest, I’ll make my money back in the first one sold. KaChing!
Wild Horse Jasper
Along with the Wild Horse Jasper, I got a small piece of Owyhee(the top image in this post came from that delicious little rock), and a small Ocean Jasper rock which this cabochon has come out of.
Ocean Jasper from Madagscar
Initially I felt disappointed, because I was expecting the more intense colors that I had seen from other lapidary folks, but once I finished this cab, and saw the pretty, almost pastel, colors, I wished I had bought more. I’m going to give them a call and see what they are bringing to the QIA Pow Wow, which is on in a few weeks, and hopefully can ask them to bring some….
I also bought a slab of Sonoran Dendritic Rhyolite, and so far have cut just the one cab shown below. The material is much softer than I expected. It’s gorgeous, but I wonder if I can do it justice. I didn’t get the polish that I have seen from others, and don’t know what I need to do to get it.
Sonoran Dendritic Rhyolite
As for jewelry making, that’s been off to a slower start since arriving here. I have one piece ready for antiquing, and am working on a gorgeous piece of Deschutes Japser that I cabbed out of material bought from Jeff Hill. He’s got more where this has come from – and I intend to get some!
Work in Progress – Wire Weaving with Deschutes Jasper cabochon
As you can see(er…read) I’m having a fantastic time, and should have a LOT of nice pendants to show for it as I use the cabs I am making. Remember I mentioned some Blue Mountain Jasper earlier? Well – here are two of the cabs cut from the slab and in the works – I hope to finish them on my next session on Friday, and then the tough part – which one to work into a pendant first???? I think the taller, thin one.
Blue Mountain Jasper
So – new things happening daily! The best way to stay up to date is via my Instagram, where I show my work as it progresses, and announce New To Shop available pieces. If you’re interested – follow me at Instagram.com/TalismanToo.
I’ve been to Quartzsite, Arizona for the two years previous to this, and while I know there are bigger, more sophisticated gem shows, towns with better amenities, and gem clubs with a style more dedicated to rocks and stones specifically, not to mention more spectacular regional scenery, I don’t really think there is another place in the United States that offers the special mix that I have found here in Quartzsite.
Two years ago I drove through on my way to Joshua Tree, for I had heard the place was “dedicated to gems and minerals.” My plan was to buy some cabochons and beads, which I did. However, due to my travel pattern, I arrived early in the season, before any of the shows had formally begun. Nonetheless, I found things to buy – make no mistake. I also knew, though, that I would benefit from visiting during the peak of the season, which would be mid January.
Last year I again came through early, but planned to return during the show weeks. A friend of mine who also works with stones and I came out during the Powow, which is the towns premier show. We both were in awe of the array of vendors selling everything from rough rocks they personally dug from the earth to exquisite cabochons, to factory-mined imports to – well, anything rock-related. I spent my budget easily and wished I had a magic lamp on which to make a wish for more cash. We were exhausted by mid day, and never even visited any of the several other shows in town.
One booth we passed was for the local club, the Quartzsite Roadrunner Gem & Mineral Club. They were hoping to sell us some raffle tickets as part of their fundraising efforts, and my friend probably purchased some, but I was broke and didn’t want to spend my little bit of cash on anything but an iced coffee and the gas to get back home. However, when I found out that one could join the club and learn how to shape stones…. a seed was planted. At my next opportunity I googled the club to see what they were about, and when I found out the annual membership, at $20, was SO reasonable a fee, I decided that for my 2018-19 winter season, I would come to Quartzsite and stay for a few weeks, join the club, and learn how to make cabochons.
Which….I did. I arrived mid December, and I’m still here. My intended few weeks, between 2 and 6, is now “until it’s too hot to safely stay with my little doggy in the van.” I’m hoping to get through February before that becomes a consideration, but I will need to begin traveling back east anyway, come March.
Enough with the text – let me show you what I’ve been doing!
Here’s my very first cabochon. The stone is called Chipboard Rhyolite, and though it is not a stone I feel any affinity for, it was the pretties piece of stone in the available pile to choose from. I thought I did a darned fine job and so did the class instructor. Of course, they said the same to everyone else, and even I could see with my untrained eye that was not the case. However, I did believe I did a good job. Today, when I looked at the cab after taking this picture I chuckled. The girdle(the side, flat, band circumference of the cabochon) undulates like a rolling country road in the foothills of a mountain town. But, everyone starts somewhere.
My next cab was cut from a stone the club allows new members to have when they attend the first club meeting and even though I was itching to go buy some beautiful slabs to work with, I knew I should practice a bit more. I tend to have a sophisticated aesthetic, and usually that doesn’t come cheap. I’m not posting a picture of that cab, but again I thought it turned out pretty good – until I looked at it this morning. Now that I’ve been here almost two months, and have made a few dozen cabs, I know that it was only pretty good for someone’s second attempt. Sure, I could put it in a setting and sell it, but….. I think I will use it for a giveaway or to teach someone wire weaving techniques.
A selection of cabochons I have made during my season in Quartzsite.
Slab of stone and a cabochon which was cut from the slab
Here is my first piece made from a slab I purchased. This is Chrysocolla with Cuprite and Copper, and was mined locally. I was told this material came from the Red Top Mine in Las Pas County, where Quartzsite is located. But perhaps I misremember, or the seller mispoke, because I do not see it listed when I went to look for information about the mine online.
Here’s the cabochon in a finished piece. You can see more images in my shop, Talisman Too, if you care to, by clicking here. This was the first cabochon that I made and used in a piece of jewelry. What a great feeling to have shaped the stone in my work. And – I STILL think this cab turned out pretty good!
Another of my cabochons, now in a finished piece of jewelry. This is Willow Creek Jasper.
I have much more to tell about my Quartzsite experience, but need to stop now and attend to other tasks. I hope to do a Part II over the weekend and post early next week. Stay tuned!
