Learning Intarsia

Seemingly a lifetime ago, Reed said a piece of intarsia caught his attention, drawing him to learn how to create these pieces himself. While he found a couple of artists who worked with this medium, they were unwilling to share their knowledge. Despite this disappointing turn, when a friend brought in a picture of a crop circle showing a six-sided star within a circle and told Reed, “I want you to make this for me in stone,” necessity became a driving force. Relying on his own resources and experience as a jewelry maker, it took Reed six weeks to use a flat-top sander and a six-inch trim saw. “It was all by hand, grinding my fingers to the bone, but I pulled it off. I was ecstatic.” Since then, he continually refines his craft and is the only artist in the world who does this with a faceting machine instead of grinders.

Beyond the Book

Exceeding expectations and teaching himself is a lifelong theme after being labeled “unfit” in school. Burying his nose in a book isn’t the best way to obtain knowledge, at least not for Reed. His unique way of seeing the essence of the stones, combined with the ability to create something beautiful, is a skill that can never be quantified. It’s ironic that even though he didn’t “get along with numbers,” as he commented about his dyslexia, Reed creates pieces immersed in sacred geometry. Instead of relying on the numbers on his faceting machine, he adds color codes to guide his cuts. The materials he uses also evolve depending on the specific piece. Initially, he often used semi-precious stones, although he added, “Right now I’m in love with the gem grade stones, but my work changes daily.”

Creating Designs

Several of his more popular designs include “The Wave,” as well as a seven-sided star that spirals. It’s the intricate work that brings it alive. “If I keep (the stones) really small, it is so bright when you’re moving. A piece of jewelry is always catching the light. Nobody will ever look you in the eyes again.” Reed also does not shy away from the avant-garde. One of his latest examples is incorporating calcite. One aspect of calcite identification is that it is naturally fluorescent, to illuminate aspects of a piece. Reed said, “Calcite is a very ugly, soft stone. It doesn’t take a polish well.” But when he noticed a gentleman who featured it as a glowing accent in his garden, Reed purchased some at a garden shop. While creating a piece involving rays in its design, he sandwiched the calcite in between each layer of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, spinel, and citrine. It was the perfect material to make it shine.

Unique Pieces

Beyond the sheer level of art, every piece he creates is special. “All of my pieces are power pieces. I believe in the power of stones. I talk to my guides and ask my guides to get ahold of your guides. They know what you’re here for and direct you to that. This piece is made for you,” he said. “The power pieces that I make are meant to be worn. This isn’t something you put in your jewelry box.” Reed said when he taught channeling classes it was important for students to do the work themselves that they needed to do. This is particularly true with his power pieces. “The power piece knows you and your path. If you are not satisfied in your life it’s going to put that up in your face. You need to deal with it. Once you remove your blocks and do what needs to be done, it’s all positive.” “This stuff awes me,” he said. “Every time I look at it, I can’t believe I made it.” Reed works practically all day every day, throughout the year. It’s who he is and he’s not about to stop creating and discovering. “I am always learning more and always growing,” he said. “I don’t know how to do anything else.”

Paying it Forward

When Reed experienced such a difficult time finding anybody willing to teach him the technique of intarsia, he said he told himself, “If I ever learn this, I will never be that way.” As a result, the student is now the teacher. ”Everybody who is in this field has a different way of seeing how to do it,” he said. He looks forward to instructing and inspiring future intarsia artists to share their visions in this beautiful form, as much as creating his stunning pieces to help people in their life’s journey.

This story about intarsia jewelry making previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Amy Grisak. Sponsored by Red Moon Creations Studio.

The post Intarsia Jewelry Making Explored first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

The Lure Behind Spinel

Beyond the visual appeal, colored gems make life beautiful. They are associated with positive aspects of life whether a wedding, birthday or the crown jewels of royalty. Spinel is high on many blue gems and minerals lists.

Regardless of the elaborateness, or simplicity, they are the brilliance of something good. This quality is not lost on Wez Barber of Mahenge Gems, a wholesale company that strives to connect gem dealers and artists with the high-quality gemstones that he and his partner, Rimsan Nifal, acquire directly from artisanal mines in Tanzania and Sri Lanka.

While they handle many varieties of colored gemstones, spinel holds a favored place for Mahenge Gems. “I like the story of it being the underdog,” explained Barber. “It’s always been undervalued and misunderstood. There is a mystique behind it.”

Derived from the Greek word for “spark,” spinel certainly earns its moniker with its vibrant color and brilliance. For centuries it was initially mistaken as a ruby and only recognized as its own mineral in 1783. Many of the world’s most illustrious “rubies,” are, in fact, spinel.

While it’s found in royal collections throughout the world, including the Diamond Fund which is a part of Russia’s jeweled past. One of the most famous pieces is the 170-carat “Black Prince’s Ruby,” which is actually a blood-red spinel. It was originally given to Edward of Woodstock, the “Black Prince,” in 1366. By 1415, King Henry V wore it into battle and nearly lost it and his life during the conflict.

It was a favorite piece of King Henry VIII and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. It currently resides in Britain’s Imperial State Crown in the Tower of London.

For centuries, spinel has been an underrated stone, even when it shares many of the positive characteristics in color, vibrance, and hardness (Mohs Scale of Hardness value of eight) as more popular gems. “It’s one of the easiest stones to cut, and strangely enough, it’s very forgiving,” said Barber.

Where are Spinel Gems Found?

Depending on the percentage of chromium, iron, and cobalt influencing the stone, spinel is found in pinks, reds, and oranges to the hues of blues and violets. Found in Brazil, Kenya, and Vietnam, the Mahenge region of Tanzania is particularly well-known for this gemstone after the exciting discovery of the fiery pink spinel in 2007. But 2021 brought something completely different.

“In late October of last year this blue material came through the office doors,” said Barber. He said that Nifal immediately FaceTimed him to show him the new discovery. “He was so excited because of the color. It looks like a royal blue sapphire. He was like a kid in a candy shop with tears in his eyes.”

While there is a percentage of iron in the stone, Barber said, “It’s cobalt that gives it that electric blue. The color is stunning.”

This latest discovery is also larger than other cobalt spinel specimens found in other parts of the world. Barber said the material from Tanzania is coming out in two, three, and even four-carats in clear stones, which is undoubtedly exciting news for gem dealers.

A Business Built on Connections

Connecting high-quality gems, such as the cobalt spinel, with experts within the world of gemstones is the heart of Mahenge Gems.

“This business is entirely relation-based. It’s all about meeting people and doing business with people you like,” he said. “When we’re at the shows everyone gets together.”

This includes the partnership between Barber and Nifal who balance each other’s strengths and specialties. “(Nifal) looks after the sourcing. He can look at a piece of rough and know what is going to come from that stone,” said Barber. “I’m the guy who takes care of the marketing and the backend stuff.”

And for Mahenge Gems, the most important working relationships begin at the ground level with those who’ve mined these materials for generations. “Artisanal mining is very different. We have to look after the people in the supply chain,” he said. “We do what we can to give back. It can’t all be taken, take, take.”

The town of Mahenge was literally built on the mineral business, yet, in reality, this way of life is finite. Once these materials are extracted, they don’t grow back. Barber uses tanzanite as an example. The vibrant blue and purple-hued tanzanite exhibits pleochroism, the quality to display different colors depending on the angle of the stone, is unique to this region and, being identified in 1967, is one of the newest gems. Unfortunately, it’s not an unending source. “Tanzanite will be mined out in 20 years,” he said. With this knowledge, he feels it’s important to give miners a fair price within this mutually beneficial relationship.

Real-World Value

The other aspect of the gemstone industry that Barber appreciates is they are handling real, hard assets with a market value. This is not a fiat currency and there is nothing digital about holding a gemstone in your hand.

Whenever traditional markets waiver, hard assets surge ahead. “The stone market in gems is very strong,” explained Barber, who noted that people who are moving off the stock market are pushing prices of stones to record highs. Even with multiple supply chain issues, gem sales are strong. “In Sri Lanka, the price of sapphires has doubled in the last six months,” he said. And while he doesn’t expect it to last forever, it’s indicative of the appreciation and value of these high-quality gemstones.

When looking at the world of precious and semi-precious stones, diamonds have long received the glory, but is it well-earned?

As Barber points out, “Diamonds are judged on the absence of everything. Whereas colored gemstones are judged on the presence of everything.” From the local miners to the person who wears the finished jewelry, there is a presence of life in the stones brought to the world by Mahenge Gems.

This story about spinel gems previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Amy Grisak. Sponsored by Mahenge Gems.

The post Where are Spinel Gems Found? first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Opals are unique gemstones. They display a distinctive dynamic play of color caused by a silica dioxide microstructure that both diffracts and refracts light into the colors of the visible spectrum. Colors seen in opals are because of interference of light waves, so the observable play of color depends on the nature of the light where the opal is being viewed.

Getting Started @ Lightning Ridge

In the early 1990s, a young woman named Vicki Bokros, who grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast, fell in love with opal. After a chance encounter with a gemstone dealer where she saw a stunning collection of opals, Vicki set out to Lightning Ridge to seek her fortune.

At only 19 years old, Vicki’s goal was to stay at Lightning Ridge for a few weeks, buy opals, then head home to process and sell them. But her plans changed when a rough opal nobby purchased with her last $500 revealed a stone that became the famous ‘Southern Princess’ — a5.40-carat oval-shaped black opal with a rare ribbon pattern.

The sale of this opal enabled Vicki to buy a beautiful sandstone miner’s camp on the fields, where she settled and became an opal miner, cutter and wholesaler.

This was not a traditional job for a young woman. The small, male-dominated mining town was a tough place, but it provided the perfect setting to learn everything there was to know about opals, especially black opals.

By the mid-1990s, Vicki opened her first shop on the main street because of buyers knocking on her camp door. In 2000, she purchased the property that is now the global headquarters of Down To Earth Opals (DTEO) and where a stunning state-of-the-art retail store and gallery emerged in 2021.

Down to Earth Opals Today

These days, DTEO is run by Vicki and her husband Andrew Kemeny, a former mortgage broker whose passion is the science, physics and chemistry of opals. Andrew has also become an accomplished opal cutter, award-winning opal carver and is designated mine manager for their hobby opal mine.

The DTEO retail shop in Lightning Ridge celebrated 20 years in its current location in 2020. During the pandemic, Vicki and Andrew planned an extension of their space to 1,000 square feet, coupled with a complete renovation to create a world-class retail space that would be a must-visit destination.

This included incorporating opal education and hands-on experiences for visitors including all opal types mined in the Lightning Ridge area and their top gem-quality black opals which are rarely seen on public display. This is all complemented by authentic First Nations artworks, textiles and handmade jewelry from around the world.

Lighting is critical as opals viewed in the showroom must look the same when they are taken home. “The most sophisticated elements of the new showroom are lighting, flooring, I.T. and cabinetry, which were tackled simultaneously by expert suppliers within Australia and around the world,” says Andrew.

“It took six months for our lighting contractor to source an appropriate solution, eventually from the U.S. Lighting throughout the new space has a color temperature envelope as close to natural sunlight as possible and is all created by efficient LED technology incorporating hybrid chips. The final layout and intensities are determined by computer simulations to desired lux levels at every part of the shop.”

The space also features bespoke cabinetry designed from the ground up, a first-of-its-kind simulated 3D photographic image of an opal washing tank printed on commercial vinyl flooring from the Netherlands, comprehensive security systems with backup electrical power, and a state-of-the-art opal cutting and polishing workshop created in the back of the house allowing for hands-on visitor demonstrations and personal teaching.

Coming to America

You don’t have to make a trip Down Under to take advantage of all Down to Earth Opals has to offer. The company’s website has been overhauled to complement the physical showroom in Lightning Ridge.

Featuring a new contemporary look, the website uses professional photography, video and animation to tell the story of DTEO and showcase the highest quality black opals and opal jewelry. Vicki is the jewelry designer and creates each jewelry piece from scratch.

“I consider the best orientation for maximum play of color, vibrancy and appeal, and then create the setting to accentuate the opal’s beauty,” says Vicki. “Our designs are all bespoke and every setting is passionately hand-made for the stone.

I am proud that the opal is mined here, cut or carved in our workshop, designed on the premises and then set by one of our three jewelers who all reside within Australia.”

Of course, nothing can compare with meeting Vicki and Andrew and seeing their opals in person. After a three-year hiatus, DTEO will be present at the 2023 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at their usual locations (listed below).

“We have been longing to return to Tucson to see our customers, friends and colleagues. Over the past 20 years, we have met the most incredibly talented and passionate people from all over the world at Tucson.

Many have become personal friends, with the love of opal being the common thread that binds us together,” says Vicki. “If you have been watching the Aussie series of Outback Opal Hunters then we may have a treat in store for you.”

This sponsored business profile about Down to Earth Opals appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and photos by Audrey Pavia.

The post Meet Down to Earth Opals first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Well, imagine no more. Such a place actually exists—on the internet. Gemstones.com is a vast website filled with engaging articles, high-quality photos and in-depth videos, all about gemstones.

Launching a Website

Gemstones.com launched in the fall of 2021 and was created by experts with extensive experience in the gem industry.

“Gemstones.com has been a labor of love as a decades-long pursuit to develop a best-in-class education platform for gemstone enthusiasts,” says Tim Matthews, Chief Executive Officer at JTV, the parent company of gemstones.com. “It’s a comprehensive and authoritative resource for gemstone education.”

Designed to be the premier destination for fun and interactive ways to learn about gems, gemstones.com has everything from fundamental gemstone fact pages, to exclusive video interviews, to shopping features.

“Our team of experts partners with world-renowned industry leaders, including miners, lapidaries and fellow gemologists to ensure our content is the most current and relevant gem information on the market,” says Matthews. “In fact, gemstones.com is implementing the enabling technology to garner and publish authoritative information directly from experts around the world, with the express mission of becoming the most comprehensive source online for information about gemstones.”

Website Content

Just some of the content on the site includes articles on collecting, color, optical properties, luster, natural versus lab-grown gems, shape versus cut, origins, birthstones, and settings. Videos on tourmaline mining in Brazil, design and wax carving, exploring a tanzanite mine, and gems and minerals created by accident are among the options for viewing.

The site also features the Gemopedia, a catalog of more than 400 gemstone species. This online encyclopedia includes photos and facts about gemstones from azurite to zoisite, and everything in between.

Each entry includes the stone’s classification, optical properties, characteristic and physical properties, and chemical and crystallography. Alternate names, countries of origin, history and details on how to care for the gem are also part of each listing.

Making Purchases

Gem enthusiasts looking to broaden their collections will also find a vast assortment of gemstones. In fact, individual gemstones and gemstone parcels are available for purchase through two authorized retailers: Jedora and JTV, which also sell jewelry and watches.

In addition to articles, videos and shopping, the website has also launched a television show on the JTV network, which reaches 80 million households. Called Gem Discoveries by Gemstones.com, the show will initially air weekly, immersing viewers in the beauty, history, science and lore of a vast array of fine gemstones.

“Recently, we have seen a resurgence in the popularity of gems and mineral specimens through an increased use in home decor, a growing interest in gemstone collecting and the high demand for increasingly scarce gems,” says Matthews. “Television is the perfect medium for ‘show and tell’ all about gemstones, in a visual way that no other medium can match.”

Gem Discoveries

Matthews goes on to say that a television show provides a unique opportunity to spend hours of dedicated time educating and entertaining fellow gem lovers in ways that are not feasible with other platforms.

“The audience can spend time learning gemological facts from our hosts and special guests, watching the gems in high definition at 360-degree angles, and hearing the most updated gem news on the market,” he says.

“We are passionate about creating a meaningful relationship with our audience and sharing with them the mission to open the world of gems to everyone, and a television show is a proven way to build that connection.”

Most recently, Gem Discoveries featured a Skype call with Michelle and Danny Hatcher, owners of a black opal mine in Lightning Ridge, Australia.

“We followed Danny as he went into their mine and showed viewers what it’s like to climb down a shaft and explore for treasures,” says Matthews. “His wife then demonstrated how she cuts all the gemstones from their mine.”

Future segments will feature renowned lapidaries, industry experts and more mine owners from across the globe.

Gem Discoveries by Gemstones.com airs on JTV every Monday at noon ET, with additional show dates coming soon.

This sponsored story about gemstones.com previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Audrey Pavia.

The post Gemstones.com – An Online Gem Resource first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Putting the Pieces Together

One of those early buckaroos was Harry L. Wilson, who was born and raised in the Surprise Valley community of Fort Bidwell, and later worked cattle for an enormous, multi-state ranching operation before partnering with a couple of friends in 1925. “They bought homesteads that eventually became consolidated as the Virgin Valley Ranch,” says Julie Wilson, granddaughter and third generation to operate the Royal Peacock Mine.

The appeal of these pretty gems wasn’t the reason Harry L. Wilson purchased the nearby opal mine, which they later named the Royal Peacock, in 1944. It was all because of his wife, Mabel. He was all about the cattle and the horses, but she liked the “sparkle and bling.”

Beyond the beauty of the opals, this entire region is a world of its own. “The Virgin Valley is remote, but it was genuinely nestled in the boondocks in the 1950s. My grandfather lived on the ranch before Highway 140 connected Virgin Valley with Lakeview, about 100 miles to the west,” says Julie. “It was a time when Modoc County’s Surprise Valley towns of Cedarville, Fort Bidwell and Lake City were the nearest watering holes. There was no electricity until 1968 or telephone service until 1970. For years, my grandparents operated a cattle ranch and raised horses. It became surrounded by the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, which was created in 1931.”

Changing Times

When the refuge eventually expanded, cattle were no longer permitted on the land. This required the Wilsons to sell 1,600 acres of the ranch, which was the largest inholding in the area, to the Nature Conservancy. But they still had the mine and the remainder of the ranch.

Born in 1932, Julie’s father, Harry W. Wilson, naturally fit into the rhythm of this stunning landscape. He met his future wife, Joy Wimer, during their high school years in Cedarville. Julie comments that after they were married in 1953, her mother’s initial impression was, “I thought he brought me to the end of the world.’”

In the first few decades, there was some early small-scale commercial leasing and public fee digging. It wasn’t until 1973 that Julie’s parents shifted the focus of the mine, introducing more people to these beautiful gems. The couple is even responsible for petitioning the Nevada State Legislature to recognize the black opals from the Virgin Valley as the Nevada State Precious Gemstone. There is now an exhibit at the capitol building in Carson City.

“Over the years, millions of dollars of opals have been extracted from the family mine in Virgin Valley, which has more than 200 private claims,” Julie notes. To this day, the mine remains family-run with a keen focus on welcoming other families to this beautiful locale with the opportunity to find their own opals.

Growing Up at Royal Peacock

“All you find is yours to keep,” says Jake Anderson, Julie’s son who started working at the Royal Peacock in 2010 and has been a key figure in the mine’s operation since Julie’s father passed suddenly in 2016. Jake also runs their 500-acre alfalfa farm located a couple of hours from the mine.

“As a young boy growing up (Jake) would go stay with his grandparents, Harry and Joy, playing in the dirt at the mine with his brothers,” says Julie.

Spending so much of his childhood at the mine, Jake was privileged to be mentored by his grandfather who taught him how to read the layers of the hill, along with the “ins and outs” of operating a mine. “This allowed Jake to gain the knowledge of the past and the best ways to help people be successful in digging,” Julie notes One of Jake’s earliest significant discoveries was finding his first black opal when he was 14 years old. “I used to think fossilized wood was worth a million bucks,” he says, but one day when he and his brother were messing around, he broke a limb cast that was loaded with fire. Being immersed in the mine throughout his life, and understanding the satisfaction of finding these gemstones, allows Jake to help others experience the same thrill of discovering something truly special.

Through the tutelage of his grandfather, Jakes says he learned, “You’ll find (a treasure) when you least expect it.”

Continuing a Legacy

These words of wisdom turned out to be especially true for Jake when it came to meeting his wife, Cassie. In August 2020, Jake took a trip to the Spectrum Sunstone Mine in Plush, Oregon, and happened to meet a family from Washington. He immediately hit it off with Cassie as the couple worked together looking for sunstones, but ultimately, Jake and Cassie found a treasure in each other. Before Cassie’s family left for their next mining adventure, Jake gifted her with an opal from his family’s mine.

“The Royal Peacock was my family’s second stop,” says Cassie. She and her family traveled to the mine, leaving Jake to continue his effort looking for sunstones, but were pleasantly surprised when they woke up the next morning with Jake parked outside of their lodging. The running joke in the family is that Jake claims, even to this day, that his phone broke, but others think it was a plausible excuse.

Regardless of the phone functionality, Jake discovered his ideal mate. Cassie has gemstones in her blood.

“My parents got me started when I was seven,” she says when they visited Crystal Park in Montana looking for amethysts and crystals. “It’s incredible what the earth can create. I’m so blessed to have been able to become part of this family.” She’s equally smitten with the terrain in this remote country. “It’s an oasis out there, that’s for sure. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

Continuing a Legacy

From this serendipitous meeting, the two married and continued the family legacy with the birth of their son, Sterling HB Anderson, the fifth generation of the Royal Peacock Opal Mine. “It just means the world to me.

I am still in shock,” says Jake.

Julie admits she was wondering whether Jake would ever meet anyone and continue the legacy of the family mining business.

“When he met Cassie, it changed our lives forever,” she says.

With a focus on the future, the entire family strives to make the mine viable for generations to come. Julie always has an eye on annual improvements to the mine and the campgrounds.

“Every time she says, ‘Here’s what I was thinking” (almost daily) to the crew, we all know we are in for a new project,” jokes Cassie. As Julie looks to the future, her intent is to hand over the torch to Jake and Cassie, allowing her to make time for things she has always wanted to do, but never had the time.

A Place for Nature

Besides a premiere opal mine, their family’s legacy is a place of beauty and serenity. Jake says if folks like wide open spaces and the ability to see for miles upon miles, this is the place to be. There are also exceptional bird watching opportunities, trails for ATV adventures and hiking routes throughout the area which are favorites for those searching for a time to unwind. However, it is important to note that there are many active mining claims, which make it important to not trespass.

Julie also notes that they are blessed with rare dark skies for those who wish to experience the stars as few can anymore. With less than 80 percent of Americans able to see the Milky Way at their homes, looking up at the stars without light pollution is something few people forget. This is just another special aspect of this place they call home.

With their roots sunk deeply in the opal-rich earth, Julie, Jake and Cassie, along with their hardworking crew, look forward to the future. They are proof that treasures come in many forms, and for this family, what is most precious is being together in the place they were meant to be.

This sponsored story about the Royal Peacock Opal Mine previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Amy Grisak.

The post Exploring the Royal Peacock Opal Mine first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Moving Headquarters

In January 2020, the company moved from Redlands, California, to Meridian, Idaho.

“We believe the timing of the moving was nothing short of miraculous. Because we moved when we did, we were able to continue the production of equipment through the pandemic. Our new factory allowed our employees to be socially distanced from each other, maintaining safety throughout the shutdowns,” said Ashlee Emoto, general manager of Covington Engineering. “Being essential to aerospace, oil field industries, and other scientific fields meant we had to maintain production, which was vital to many customers and to our employees.”

In 2021, Covington Engineering purchased the Ameritool line of products and supplies. According to Emoto, this  is considered a “match made in heaven.” In fact, in the spring of 2021 the company saw its biggest production list ever.

Buying Ameritool

With the Ameritool line of products complementing the Covington line, the accessibility serves the needs of a greater audience of customers and people of varying skill levels, according to Emoto.

“These machines are a great way to introduce people to lapidary work! We produce the machines and the pro sanding disc diamond pads in our factory in Idaho,” she said. “The Ameritool grinders and saws are a great introductory machine at a great price.”

Other Additions

Another addition to the Covington Engineering family is a line of ultrasonic drills. The company took over Cutting Edge Solutions in late 2020, which means customers have the opportunity to purchase ultrasonic drills, which are a great tool for quickly cutting holes through stones, added Emoto.

Covington Engineering also purchased a plasma cutter, which has reduced the time and labor involved in creating every piece of equipment the company makes. The company has added CNC mills, lathes, and a press break.

“Each of these items has allowed us to hold tighter tolerances while producing products more quickly and with higher quality materials,” Emoto said. “We have also been able to bring much of the work that used to be done by outside vendors in-house. This has increased accountability while decreasing costs.”

Asked what the founders might think about all these evolutions and expansions, the sentiment is a tremendous sense of pride.

“I think the Covington founders would be most impressed with the company’s ability to adapt to change over the years. The past decade alone has seen the business grow and adapt through countless changes,” according to Emoto.

Saws! Saws! Saws!

One of the long-time standards in the Covington Engineering lineup remains a top seller: saws!

“Saws of all sizes, from 6 inches to 36 inches, are a hot commodity,” Emoto said.

People discovering or rediscovering a love of lapidary during the pandemic hasn’t diminished with a return to pre-pandemic activities.

“People are still interested in the usual equipment such as flat laps, combo units and sanders but this year has definitely been the year for saws,” said Emoto.

Although much has changed from the early days of Covington Engineering’s story, the timeless commitment to creating quality equipment and materials remains at the center of the activities of this industry leader.

“Covington makes equipment that is designed to last a user for decades. We purchase high-quality materials and take great care to maintain tolerances and produce precision-based machinery,” Emoto said. “It is this care and dedication to our work that sets our equipment apart.”

Arrowhead Lapidary Supply

How long has Arrowhead Lapidary Supply used Covington Equipment? What items do you own and use?

We have used Covington equipment since about 2007. We also use a 16-inch saw, little sphere machine, maxi-lap, triple gallon tumbler and a Rociprolap.

What attracted you to Covington machinery and what impresses you most about it?

Quality construction and they are made in the USA. They are sturdily made, and they last a very long time. Also, Covington has great customer service and support on their products.

How does working with Covington machinery help your business? 

They make working on our products less time-consuming.

How did you get started in this line of work? 

It started in 1996 when we were in Montana. We visited a rock shop and saw all the interesting things that were made out of stone. Having an industrial background, we thought it would be fun, and then it made a good business.

Bob’s Jade & Gems – Bob Carman

How long has Bob’s Jade and Gems used Covington Equipment and what items do you own and use?

I have owned my Ameritool equipment for about seven to eight years. I have the universal grinder and the 4-inch trim saw. These machines are dependable and have given me years of enjoyment.

What attracted you to Covington Machinery and what impresses you most? 

The 8-inch grinder is a versatile machine that allows me to make standardized and freeform cabs and polish flat and rounded surfaces. The 4-inch trim saw is very useful for prepping cabs, freeforms, and preforms. The trim saw diamond blades are thin and will save expensive rough material. These compact machines conveniently run on water and take up minimal workbench space.

How does working with Covington machinery help your business? 

What I find challenging is using my imagination to craft new and unique lapidary art forms. With some creativity, these units offer a wide range of design potential.

How did you get started in this line of work? 

I was always interested in rocks and minerals. I learned to do lapidary from a young age. At one of the gem and mineral shows I attended, I bought my first piece of jade. I have since become hooked on collecting and working with jade. Most of the lapidary work I do now is with jade.

MARK BOLICK – ASHEVILLE, NC

How long have you used Covington Equipment? What items do you own and use?

I’ve used Covington equipment for 25 years, from flat lap grinders, to belt sanders, to lathes, and Rociprolaps.

What attracted you to Covington Machinery and what impresses you most? 

I’ve always been impressed with the build quality and customer service from Covington. They understand their equipment and what pieces will work the best for the process you need to accomplish, and you can count on the equipment to do the job. The nice thing about Covington equipment is that it is easy to operate and understand. I don’t have to spend working time trying to figure out how a piece of machinery works — it just works and allows me to increase productivity instead of re-training.

How does working with Covington machinery help your business? 

Having the ability to quickly accomplish things that need to be done opens up new opportunities to discover what we never thought might be possible before. It’s so easy to experiment and test new techniques, that it pushes us to discover new and different ways to manipulate materials with the equipment.

How did you get started in this line of work? 

Once equipment and tools were readily available to achieve an optically flat surface in a home studio, it expanded our ability to move from strictly blown work to a more constructed design.

This sponsored story about lapidary equipment and supplies with Covington Engineering previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. 

The post Lapidary Equipment & Supplies – Covington Engineering first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Resilient, passionate, giving, and camaraderie describe the spirit of the Paradise Gem & Mineral Club member.

Resiliency is a significant factor in the past and present of this California-based club, which formed in 1950. As history reports reveal, it came to be when several people made their way from the San Francisco Bay area to Paradise. It was among the transplants that like-minded rockhounds, who enjoyed scouring the area and taking trips to other areas of the state in search of rock and minerals, came together to form the club.

Fast forward to 2018 and the devastating fires that swept through and destroyed thousands of acres and homes throughout California. A number of Paradise club members lost everything in the fires, including collections and lapidary equipment. As people had to rebuild their homes and lives, the club membership drastically declined.

During this particular moment in time, a silver lining was the generosity of a partnership with the Gold Nugget Museum. The museum, which also suffered a complete loss of its building and collections during the fires, invited the club to partner and share space in its new museum locality. Thanks to this generosity, the club has a home and a place to meet.

Flash ahead to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, and just like most other clubs, the group had to cancel its popular annual show, which would have marked the 70th anniversary of the club. Instead of 2020, the resiliency of the club members resulted in a wildly popular show in April of 2021.

The theme of the show: Out of the Fire We Rise! Celebrating 70 Years!, brought a tremendous response from the community. The indoor/outdoor event saw nearly 3,000 youth and adults attend the show during the three days, and as organizers report, it was a rousing success for vendors.

The response to the show only serves to inspire this club to keep moving forward and keep aiming to serve the community with education, experiences, and inspiring all to enjoy the hunt, collection, and creativity that involves rocks, minerals, and gems.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/paradisegemandmineralclub.

The post Paradise Gem & Mineral Club Steeped in Resiliency first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

From the Editor: We are connecting with our regular advertisers during this time of self-quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, to learn how they are spending this time and to learn a bit more about them and their business.

David Lee Smith and his wife, Sue, owners of SilverSmithingClass.com, are familiar with the patience, perseverance, and practical hopefulness needed to create and operate a business focused on personal passions.

After working in a few different careers, the couple opened Beads Amore’ in Indianapolis in 2001, with Sue at the helm. Through opening the business and working with customers to create jewelry, David rediscovered a creative passion he enjoyed as a teen, building metal art. With the country’s economic struggles of 2008 and 2009, business at the bead shop dropped to a point where the Smiths’ could not keep the doors open unless they found another source of income, David explained.

2020-2021 Class Schedule Update: SilverSmithingClass.com is hosting beginner classes, in small-group settings with safety measures in place, with space available in sessions set for the end of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. Visit SilverSmithingClass.com to view the schedule and learn more.

Changing Gears

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and with the future of their business hanging in the balance, David contacted various bead stores across the United States, inquiring as to whether they would welcome him to teach silversmithing classes at their stores. The response was tremendously positive and thus began a busy travel schedule for David, who regularly taught at 33 stores, from 2009 until 2018. During this time, unfortunately, the Smiths had to close their bead store, at which point the couple decided it was time to move back to the West Coast.

The Smiths’ purchased a home on Saunders Lake in Oregon, and although it wasn’t supposed to be a fixer-upper, it was, David said.

“One hundred thousand dollars later and lots of sweat equity, it is really quite nice, with 280-degree lake views from just about every room,” he added.

About the time the renovation was complete, David needed to cut back on his travel and teaching schedule. This occurred as almost all of the bead stores he visited and taught at were going out of business. As David explains, the small craft bead business never seemed to fully recover following the economic challenges of 2008 and 2009.

With this shift in their industry, the Smiths’ developed SilverSmithingClass.com and the Silversmithing Retreat. This is another example of perseverance at work in the life and career of this couple. Now, the Smiths’ host silversmithing retreats in their home studio, and travel to Las Vegas and Sacramento a few times a year to teach.

In addition to operating their home-shop-studio in North Bend, Oregon, the couple sells and ships products such as videos, and tools via the www.silversmithingclass.com website. During the nation’s period of self-quarantine, the Smiths have been using the time to learn new linking techniques and SEO to implement on their website, as well as developing new Silversmithing Retreat on the Lake promo materials and manufacturing new tools for the jewelry industry, specifically bezel setting cabochons.

Hear from David himself…

We asked David a few additional questions to help us get to know this seasoned silversmith and teacher better.

Rock & Gem: When people ask what you do for a living, what’s your response?
David Smith: I teach people how to make awesome jewelry out of silver and stones.

RG: Who or what is one of the greatest sources of inspiration for you, and why?
DS: Bill Gates inspired me to succeed without a formal college education, by his success without a (formal) degree.

RG: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
DS: Focus your time on the task at hand and don’t get distracted by the unimportant or things you cannot change.

RG: In terms of business operations, what are some of the things you’ve come up with to ‘ride the tide’ during this time of self-quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic?
DS: I have also spent time developing a production line for my new item of equipment, the “Superior Soldering Tripod,” and am now working on the marketing for it and our retreats.

RG: What is one thing for which you are most grateful?
DS: My wife Sue has been my solid rock for the last 17 years in many ways, including being an exceptionally good cook. Even when things are tough, if you have good food and a stable household, things go so much easier.

RG: Think back to when you were a child, what was one of your favorite things to do, and what made it special?
DS: Even in early childhood I was always building things. Blocks, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, hot rods, race cars, and eventually houses and then jewelry. I have supervised many different types of manufacturing workers and loved the teaching part of it. So, teaching and making tools (form) my sweet spot.

For More Information

Online: www.silversmithingclass.com and www.silversmithingretreat.com
Phone: 916-548-7361
Email: dave@silversmithingclass.com

The post Business Spotlight: SilverSmithingClass.com first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

By Antoinette Rahn

For more than five decades, Stephen Newstrom has been living what he calls an “opal adventure.”

This unique and rewarding life is one he shares with his wife, Darlene, and as owners and operators of The Village Smithy Opal, Inc. His rockhounding origins story mirrors that of other business owners within the industry, in that he discovered his love for rockhounding as a child.

Early Inspiration Into Opal Appreciation

“When I was young, my father and I used to take camping trips to the north shore of Lake Superior,” said the native of Minnesota. “The purpose of the trips was mostly to collect the small Lake Superior agates along the shoreline, north of Two Harbors Minnesota. I cherish those memories!”

Those early rockhounding excursions created a passion that would evolve into a rewarding and successful profession. Several things along the way, including the gift of a B & I Gem Maker on his 14th birthday, and a hands-on introduction to opals, would become a source of great inspiration and the stuff of his dreams.

Part of Newstrom’s introduction to opals occurred in 1964, when he was just 15, with the purchase of the popular reference, “The Opal Book,” by Frank Leechman.

“While reading (The Opal Book), I had visions of a great adventure, moving to Australia and digging for opals,” he said.

If reading this book inspired great excitement and intrigue in Newstrom, then the opportunity to handle an opal only enhanced his decades-long fascination with opals.

“My first exposure to opals (took place) at Hudson’s jewelry store in downtown Minneapolis, and I was amazed by the beauty of opals,” Newstrom recalled. “I was even able to hold one of the jewelry pieces with black opals from Lightning Ridge under bright lights, turning it from side to side, almost hypnotized by the bright multi-color flashes.

“I’ve always thought opals are so different from every other gemstone that they seem to come from another planet.”

Jewelry Making Leads to Opal

Eventually, Newstrom, who worked for many years as a service engineer for GE Medical Systems, while living in Nisswa, Minnesota, began creating gold and silver lapidary jewelry on a part-time basis, to sell at a consignment art shop. Originally, the side business he operated was Village Smithy Jewelry, but when the focus became largely about opals, Nestrom chose the name Village Smithy Opals.

The Newstroms took the first of many opal adventures to Australia, in 2000, thus fulfilling the dream Stephen held since the age of 15. Most of the trips are spent at the Coober Pedy Precious Stones Field, which is where the majority of the opal mining and production occurs, Newstrom explained.

“Typically, the opals from Coober Pedy are the classic white base opals that you see in most jewelry stores in the U.S. But the crème de la crème of opals can only be found in the Lightning Ridge opal fields. The price of a gem quality black opal with a rare multi-color fire pattern can easily exceed $10,000/carat. So, as you can imagine, most of the opals with any real promise aren’t sold as rough but are cut on the opal fields and sold to buyers of cut stones — opal cabochons.”

Opal Travels

In addition to Australia, Stephen and Darlene have also traveled to Ethiopia on opal buying trips. Currently, the couple has another trip to Australia planned for September of this year, but, that like many things at present, is contingent on the status of the coronavirus pandemic. During this time of quarantine, the Newstroms, who consider themselves gemstone importers, have been busy, fielding a steady stream of orders received through their company website: https://villagesmithyopals.com. Also, Stephen is spending this time of self-isolation photographing new inventory to add to the website.

This journey that evolved into a profession, has been and continues to be quite the

excursion, and source of joy. for the couple, who now call Billings, Montana home.

“I have so many things I could be grateful for that I could never pick just one,” Newstrom said. “I am grateful for my health, that I can walk, talk, and feed myself. I am grateful for my wife and our marriage.
“I could go on ad infinitum.”

Whether he and his wife are visiting Australia to buy opals, selling products through their online store, or reflecting on the good life they’ve built, advice given to Stephen by his father remains at the center of how he lives his life and runs his business.

“My father told me to’ treat people like you’d like to be treated,’” Newstrom said. “That advice has served me well.”

Connect With The Village Smithy Opal, Inc
Online: www.villagesmithyopals.com
Email: info@villagesmithyopals.com
Phone: 406-651-4947
Mail: P.O. Box 21704
Billings Montana
59104-1704

The post Evolution of Opal Appreciation: The Village Smithy Opal, Inc. first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.