R&G Kids: Gemstone Carving

By Jim Brace-Thompson

One enjoyable form of lapidary arts is carving. I’m not talking about a sculpture of the sort that Michelangelo crafted from 10- or 20-foot slabs of marble, nor huge national monuments like the Lincoln Memorial or Mount Rushmore. Rather, think of small sculptures that can fit into the palm of your hand or even smaller pieces that might be incorporated into necklaces or wire-wrapped jewelry.

Carving hard rocks such as agate, jasper, or jade requires fairly expensive tools and machines such as a flexible shaft Foredom or Dremel with diamond bits and carving points, a gem lathe or fixed-shaft spindle, or more. Besides the expense involved in acquiring such machines and their associated bits, carving these harder rocks requires instruction with an experienced mentor and lots of practice.

Also, rough semi-precious gemstones such as jade or lapis lazuli don’t come cheap! Still, the pay-off and reward in the form of a beautiful, gleaming work of art are worth the expense and the effort.

But not all carving requires expensive equipment or materials. For instance, soft-stone carving with commonly available and inexpensive rocks such as alabaster, soapstone, marble, or travertine can be accomplished using simple hand tools. These include knives, scribes, files, sanding boards, various grits of wet-and-soft sandpaper, and polished-infused pieces of leather or cotton flannel.

Whether you opt for hard-stone carving with expensive machinery and high-priced rough stones or for soft-stone carving with hand tools and easily acquired rocks, you will be able to take great pride and satisfaction in transforming somewhat dull, ordinary rocks from nature into shining and dazzling works of art that are wonders to behold!