Exactly what are the lapidary arts? Succinctly put, lapidary arts are the activities involved with shaping stones, minerals and gems into decorative items such as cabochons and faceted gems.

Access = Growth

I have been playing and working in the lapidary world for the past ten years. I facet, cab and carve gemstones, sell rough materials to other lapidary artists, teach faceting and carving, along with selling ULTRA TEC faceting machines. From 1988 to 2000, I worked as a researcher and developer on the National Science Foundation project that kickstarted the birth of the Internet. I am seeing parallels between the amazing digital communications paradigm shift and the lapidary arts’ evolution. The internet is the main catalyst driving the current renaissance of lapidary arts. The other major factors propelling lapidary arts forward are design software, new equipment and materials, and the ability for people to work from home – a unique opportunity for growth in our industry.

Now information is at our fingertips and traveling to buy rough stones and lapidary materials is a luxury and an adventure. People can travel to the Bolivia mine to buy the world’s finest ametrine for gemstone faceting, but they can alternately receive photos, videos, descriptions, and pricing via WhatsApp minutes after a request. Payment takes just seconds and a purchase can be delivered in days. This replaces the old mine-to-broker-to-exporter-to-importer-to-broker-to-gemstone cutter system and negates the additional markup of price for each of these hand-offs. Being able to conduct business online is significant because it provides lapidary artists and jewelers quick, affordable, and easy access to gemstones and rough from around the world.

Learning & Sharing

Previous generations of cutters were constrained to years of training through the apprenticeship model of instruction. The internet has freed newcomers by providing access to most of the information needed to get started and the ability to purchase the necessary materials. On a personal note, I can provide remote video faceting training globally. Follow-up questions are answered via email text and messaging. Although in-studio lessons are superior, the ability to provide a live video lesson brings the cost of learning gemstone faceting down significantly.

We can share information easily, but that does not mean that it happens. As with most trades, crafts, and artistic endeavors, processes and techniques have often been secretive. I see that the new generation of lapidary artists is more willing to share their knowledge with colleagues and beginners. We are starting to understand that knowledge is power, but only when it is shared. Social media provides rapid sharing and co-development of ideas, allowing quick development of new designs, techniques, and collaborations.

Selling Online

Easily available e-commerce gives stone dealers, cutters, and jewelers the ability to sell their materials online. Using social media, we have been able to create profitable and growing businesses. We no longer have to own a physical storefront, visit jewelry store clients, or attend gem and mineral shows. In four years, I was able to amass 60,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook. The result of this social media growth translates into my gemstone faceting business being booked nine months out. The cost of presenting and selling my finished lapidary creations is now at a minimum. My faceting students can set up and sell their gemstones six months after their first lesson with minimal sales infrastructure investment.

Digital Lapidary Design

The digital benefits of lapidary are not limited to information and commerce. Over the past years, gemstone designers have used computers to calculate the mathematical equations and geometry necessary to both improve and create better-performing and spectacular gemstones. Robert Wood Strickland developed the GemCad and GemRay programs that allow any gemstone cutter to use a computer to design and optimize their gemstone creations. The recent addition of the Gem Cut Studio has made creating gemstone designs available to anyone who has a computer, the time to read the manual, and a commitment to practice. All the basics of math, geometry, and gemstone attributes (such as material hardness and refractive indexes) have been put in the CAD (Computer-Aided Design) programs. The programs/apps shorten the learning curve in gemstone design by months if not years. Of course, knowing the basic principles of these disciplines is beneficial, but no longer an obstacle to generating cutting-edge designs. These programs are tools that put current cutters years ahead of their predecessors.

Precision Lapidary Tools & Materials

Newly developed precision tools have allowed artists to work faster, more accurately, and with finer detail. There are also new materials such as better abrasives for faceting, cabbing, and carving all varieties of rocks and gems. In addition, cutters are using instruments made for different media in their lapidary work. In Henry Hunt’s book, “American Lapidary, Designing the Carved Gemstone,” the author claims that in any artistic endeavor, originality follows the introduction of new tools and techniques. With this break from tradition, we are seeing the new generation of lapidary artists developing new processes and techniques that are innovative and exciting.

An Exciting Future for Lapidary Work

All of these innovations and advancements put new and young individuals looking to create their own lapidary art business in a unique and advantageous position. The ability to build one’s own business is a catalyst in the evolution of the lapidary arts.

We have a new generation of craftspeople and artists who grew up understanding and applying the components of this digital and readily accessible world. They find more rewarding and meaningful employment with the freedom to define their lives on their own terms. The recent development of accessible individual health care and the stay-at-home mentality that COVID-19 instilled also advanced this new breed of independent workers. These shifts enabled people to work at their home studios and within a new business model. Lapidary artists can make and sell whatever they want and whenever they want and are no longer restricted by a brick-and-mortar store, corporate structure, or marketing research reports.

Driven by Industry Pioneers

A renaissance is driven by a group of pioneers. There are dozens of lapidary artists, engineers, and free thinkers who have laid the path for the new generation of lapidary artists. It’s worth your time to look at some of the groundbreaking lapidary artists in the United States. Enjoy their creations and get inspired.

Years from now, when the next generation of lapidary artists looks back at this era of lapidary advancement, I hope that they see what I am seeing – a revolution, an evolution, and a renaissance. This is what happens when advanced technology, global trade, instant communications, social media e-commerce, and a new generational shift of the paradigm exists. I invite you to be aware, open your eyes, seek out, and enjoy the magnificent and wondrous creations of our contemporary lapidary artists during these innovative times.

This story about a lapidary renaissance appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Mark Oros.

The post Exploring a Lapidary Renaissance first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

ABOUT MOROCCAN SEAM AGATE

Moroccan seam agate’s colors are amazing, just like the fall in New England. The colors range from red, orange, pink, peach and green. They are sandwiched between a basalt host stone, and the outer layers are mostly a mix of hematite and goethite. This creates a beautiful border, that at times, has a plume or even a paisley appearance. The majority of the inside of this agate will have a common range of color from red to orange, with decorative banding or fortifications.

HOW TO BUY

When purchasing Moroccan seam agate, you can easily see the patterns showing on the edges. This gives you a good idea of what the slabs will look like inside.

Most of this agate will range from 1/4-inch to two inches thick. This isn’t very thick and it can be a challenge to create shapes from it. What Moroccan seam agate lacks in size, it makes up in color and patterns. Most of the time it’s best to slab this material from north to south. If pieces are a bit thicker and show signs of agate pockets, these can be sliced horizontally, and you can accommodate a different pattern.

CUTTING MOROCCAN SEAM AGATE

The slabbing process is fairly easy with this material. Most of the pieces are like trimming the edges off of a slice of bread. I do all my cuts on a 10-inch trim saw.

Once Moroccan seam agate slabs are cut, this is where the challenge starts. Creating cabs with long thin narrow pieces can be difficult, at least to create a variety of shapes. I tend to choose large oblong ovals or marquise shapes for the majority of my cabs, however, you can get creative and find various ways to cut them utilizing the patterns in each slab. Always take into account that the very edges of each slab are softer grainy basalt that won’t be very good to leave in your cab design, so mark out each preform accordingly.

CABBING THIS MATERIAL

Once your preforms are trimmed out, the cabbing process is pretty standard for most agates. There are just a few things to note upfront.

The outer basalt rind should be trimmed off until you reach solid material, then grind your edges down to your preform marks.

The hematite/goethite edges might be a slight bit softer than the agate center. Don’t worry. This material won’t undercut, however, you will still need to closely watch your edges as cracks may appear as you start grinding down your girdle edge. They usually don’t go all the way through, they tend to show up, but only about 1mm deep. If this happens, you may have to alter your pattern slightly and grind that portion down or draw the edge of your cab in ever so slightly. You may also just shrink down your girdle edge and see if that makes it go away.

From this point, shape and dome on the 80 grit steel wheel. Once your shape is obtained, you can start smoothing out the top on either a 140 soft resin wheel or 220 grit wheel. This should remove the majority of the scratches. Next, finish sanding on the 280 soft resin wheel and continue to dry the cab off checking for any remaining scratches. It’s important to get all of the scratches out on this wheel before moving on since the 600 grit will not be able to get them out.

From this point, the remaining routine will finish off your Moroccan seam agate cab leaving a beautiful high polish on the 14k grit wheel and your cab is all ready to set into jewelry.

This story about Moroccan seam agate appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Russ Kaniuth.

The post Moroccan Seam Agate: What to Cut first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Since this material is full of color blends and patterns, it creates a natural canvas to use in designing cabochons. My son Ben, for example, likes to utilize the color blends to combine hearts into one cab as if the hearts are blending into one.

Buying Orbicular Bloodstone Jasper

Finding this material is relatively easy. There are several sellers on Facebook — in the Slab Depot group, and on eBay.

When buying rough, you can usually see all the colors from the outside, which helps in deciding whether it has the sought-after colors. One thing to note, this material is a rather hard jasper and tends to have a few fractures. Usually, when I know rough may contain fractures, I tend to buy smaller-sized chunks instead of large pieces. I do this just in case the section I purchase contains many hidden fractures that I’ll have to work around during the cabbing process.

This variation of bloodstone might be a material that is best to purchase in pre-cut slabs so that you can see the full pattern and color array immediately.

How to Slab Orbicular Bloodstone Jasper

When slabbing this material, there is no right or wrong way to load the vice. One method is to study the color patterns and try and cut in the direction you feel will best yield the desired patterns. If the piece is large enough, another option is to cut down the center and evaluate the pattern and then load the halves into the saw again, in a different direction. Either way, your study of the patterns and colors will help you bring out the best in each piece.

Another helpful technique when working with bloodstone is to bench test each piece by tapping slightly on a table or workbench and listening for fractures. If it’s solid, draw up templates and trim them out.

As you move into the next phase of cabbing, you’ll find the material is standard to most jaspers. However, because of the hardness and highly silicated composition, it is a jasper that tends to chip easily, especially on the bottom edge of the courser grit wheels. It’s best to trim out preforms just a little larger and then grind away excess on a smoother grit wheel, to avoid chipping.

Finishing Up

As they say, patience is a virtue, and you’ll need a lot of it as you work with this material, because it can be incredibly challenging to remove all of the scratches by the 280 grit stage.

At the point where there are no scratches left, or there is no way they will be removed with the remaining wheels, proceed with your routine and polishing stages. By the time you reach the 14k grit wheel, it should have a fantastic mirror polish. To enhance the shine, you can use either cerium oxide on a leather buff or buff with a small amount of Zam compound.

This story about orbicular bloodstone jasper previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Russ Kaniuth.

The post Orbicular Bloodstone Jasper first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Making The Heart

I trimmed and ground the preform to that shape. I had planned on having a curved groove going from the top between the upper lobes to the lower part of the heart shape.

I sketched the groove and used a 1/4-inch diamond “V” bur to grind a small groove following that trace. I enlarged the groove with a 3/4-inch “V” bur. I wanted the sides of the groove to have a curved outward shape rather than a sharp edge, so I used a 3/8-inch diameter diamond bur to carve the curve.

All of this grinding on the groove resulted in many dips and bulges from the hard diamond burs. I used some silicon carbide carving block shapes to sand down these unwanted surface defects. These blocks were made from pieces of old silicon carbide grinding wheels. These carving blocks can be found online or fabricated from a grinding wheel segment that is shaped to fit deeply into the curve.

After I finished sanding the groove sides with a 600-grit sanding block I polished them with a 5/8-inch diameter wood bur shaped into an inverted cone while utilizing cerium oxide polish.

The next step involved finishing the rest of the cab by doming the front of the cab using standard cab-making steps.

Making The Second Heart

As I was conceiving this project, I had a vision of it having an additional but smaller heart shape carved from the back of the finished shape would allow it. As the cab evolved, it became clear that the smaller heart shape could be accommodated. I used a small heart shape template to draw the heart shape on the back of the cab with a fine-tipped sharpie.

Using a 1/8-inch round diamond bur, I started grinding the heart shape from the back.

As I was grinding the shape, I frequently checked the depth of the carving. Because the material was quite translucent, I didn’t have to go very deep to get the heart shape to show through to the front. I was able to do most of the carving with the 1/8-inch bur but I still had to use a much smaller diamond bur to carve the bottom tip of the heart shape.

Finishing Up

The final steps included sanding the interior of the heart shape with a shaped wood bur and 220 and 400-grit abrasives. It also included polishing the inside with another shaped wood bur and cerium oxide polish.

As I was working on this distorted heart shape I could hear its disappointment about not getting to be a regular heart shape. When I finished giving it a heart of its own it ended up with a broken heart.

This story about how to make a double heart shape cab previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe! Story by Bob Rush.

The post How to Make a Double Heart Shape Cab first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Where to Find Pink Natrolite

Pink natrolite is easily found. It is sold at rock shows and can also be found online. Most of this material is smaller-sized pieces under a couple of inches in either direction and relatively soft, about 4.5 on the Mohs scale. The one thing to look for when shopping for this material other than the pattern is its thickness. Always look at both sides and make mental notes of whether or not there will be enough material for a cab after the botryoidal backside has been sanded down flat.

Since this is a seam material, you won’t have to do any slab cutting. Instead, you’ll have to trim out your preforms and then sand the backside. This material comes quite often in curled pieces, not always flat, so you’ll have to make adjustments as to how to trim each preform so that you can get a flat-backed cab.

Cabbing Pink Natrolite

Once you have your preforms cut out and are ready to cab, natrolite is fairly easy to cab. Though it looks like larimar, it’s much softer and doesn’t break apart as larimar does. So, start on an 80-grit steel wheel to shape your cabs. Go lightly at first, get a feel for the hardness of the material, and then start doming your cab.

Many people like to use 220 “steel” wheels in their setup, but I like to use 140 soft resin diamond wheels before moving on to the 280 grit. It quickly removes deep scratches and takes much of the hard work away so that by the time you are ready to move on to the 280, the majority of your work is already done. At the 280 grit stage, this is where you need to make sure all the scratches are completely gone before moving on.

Checking Scratches & Finishing Up

With this material, it can be very difficult to see scratches due to the white coloring and radial crystal patterns, so it’s best to have a good light source in your shop and to dry off the cab thoroughly to see if the surface is scratch-free.

By the time you finish the 600 grit stage, you’ll notice a nice polish already appearing; it doesn’t take much to get a brilliant mirror polish on natrolite. Continue to the 1200 and up to 14k grit. From here, you shouldn’t have to go any further, and this should yield a beautifully polished cab.

This story about crystallized fossil clams appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Russ Kaniuth.

The post What to Cut: Pink Natrolite first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

QUICK TIP: When a slab has a uniquely shaped opening caused by the method of infilling in the rough, it’s got to try to incorporate it into the cabochon, especially when it will enhance the piece.

Utilizing an Interesting Feature

The plume agate pictured had a very interesting vug with a botryoidal inner surface. Finding these features when you are slabbing a particular rock is often an accidental occurrence, but it is a plus. I designed the cab so that the vug was positioned horizontally near the bottom, and it ended up well suited for my cab.

Obviously, wearing this cab as a pendant would not be the best choice because the background, whatever it is, would detract from the cab. Also, the cab’s translucency detracts from its potential beauty, so I decided to install a backing on the cab. My preferred backing is basanite, a black basalt. It is quite durable and takes a great polish.

Filling a Void

Even after selecting and polishing the basanite, there was still a void in the piece’s lower right side. I decided to embed a small round stone to fill the void. I struggled a bit in selecting the material to use, as I wanted something to enhance the cab. Then I remembered I had a few small fire agate pieces that might do the trick, but many of the pieces are very directional in their color pattern. I needed a piece that would exhibit its best color when it was hanging as a pendant. This necessity narrowed the choice of available pieces to just one. As I was grinding and polishing the piece, I rotated it under the light to make sure it would show well in all orientations. It did have some slight issues regarding orientation, but I made sure to mount it in the ideal position.

I used diamond wheels to recess the basanite area, where I intended to mount the fire agate. The basanite layer on the back of the cab is 3mm thick, so I recessed the stone 1-1/2mm. I wanted this recess to ensure the durability of the adhesion on the fire agate cab.

Jack-O-Lantern Appeal

As I was applying the epoxy 330 adhesive, I had to be careful to keep it out of the “window” area of the cab so it wouldn’t detract from the beauty of the stone. I think the final appearance has a Halloween jack-o-lantern look to it.

This story about how to make a jack-o-lantern cabochon appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Bob Rush.

The post How to Make a Jack-O-Lantern Cabochon first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

What Scrap to Use

By taking a bit more care to avoid contamination during the collection process, clean metal filings and scrap can be recycled in your studio. This saves money by eliminating both shipping costs and refining fees.

Ideally, scrap used for this technique should be clean and must be solder-free. Hair, paper or plastic will burn off during the heating process, though excessive amounts could affect fusing on traditional sterling.

Steel filings may fuse, but will be a different color; sand will cause a non-uniform surface. Scrap that contains solder or excessive amounts of other contaminants should be stored separately. Scrap containing solder must be sent to the refiner for refining.

Creating Surface Embellishment

You can fuse bench filings and scraps to sheet metal to impart texture and surface embellishment. The techniques outlined in this article were perfected by Jenny Reeves, a jewelry designer and instructor at the Revere Academy in San Francisco. Jenny creates her award-winning jewelry using Argentium® sterling silver with high-karat (18k and higher) gold. Traditional sterling silver and copper, brass and bronze also work well for this technique.

Clean filings are the main ingredient. As you work, you will likely create larger pieces of scrap. These larger pieces can be converted into smaller, fusible elements to use with this technique. Filings can be made from sheet or tubing scrap by securing it in a vise or hand vise and filing it over a collection paper.

Making Granules

Granules, which are also easily fused, can be made from wire scrap. Use a washer as a jig to cut lengths of wire that are a uniform size. Place a washer on a flat work surface. Put the wire in the center of the washer, holding the end of the wire against the flat work surface, and snip with flush cutters held flush with the top of the washer.

Stack several washers together to cut a longer piece of wire, which will result in larger granules.

Place the bits of wire on a charcoal block, heat them to form balls, then pickle them. To create balls that are more uniformly round, tilt your charcoal block so that, as the wire forms into a ball, it will roll off the block and quench in a bowl of water placed below. Separate the granules by size and store them in labeled containers.

Creating Texture with Filings & Granules

Apply filings and granules to the surface of sheet metal and heat the entire piece until the filings fuse to the surface. Different fluxes and application methods will produce different textures.

You can create fine, uniform textures or random, organic textures depending on which combination of techniques you use.

The surface of the sheet metal must be clean and free of any oxides or oils for fusing. Clean the surface using an abrasive pad and warm, soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and either allow the piece to air dry or dry it with a clean bench towel. Handle the metal by the edges after cleaning it.

Applying Flux

Surface oxides will inhibit fusing, so it is important to protect the metal’s surface during heating. Paste flux works well to keep the surface clean because it can withstand the high temperatures and extended heating time required for fusing. Argentium sterling silver fuses more readily and therefore can be fused using liquid yellow flux.

Apply flux only to the areas in which a textured surface is desired. The filings and granules will generally fuse where applied if you allow the flux to dry before heating, either by placing it under a bench lamp, using a heat gun, or heating the piece very slowly with a torch. If the flux is wet when heat is applied, it will bubble as it dries, causing the filings to form rivulets and fuse in jagged patterns. Experiment using a combination of wet and dry flux to create a variety of interesting effects.

Applying Filings

A variety of methods can be used to apply filings to the metal surface to produce different effects.

To create a fine, uniform layer of texture, apply filings with a sifter. Use a commercially available enamel sifter or make your own from a piece of screen and some PVC pipe. Allow the flux to dry before heating or slowly heat it with the torch.

Use tweezers for precise application, for example, placing filings inside wire cells and on layers of previously fused sheet. For an organic, random texture, apply filings with your fingers.

To mask off certain areas when applying filings, use a template or stencil. Use a brush to remove filings from dry areas, or use the tip of a saw blade to eliminate unwanted filings from tight spaces.

Remember to apply flux only to the areas in which a textured surface is desired.

The Fusing Process

During the fusing process, the metal is heated until the surface becomes liquid for an instant, fusing the surfaces without melting the whole piece. This process is called liquid-phase diffusion bonding and can be accomplished through controlled heating. Successful bonding can be accomplished by heating the base sheet to the fusing temperature without overheating the filings, which can cause them to form balls or melt into puddles.

The two recommended heating surfaces are a charcoal block and a beehive kiln. Charcoal retains heat and creates a reducing atmosphere, which helps prevent oxidation. A preheated charcoal block will act as a mini-kiln, heating your sheet from below as you heat it with the torch from above. Beehive-style, or trinket, kilns work well for fusing. Paint the back of your piece with yellow ochre before applying filings to prevent it from fusing to the kiln surface during heating.

Fusing the Filings

To fuse, apply filings, allow the flux to dry, and place the piece on either a pre-heated charcoal block or a trinket kiln. Using a neutral flame, begin by heating around the edges of the piece. Once the flux stops bubbling, move the flame across the entire surface of the piece. Keep the flame moving to heat the piece evenly and avoid overheating the filings. Alternate between edge and surface heating to bring the base sheet to fusing temperature.

Watch the surface of the metal closely. When it appears wet (often referred to as a “flash”) or the filings appear to move or “boil”, these are indications that fusion is occurring. Different metals will look different as they fuse, and the signs may be tricky to recognize at first. A little practice will quickly help you develop an eye for the fusing point of each metal. Some jewelers prefer to use a bright light to help them see the flashpoint, while others prefer dim lighting. Try fusing with and without a bench light to determine the best method for you.

To determine whether the filings have fused to the surface during heating, allow your piece to air cool completely and press the filings with your finger. If they move, re-fire the piece, adding flux if necessary.

If the filings do not move, inspect the piece under magnification to determine whether the filings are in fact fused or simply held in place with flux. If they appear to be fused under magnification, pickle the piece and clean it with a brass brush. If the texture remains, the fusing was successful! If it doesn’t, re-apply filings and fuse again. Experiment using single or multiple layers of filings, wet and dry flux, and mixed metals to achieve different effects.

Finishing Up

Textured surfaces may be rough to the touch. Lightly sand or file the surface to make the piece comfortable to wear and less likely to snag clothing. For pieces with a fine layer of filings applied with a sifter, lightly pass the piece through the rolling mill using very minimal pressure to smooth the surface. Note that too much pressure will dramatically change the texture, and possibly even remove it entirely. Use a brass or steel brush to “unify” a matte surface, or a use burnisher to make it sparkle.

This story about how to make a textured sheet with bench scrap appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and photos by Christine Dhein.

The post How to Make a Textured Sheet with Bench Scrap first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Personal Inspiration

I went to Medford, Oregon, to pick up a Highland Park B-12 combination lapidary unit that had been sitting unused for many decades. It belonged to my uncle and it was the machine that I learned to make cabs on in 1958.

While I was there, my cousin, who inherited his property, showed me some of his remaining rocks and asked if I wanted them. Of course I did. Among them there was a piece of turritella agate that had a slice taken off the end. It looked rather uninspiring, so my uncle had set it aside.

Proper Cutting for Patterns

I have often seen turritella agate cut improperly so that the best pattern is not revealed. The main reason for miscutting is that the material is gripped in the saw in the easiest way possible, which is on the top and bottom. If you look at the top of the rough, you will see that the shells lie horizontally, the position in which the shells of the dead animals settled at the bottom of the lake. By cutting the material parallel to the top and bottom, the best exposure to the shell pattern is presented.

I have designed and made my own rock and slab gripper, which I use for this type of material, so getting it appropriately oriented is easy to do. I notch grooves in the rough on opposite ends and install it in the gripper, which is then clamped in my saw for slabbing.

Montana Agate

Another popular cutting material whose internal patterns require the direction of the cut to be parallel to the top and bottom is Montana agate. I recently came across a piece that is actually a quarter section of a round rock that was about two inches thick and six inches across.

It was gripped on the top and bottom when it was slabbed, so the only patterns exposed were the edges of thin, black lines. By gripping the rock on the edges so that the piece could be cut parallel to the black lines, I could reveal exceptional patterns in the slabs.

This story about how to cut slabs appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and photos by Bob Rush.

The post Stone-Cutting Techniques for the Best Pattern first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Here’s how I made an inside curve preform template with a slab of Turkish stick agate and then used the template to make a final piece on Montana agate.

Drawing the Shape

First, I drew a 1-1/2-inch circle from a circle template onto the slab. Using a larger circle template, I then drew a semi-circle segment on the left side of the first circle with a 3-1/4-inch round template. Finally, I drew the inside curve with a 6-inch diameter plastic bowl. This segment connected the right side of the first circle to the outer tip of the second circle segment.

Making the Shape

This shape design is intended to take advantage of the 6-inch diameter of the cab-making machine’s wheels.

After I trimmed the excess material on the preform with my trim saw, I ground the outer shapes on the cab machine.

To grind the inside curve, I turned the preform from its usual horizontal position to a vertical position. Holding the preform against the wheel and looking at the side of the wheel, I ground to the previously drawn inside curve line.

When the grinding of the outer shape of the preform was completed, I used the cab to mark the shape on a transparent piece of plastic sheet so I could make a template for later use. I used a small metal bur to shape the inside of the plastic template. Then I smoothed the inside with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper.

Making the Final Piece

Using the template, I positioned it on the Montana Agate slab to get the best pattern possible. I then proceeded to grind the perimeter shape of the cab including positioning the cab vertically to get the inside curve ground.

As I started grinding the dome shape on the front of the cab, I again held the cab vertically but at the correct angle for the dome. In this instance, I looked down from the top of the cab as I was holding the cab against the wheel.

All future work on the inside curve required holding the cab vertically and rocking it toward the left to get the proper curve to the dome shape of the cab. All of the other shaping and sanding steps are those normally used to shape a cab.

This Bench Tips column appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and photos by Bob Rush.

The post How to Make an Inside Curve on a Cab first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

About Mt. Baker Rock & Gem Club

Rock and gem clubs across the country have been challenged by declining membership and limited funding resources. Recently though, Mt. Baker celebrated an astonishing first anniversary. Their bold experiment led to new growth and the club is gaining momentum attracting people to rockhounding and lapidary skills.

Located in the Cascade Mountains 90 minutes north of Seattle, Whatcom County is home to the community of Bellingham. The Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club is one of the oldest continuously operated local nonprofits in the area. Attracting people of all ages, the organization’s long-standing priorities include providing educational opportunities to the public and funding scholarships to geology students attending Western Washington University.

Making the Decision to Move

Founded in the 1950s, the club’s history includes both abundant and lean times for financing their lapidary room. Since the 1980s, they used free space through the Bellingham Parks Department. This same building was rented by the club for monthly meetings and an annual show. Over the decades, the rates went from free to a modest space rental fee. Eventually, rates increased to be at or above those of renting commercial space in privately owned buildings.

Ultimately the Mt. Baker club faced the reality of being unable to pay the rates.

They moved out of their long-held space in early 2019 and needed to find space for meetings and the annual show.

Finding the Right Space

In November 2020, the club learned that the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham had space available. Like other malls, Bellis Fair Mall has suffered declining occupancy. There were two spaces in the mall that would work. These were spaces with a tile floor, sink, access to bathrooms and access to the mall’s indoor foot traffic.

Club president, Candi Gerard, approached the mall to explore renting space. She reached out to the manager with a certain space rental budget in mind.

“I was shocked when he came back and said yes, we want you,” Gerard explained. “They provided us with a contract which we went over with a fine-tooth comb.

We changed a couple of things, took the contract to our full board, and discussed it further. It was a new and scary thing to sign a contract, but we knew that if we didn’t find a solution, our club would die. The mall allowed us to sign a single-year lease.”

The mall does require that visitors and staff wear masks – something that has generally been treated with courtesy and respect.

Opening a Mall Store

One of the big surprises of the mall venture has been the way the space lends itself to selling member products. Club members sell their pieces and volunteer time for managing the space.

Members bring their specialties to the space. For instance, one member specializes in small mineral specimens while another works with large pieces of petrified wood and agate. Another member also sells stone-handled knives.

Displaying members donate their time based on the sales spaces they are using and make a donation to the club for the space they use. This has been beneficial for the club’s overall financial position.

The future of the show circuit remains uncertain, so the storefront is filling a void.

“Before Covid there were rock and gem shows where we could sell pieces,” said club member, Walter Hekala. “But going to shows isn’t all that fun anymore for those of us in our more chronologically advanced years. Selling in our store is a lot better than the show circuit for some of us.”

Club members who aren’t selling are starting to see the benefits of the storefront and are engaging in volunteering more. It does take a lot of people to manage the store during high traffic business hours to prevent theft. Recently, the club added a bulletin board where any member can post a note on what they may be selling.

Mixed-Use Space

The space is large enough for class offerings. Talented members have taught wire wrapping, tumbling and gem identification classes. This year the club will be adding classes on cutting cabochons and polishing rocks. Working with mall security, classes, offerings and the lapidary room are all available after mall hours.

Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club is expanding beyond a traditional rock and gem store. For instance, one of the space limitations is the ability to offer big bins of stones. The storefront had some metal racks left from the previous renters. There were also some acrylic display cases, all of which have been pressed into use.

From Foot Traffic to Membership

The mall space offers the Mt. Baker club some bonuses. Previously, the mall space was a candy store. People continue to show up looking for candy and generally stay and explore their rock and gem shop.

The shop features rocks and gems and recently has added the sales of jewelry, books and pamphlets about different metals as well as grit for tumblers. In the future, the club would like to sell tumblers too, but currently, they are not available because of supply chain issues. Used tumblers quickly sold out when made available.

The abundant windows of the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club storefront invited some fall and winter surprises. More than 400 trick-or-treaters visited the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club store on Halloween. The club gave out traditional treats and tumbled rocks to attract rock pups and rockhounds to the store again.

In December, the storefront was adjacent to Santa’s mall presence. This attracted even more families to visit the store – which in some ways acted as a mini rock and gem museum. People asked questions, sometimes bringing in their own stones to be identified. Visitors made donations to the club and inquired about their presence beyond the holiday season. In some cases, they became members. Membership grew from 109 people in 2018 to 180 at the start of 2022.

Keep Moving Forward

The Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club confidently signed another one-year lease at the end of their first year. They ended their year in a much-improved financial position. They look forward to a longevity position while expanding public interest in rockhounding and lapidary arts.

This story about a mall rock club previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Deb Brandt.

The post A Rock Club Mall Store Success first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.