TaoGem Gemstones

I have had several requests for drilled gemstones. So, the other day I went out and purchased a bench style drill press.

I decided to get right to it and try making some necklace and bracelet sets. Since I had a request for a set made from some fossil coral, it seemed like a great place to get started!

I started of of course by cutting some up into slabs. I knew that if I was going to make a nice set, it would have to be nicely matched. So using slabs cut back to back from the same piece of rough, I laid them out and began to cut out pieces in an order that would result in matching the right side of the center piece to the left side of the center piece/pendant.

Here is the results for the first bracelet set prior to drilling and of course prior to shaping so as to be able to drill into a flat surface.

Then moving on to the necklace piece. The request was to make a set like this one, except with drilled holes.
So the process was the same up to when it came time to figure out exactly what angle to drill the holes so that the tooth like stones would hang properly.

After asking for some suggestions, it was agreed to drill at an angle shown on the right set of stones.

So for now, until the vise I ordered shows up, which I hope is Monday, I have things to a point for both the bracelet and necklace sets where I will be ready to drill.

Will make another blog entry as things progress !

Of course if your new to my blog and have not visited our Lapidary / Gemstone Community Forum, you can follow along there too!

Just thought I might share a neat Imperial Stichtite and Zoisite gemstone cabochon I made with anyone out there listening.

Been playing a little with druzy materials. Ever since we started talking about it on our forum.

Some of the members showed some pretty cool druzy gemstone cabochons. I instantly began to find sources for different types of druzy minerals. Hard to find at a good price when searching the term “druzy”. The best opportunities seem to show themselves when I search for various pieces of rough with either a druzy exterior or geode interior.

From what I have read, the gemstone mineral Stichtite comes from Tasmania. The articles I read all talk about Stichtite, but not the Imperial Stichtite that I am showing here. So can not say for sure it the Imperial comes from the same area. Most likely though.

Then for additional druzy top, I cut some black druzy from a piece of Ruby in Zoisite. Although the piece I have is for the most part Zoisite. It is generally referred to as Ruby-Zoisite, or Anyolite. It is a natural combination of ruby and zoisite crystals in a single specimen. This too is from Tasmania. That made the combination of the two in a single cabochon design that much more unique and interesting.

Well, this is the set I ended up making. I really like the color combination of the pink Stichtite and black druzy from the Zoisite.

Thanks for stopping by my lapidary blog, and hope you like the cab set!

New E-Store Link

Ever since I started using the Wordpress e-Commerce Plugin by Instinct Entertainment customers have been lining up complaining about how difficult it is to shop with. Not user friendly at all.

In response to that, I created a new ZenCart for shopping gemstone cabochon jewelry supplies.

Much more user friendly.

Gemstone categories are broken up into the following:

Agate Gemstone Cabochons
Fossilized FreeForm and Matched Cabochon Pairs
Jasper Gemstone Cabochons
Mixed Gemstone Cabochon Pairs
Mixed Unusual Gemstone Cabochons
Agate Matched Gemstone Cabochon Pairs
Jasper Matched Gemstone Cabochon Pairs

Hope you will stop by and check it out!

Every imaginable type of jasper for gemstone jewelry designing. For a silversmith who uses gemstones in your settings. For designing silver metal clay gemstone jewelry pieces, or for any other type of gemstone jewelry. Especially any gemstone jewelry designs that use bezel settings.

Here are just a few examples of different types of jasper gemstone cabochons available at TaoGem Gemstones. Available in any size or shape. Both in individual freeform cabochons, or matched earring cabochon pairs.

I am happy to cut and shape any of the many available jasper material that I have in stock to your specs. It is a great way for gemstone jewelry designers to be able and complete that unique piece of jewelry. Multiple matched stones available too!

Beautiful Rainforest Jasper gemstones!

Leopard Skin Jasper gemstone cabochons

Rare and Beautiful Red Ocean Jasper Gemstone Cabochons

Fantastic Owyhee type Picture type Gemstone Cabochons

One of a kind interesting and totally unique Picture Jasper gemstone cabochons!

These are but a very few examples. Just a little something to get you to consider purchasing from my store or using the contact form and contacting me for your special gemstone cut requests

Have a great day!

There are a lot of different types of Fossilized Coral, not to mention fossilized material as a whole. The one I have some experience with cutting for customers who make custom gemstone, bezel type setting jewelry is this Indonesian Fossilized Coral.

Here is an example of what I am most familiar with shaping cabochons from.

Here are just a few examples of what this material looks like in cabochon form. Both earring cab pairs and freeform.

Here is an example of a piece in a bezel setting with Silver Metal Clay as the medium for the jewelry backing.

A friend of mine gave me an interesting piece of Fossilized Coral. Different from what I am use to working with as it is a single tube form. I have this in the saw as I am typing this entry, so only have a few preforms to show. These will make some beautiful cabochons.

As always, if you like this Fossilized Coral your welcome to make a special request to have it cut and shaped to desired specs.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed!

I had some of this a while back and the cabochons turned out excellent. At the time I did not know what it was called. At that time, I had thought it might have been a type of Wave Jasper.

The other day a friend of mine gave me another piece of rough of this same mineral. Since I was still unsure, I requested an ID for it on our gemstone forum. It is nice to finally know that it is Dolomite.

Here is a picture of the piece of rough as it was given to me. Prior to slabbing.

I will bypass showing the slabs I cut from this and go directly to showing some preforms. Although I would like to mention that in order to get nicely matched pairs, it is necessary to use two slabs cut back to back from this same piece of rough. That is the only way to really be able to design quality matched pairs. It enables a lapidary to match the grains properly.

Then another picture as I have started to shape and on into the beginning sanding stages.

Finally, the finished matching earring cabochon pairs. Each with a neat matching pendant gemstone to go with.

These matched earring pairs are very slim, at two millimeters. The original preforms started out at about three millimeters. The pendant stones finished at four millimeters thick.

As always, if you would like to have a different design cut and shaped from this Dolomite mineral for a custom jewelry designed piece you have in mind, feel free to contact me for a special request.

Hope you enjoyed this entry!

The single most important hurdle for a beginner is getting at least somewhat of a handle on the graduated stages from grinding, sanding and a nice polish on a gemstone cabochon.

Believe me.. I remember all to well. Bought my first combo unit. A Highland Park. It came with one course 80 , and 400 grit diamond sintered wheels. Then on the end of the unit I can attach either a flat metal disc with felt padding and a leather pad over the top. Then I have two other flat rubber padded discs that I can place silicon papers on. I have to use a spray glue that comes in an spray can. I found myself using a 400 grit on one, and a 600 grit on the second.

I also decided to bring home a double sided arbor that I placed expando type wheels on. This let me have the ability to have another 80 and 220 grit silicon carbide papers as well.

Here is my start up equipment, and I still use them every day.

The basic idea was to the best of my ability have some sort of progression of grits and work them to the best of my ability with this limited equipment that I was limited to because of cost.

This combination worked excellent through my first year of cabbing. Truth is I have added a few additional arbor type set ups. The only real reason is for convenience. I do not do anything any differently in regards to progressions between grits now than when I first started except that now with the additional arbors, I can move easily between a greater variety of papers abrasives.

If you can not invest in an additional arbor as I was able too, then you will simply need to spend a little more time removing and replacing various grits of paper out on the one or two wheels that came with your combo cabochon trim saw unit.

We have had several folks join the forum who are in the beginning stages of setting up shop. Like yourselves, I remember all too well having brought my new toys home, preparing a work area, and bolting the equipment to a workbench. I was eager to get started, but just had limited knowledge about how to cab.

One thing you will find, is that you will be working differently with various minerals. I would like to share the most basic steps with a couple of most basic minerals based on hardness.

Again……. this is very basic and there are a great many types of minerals varying in hardness on MOHS scale of hardness from one to ten. Ten being the hardest.

I thought would use a basic Jasper as well as a run of the mill agate for the following guide.

The jasper being about a 5 in hardness and the agate upwards of about an eight. The difference and reason I decided to use the two is because as an example, an 80 grit will leave heavier scratches or a courser surface on a Jasper than will it on an Agate.

Bypassing the entire process of cutting out your preform, and shaping it we are going to get right into the initial grinding. Although, it is important to note the importance of creating at least a slight dome to the surface of your cab. Otherwise you will not be able to polish the cab completely. A completely flat cab will not polish at the center of it’s surface.

Here are the surfaces of both the Jasper and Agate right off a 80 grit diamond sintered wheel. Your initial course grinding tool may be any number of things. From carborundum, diamond, sintered diamond, or maybe your limited to silicon carbide. No matter…..

The surface is going to be rough and will show lines created by the heavy, course grit. One thing to remember as you proceed through the stages of grinding and sanding as well, is that there is no need to press hard against your wheels or paper. Your just going to wear your wheels out sooner and replace your paper out every other day. You will find yourself spending a lot of wasted money on paper belts that should have lasted a long time.

Let each and every grit grind as it will with hardly any pressure applied. I do not work with diamond paper. I am told this is especially true with it though. Other wise a person will spend about 50 bucks a belt real fast if pressure is applied instead of just letting the diamond cut at it’s own pace. Pressure makes absolutely no difference at all.

Now take a close look at your cab prior to moving on to your next grit. I took the agate cab to a 220 grit silicon carbide belt, and the jasper to a 400. The jasper is softer and find that as with a lot of minerals we can skip a grit sometimes. I do not want to remove any more material than I have too.

Work it your stone nice and easy……

View video one for a short glimpse of the Agate on a 220 grit, and view the second video for a glimpse of the Jasper on a 400 grit.

Here is as good a couple of pics of the surfaces for both the agate after being sanded on the 220 and the Jasper off the 400.

You can already feel the difference with your fingers not to mention see the difference as well. It is a dramatic difference. Make it a habit prior to moving on to your next finer paper to inspect closely for any scratches that stand out. Scratches that are obvious and stand out over the course surface as a whole. The surface of the cab should be consistent. If you see a scratch that stands out, continue with the grit you just finished with until you have achieved a surface without any irregular scratches.

Move on the your next finer grits. I moved on to a 400 for the Agate and and a 600 for the Jasper.

A video if you would like to see a glimpse.

Here are the surfaces once the Agate was removed from the 400 and the Jasper off the 600. Again, look closely for abnormal scratches, and any pitting that may show themselves.

You can if you like, take the Agate to the next finer 600 grit paper if you like. I did not find it necessary. But this was just me. Everyone sorta works a mineral a little differently I think. Lots of variables.

I found that the 400 was fine and I was pleased with the surface of the Jasper after it’s round with the 600.

Now I want to do a real fine paper combined with some tin oxide paste. You can use this step like I am showing on a circular wheel or you can do the same with a flat disc that we talked about earlier included with most combination cabbing machines.

This video gives a glimpse of me using a somewhat worn 600 grit paper with the oxide paste. I took the Agate and Jasper through this step. The final sanding step to polishing.

I spent quite a bit of time on this step. More so with the Agate than the Jasper. Again, only because the Agate is softer.

Here are the two stones after some time on this step. The Agate is a bit easier to see the changes in. Only because of the quality of the pictures. Hard to show like I would like to have been able too.

Now we are ready to hit the polishing pad. I have talked before about the use of building up friction while polishing in order to create heat so as to sorta melt the oxides into the stone. This can result in a great shine.

For this tutorial, I would like to have you disregard that theory, and consider working with it as you become more comfortable with the polishing process. There are considerations like cracking of your cab due to the heat.

Continuing with the basics, we will treat the oxide polish just like any other abrasive step.

Take a look at this video clip. It shows the application of the oxide paste to a leather pad. Once I applied the paste as shown in the clip, I leave the wheel running long enough to dry out the paste on the leather polishing pad.

What this does is turn the polishing step into more of an abrasive step. It is dry not wet. Polishing with your oxide as a wet paste on the pad has it’s place too. For this short guide, I am using it dry.

What I am going to do is continue on through the final phase, the polishing phase, but I am using the paste in the same way as I did any other step prior. Letting the abrasive polish in this case in accordance to it’s own grit. Not pressing hard. Letting the oxide polish as it will naturally in accordance to the oxides grit ability. Nice and easy……

Here is a short video clip showing this step. Nice an easy.. Gradually pressing just a little more. Not a lot. Pressing just a little more, but not enough to let the stone develop any heat. Another short video showing the same.

For what it’s worth, these two clips give the impression that the polishing pad is moving sort of slow. In fact it is moving rather fast. I find better results with a faster moving pad than a slow one. I don’t know why the video gives the impression it moves so slow, but I would guess that in fact it moves about twice as fast as it appears in the clips.

Finally, we can see a pretty nice finish on the two cabs we started with. Neither of these have been beveled or had the edges rounded. This short tutorial was just to show basic grinding, sanding and polishing. Another blog entry will be along shortly showing how to complete these cabs in preparation for your bezel and or metal clay type settings.

The truth is that there are variations of these steps. You can find yourself using a worn 400 grit belt instead of a new 600 grit belt as an example. There are many variations, but the end result and the basic process is the same. That is to work through a series of different abrasives that will bring your cabochon to a desired state that you believe will allow you to move from sanding to polishing. Remember too that it is not uncommon to realize that you have to repeat a step. This is discovered as you spend more time sanding. It is a learning process. Just keep at it and have fun.

If you would like to see something specific in the form of a tutorial or guide, please feel free to request it.

Hope you enjoyed this!

A while back, came across some Serpentine Gemstone mineral that ended up being unlike anything I had tried to polish before. I could tell the material was certainly going to be some excellent looking gemstone material for custom jewelry designs.

I like to share with anyone interested how these minerals look when first starting to cut cabochons.

Here is the first material I was talking about in slabs.

Here is what a first group of larger cabs looks like from it. I say larger, because the following pic is from the same gemstone mineral. The cabochons are smaller, so the color variation is limited.

Then just a couple of days ago, I was visiting a member of our local gem and mineral club. He traded me a slab of some beautiful green Serpentine from the Chewelah Washington region. Here is a picture of that Serpentine gemstone mineral again, in slab form.

Not having worked with any serpentine except for the above, I expected to get the same satin finish instead of a nice glossy polish. After sharing about this on our forum, other members suggested the need for diamond abrasives to bring out the shine on the first material above.

It was nice to see a great shine on this second Serpentine from the Chewelah area. Still when you compare the two. The one with the satin finish and the nice green material with a great looking gloss finish will both look excellent in any piece of gemstone jewelry. These particular cabs are cut, shaped and beveled to fit best in bezel settings.

The location for the nice green material is only accessible through the Colville Rock and Mineral Club. I am looking forward to going on a trip with them soon.

I have been sending out a great many gemstones made of a variety of minerals to gemstone jewelry designers for over a year now.

If you have subscribed to my site then you have probably been following along as I add new blog entries. More to the point of this blog post is another recent blog entry about how excited I am about the learning of metal clay as my choice towards beginning to make a special line of jewelry. We are talking a bit about it on the forum too. We are fortunate to have a certified metal clay artist sharing here expertise with myself and other members there as well.

Any way, lets get to the point of this post regarding Jasper Minerals that are available to jewelry designers.

The list is certainly long, and there is no such thing as a poor looking Jasper cabochon. When it comes to designing gemstone jewelry, a favorite among Jaspers, are the Picture types. When I start to day dream or sketch out jewelry pieces, I imagine many of them with a Jasper of some type set in them. Usually a really interesting and unique picture jasper! Here are a very few recent Picture type Jasper favorites of mine.

Remembering that we have to start with a chunk of Picture Jasper rough, and slab it up for preform cabochons before we can get a great looking picture cabochon. One thing for sure is when I cut into any Picture Jaspers, it is just one big surprise waiting to happen. I never know what the piece of jasper rough holds until it is slabbed up.

Another reason that the Picture Jasper makes for interesting and unusual jewelry is the ability to make stunning matched pairs ideal for earrings. Here is one pair of Picture Jaspers and a few Owyhee Picture matched pairs. You can see what I mean! Another interesting part to being able to even think about making quality matching cabs is the part about how it takes two back to back slabs from the same piece of rough to be able to accomplish identical pairs.

These few pictures hardly begin to cover just how much interesting and unique variety there can be when considering Picture Jaspers for our gemstone jewelry designs.

Once I get to setting some of these beauties in some nice bezel / metal clay settings, you can bet that I will be posting some blog entries all about them!

I wanted to sorta be prepared for my first silver metal clay beginners class coming up the end of the month.

I decided to practice what I preach from a previous blog entry, and will design my first piece more around the design / shape of the stones. Then work second with the shape of the silver clay setting.

Of course I have a bit of an advantage as I am able to design my first piece around any shape and type of stone I desire. Again a big advantage to working with a lapidary if you are designing custom gemstone jewelry or other gemstone related artwork.

A book that was loaned to me is really helping a whole lot.

One thing that I had not thought about and wonder, is if the instructor will be bringing bezel tape for nice proper settings. I am thinking that as a beginning class it will be pretty basic, and likely will be glad I brought my own.

Being my first time, did not want to get too complicated and yet I want to take advantage of the hands on instructions as well as utilizing the bezel tape, as I foresee using the bezel tape in all my future metal clay work.

A book titled “Metal Clay” by Jackie Truty.

It shows how the tape will be set into the clay. Then if the stone is a little bit too short in height, material can be added under it to bring it up to working height in regards to rolling the tape properly over the beveled edge of the stone.

Here are the matching stones that I would like to use in my first setting.

Here is somewhat how the stones will be set in the metal clay setting. I am going to try a double setting my first try! These two stones are matched in the sense that the spider webbing effect of the Jasper was lined up and cut from the same piece so that when the stones are set, although separate, will match and hopefully look unique.

As my stones are now, they are just a bit too high in comparison to the height of the bezel tape. Especially by the time the tape is pushed down into the clay prior to drying in the kiln.

I will take just a hair off the bottom to make them set properly.

One of what has become a favorite mineral of mine is this semi precious Imperial Spider Jasper. It is a rather rare Jasper. I have never even seen it before.

While visiting another lapidary up in Bonners Ferry Idaho, he reluctantly parted with a very small piece of this fabulous material. It was enough to make just a few cabs. I was left with one small slab of it once I cabbed those. I was sure it would be the last of this mineral I would ever see.

Then upon a second trip to visit him, he was kind enough to part with a nice large piece.

As I am posting this blog entry, it is in the saw being cut into slabs. The picture below is of the one small slab that I had left over from before. The piece that I thought for sure was going to be all I would ever see of it again.

Here are a couple of cabs examples I cut from the first piece.

I do not have a finished piece of jewelry to show just yet.
I have signed up for a beginners Silver Metal Clay class that starts on the 31st of this month. I am very sure that this will be my mineral choice for the cabochon I use in the first metal clay piece I make.

I am really very excited about the metal clay, but that is for upcoming blog entries.

I am going to be cabbing more of this up and it will be available in my store inventory very soon. Otherwise if you are a designer of custom gemstone jewelry and would like to design a special piece around this mineral, feel free to contact me for special requests. Prices are very reasonable.

Hope you enjoyed looking at this Spider Jasper!

Here is what a piece of Wave Jasper looks like before I design the actual gemstone.

It can have so much color and pattern variation. Gray wave red jasper is very similar to red bend jasper in color.

I cut this Wave Jasper Gemstone for a customer. As you can see, this Jasper mineral sure has the potential for some beautiful gemstone jewelry.

The Wave Jasper Slab above is available for special requests. I am happy to cut and shape gemstones from it so that a jewelry designer may create that special piece of jewelry.

Feel free to contact me and make arrangements to cut and shape this mineral to your specs.

I do have a few cabs already cut from a similar Wave Jasper. The ones presently in my store do not really offer the same unique wave or rainbow effect as the slab example above.

Now that I have some time under my belt cutting, shaping, sanding and polishing gemstones for others who are skilled jewelry designers, I am now ready to learn some type of jewelry making. After selling to so many talented jewelry designers and witnessing the many interesting jewelry making techniques, I have decided to pursue metal clay.

Every time I see settings made by silversmiths, bezel work, wire wrapping and metal clay, I get an anxious feeling inside tugging at me to get busy with one of them.

I have one customer in particular who is truly an expert metal clay artist / jewelry designer. She uses many of my stones in her designs. She commented to me how Art Clay has a shrinkage rate of 8 to 9 percent and Precious Metal Clay has a shrinkage rate of 12 to 15 percent. A person can become familiar with either of the two metal clays shrinkage rate after some time.

Most people seem to settle in with which ever of the two they start out with.

Smaller cabs seem to be preferred over larger and heavier gemstone cabochons due to the weight difference. I do offer a great many smaller cabs. That is one reason she sends her students to me for browsing through my gemstones.

I live just north of Spokane Wash, USA. I am presently looking for someone that offers classes in the area.

There is a forum operated by Rings and Things out of Spokane, but presently they are not offering classes. I just joined the forum and will be asking for some help with finding classes.

The prospect of actually designing gemstone jewelry is really exciting for me. It is on the top of my list for realistic goals for TaoGem this year. With a little luck combined with actually developing some metal clay skills, I hope to add a line of metal clay jewelry to my store.

Hopefully I will be able to spark some discussion and maybe even share in the art with others on my Lapidary / Gemstone Community forum as I learn. Not to mention that I am looking forward to posting some blog entries as I go as well !

Wish me luck, and if you are reading this, and working with metal clay, please keep checking back to monitor my success. I will share more in the days ahead !

Until recently I have not really cut and polished a lot of Plume type agates. Recently we began weekly contest entries for various cabochons. Each week is different and can be based upon color, type of mineral, or shape.

It was as a result of entering that I finished one of my favorite cabs. I turn out several cabs a week, but since I began cabbing there have only been a handful of favorite cabs.

This is one of the few I really like and just felt like posting a blog about it and sharing it with anyone who might stumble upon this entry.

It is a Graveyard Plume Agate. I hope you enjoy seeing it.

One of my favorite minerals are the different ocean jaspers. Especially the orbicular jasper variety mined on the coast of Madagascar.

Here is an example of a beautiful specimen of “Ocean Jasper” rough.

I really love the way a finished cabochon looks. Here is a rarer red ocean jasper matched pair. Ideal for designing custom earring jewelry.

For a lapidary it is fairly easy to work with. Takes an excellent polish and looks really great.

“Ocean Jasper” is a rather rare and very beautiful orbicular jasper variety mined at a single location on the coast of Madagascar that is only exposed at low tide! The above ocean jasper piece has a layer of rich green jasper at one end, with layers of solid white eyes, solid orange-pink eyes, and concentrically ringed white, green and orange-pink “bull’s eyes” as shown in the close-up photo above.

Other specimens have dots in beautiful green color and pink and brown patterns (all natural colors). Another specimen can have green bull’s eyes within sphericals and white to orange-pink layers (all natural colors), and can have several vugs with shiny quartz crystals inside.

Another example of an individual freeform cabochon of the same rarer red ocean jasper. Check out the yellow! It really looks awesome!

There is only one method for a lapidary to create matched gemstone pairs to be used in custom earring type jewelry designs.

It is necessary for the lapidary to begin with a solid piece of gemstone mineral in rough form. There is no other way because we have to have two matching slabs from the same piece of rough sliced back to back. Once laid out, we can decide on any number of areas from both slabs limited only by the sizes of the matched pairs we are cutting and shaping for the designer of the jewelry pieces.

This is where it makes all the difference in the world in regards to having a relationship with a lapidary like myself. Not only has the jewelry designer decided upon the mineral type, but once the designer has had an opportunity to view the slabs, they are able to really work with me in a way that results detailed options that actually allow the jewelry designer to design the gemstone cabochons. The designer of the jewelry piece has the options of actually working with the colors and grains within the slab and incorporate them into the piece of jewelry.

Once the slabs are laid out, I will cut out the desired shapes from each piece so that both match to the desired specs of the designer. Here is an example of a matched gemstone pair from the slabs above.

This same technique can be used in any number of different custom jewelry designs. From bracelets, cuff links, necklace sections, and earring pairs. The technique is limited only by the creativity of the jewelry designer and the ability of the lapidary to bring it all together.

I do have a nice selection of pre-cut matched gemstone pairs available. Of course I encourage jewelry designers to consider requesting information about minerals available and to discuss design possibilities.

Link To The Lapidary Forum Discussions.

The Jewelry Designer

Jewelry designers are people who design special one of a kind jewelry pieces in their own unique style using any number of techniques. The pieces are considered designer jewelry when the design is a specific piece of jewelry even though at times another designer may copy that designers style.

Sometimes the same jewelry designer will use a different style to their work. This can add uniqueness to the jewelry pieces.

Designers Learn Their How To Design In Different Ways

One designer can be taught from another family member, in an apprentice situation or can attend a school so they can learn about the craft. The jewelry designer can learn basic techniques to form body art, and from that they can go on to create their own unique designs that directly reflect the designers attitude, and individual style. If the designer is really good and innovative, they will receive a notice and acclaim the same as any other artist would expect.

Different Influences For The Designer

Jewelry designers can go through many different phases as they find new influences from the world around them. Sometimes it is directly related to the availability of materials and or the reusing of materials in unexpected ways that influence the jewelry designer.

Sometimes, when a particular design becomes popular, they may be requested to design special commemorative or celebration pieces that may be put on display.

Jewelry Designers And Gemstones

Jewelry designers have come quite a ways from the prehistoric examples of jewelry that may at times be found while archeology excavations are described from old texts. For example, jewelry designers have been known to use gemstones for thousands of years in jewelry pieces, and the popularity of the gemstones will probably never change.

Trends And Technology

Jewelry designers also follow trends of the times, and use technology available to them. You can see jewelry from different regions of the world that are all identifiable by their unique style, and the special markings of the designer always stay true to the persons own style. Sometimes the modern jewelry designer can go back to more primitive technologies and materials to design their own unique jewelry designs.

Jewelry designers have always responded to the needs of people for special adornment and commemorative items. You can probably find a designer who is perfect for you. Jewelry has always appealed to people for many different reasons, and these reasons have remained relatively unchanged throughout the ages, and some types of jewelry designs have remained classic through time as well.

An example of some beautiful Rainbow Jasper in slab form. This particular example really has a great variety of jasper colors. I do have this available in stock and can be cut and shaped in any way that a jewelry designer would like. I have talked before about how important it can be for a gemstone jewelry designer to consider building a relationship with a lapidary.

This is an example of updates a designer can receive from their lapidary that may well be available to designers who the lapidary has established a working relationship with.

This particular mineral really makes beautiful gemstones for wire wrapping, bezel settings and silversmith design.

If your a designer who enjoys designing your jewelry around unique and unusual shaped gemstones then such a relationship is important.

I do have other types of jasper, but just wanted to share this special Rainforest Jasper. If you enjoy these awesome colors and would like to have pieces cut from it so as to be able to design a unique piece of jewelry, just ask.

Stones can be shaped with specifics in mind. Bezel type settings, pendants, and even matched pairs for beautiful earrings.

It takes two slabs from the same piece of rough to be able to accomplish a perfectly matched pair. It can not be done from a single slab. Stop by the Lapidary / Gemstone Community forum to learn more.

TaoGem Gemstones

It can be a real struggle for a gemstone jewelry designer to design that unique piece of gemstone jewelry. Most designers do not have a working relationship with a specific lapidary shop. This means that the designer is limited to picking out gemstones to work with at random off the internet or perhaps from their local bead store.

There can be some excellent advantages to having a personal relationship with a quality lapidary shop.

The ability to actually design your jewelry around your desired gemstone mineral type, color, shape, etc, really opens the door to truly being able to express your designs as you like. This is especially true for the designer who would like multiple settings on the same piece of jewelry.

Their can be excellent discount opportunities as a regular repeat customer to our shop.

Special favors become second nature. Favors like replacing one stone with another due to a last minute change in your design.

Opening the channels of communication to regular phone conversations instead of trying to communicate details through email and contact forms.

As a lapidary shop I understand the importance of the above and am happy to have a versatile relationship with the designers. Having this relationship can remove a lot of obstacles for a designer.

Repeat customers are a valuable asset to the lapidary shop. As a regular customer, the designer will find extremely quick responses and top of the list placement for order requests.

Sometimes designers can feel that they are limited to working with what is available to them from what they see in various online gemstone stores. Perhaps the designer is uncomfortable with purchasing any other way. This is likely only the case because they have not given thought or had the opportunity to consider such a relationship.

If you are a designer with truly unique and unusual designs in mind, you will find such a relationship just the answer to completing these special designs.

Give us a try. You will not be disappointed!

The vibrant blue color of lapis lazuli (or lapis) is a strikingly beautiful. Often having gold veins running through it, or a sparkly finish, lapis is a rock that has been admired and cherished for thousands of years.

Lapis Lazuli Information

* Water may remove the protective coating that is on lapis and therefore should not be soaked in water any period of time. Lapis jewelry is best removed while swimming. Lapis is best if cleaned with a soft dry clothe. If water is necessary then dry the stone immediately after application.
* Lapis lazuli gemstone cabochon represents celebration for the 7th and 9th year of marriage.
* The main sources for Lapis Lazuli are Afghanistan, Egypt, Canada, Chile, the US, and South America.
* Lapis lazuli is a rock that is composed of a mixture of a few different mineral types that include lazurite, huaynite, sodalite, noselite, calcite and pyrite.
* Lapis was also used in acnient Egypt during many religious ceremonies, and most often as an inscription stone for various passages from the Book of the Dead.

Lapis Poem

Lapis, known as the philosopher’s stone, is a legendary mineral used by alchemists to turn base metals to gold. Robert Kelly’s 50-year pursuit of its poetic equivalent words that transform the common things of life into art yields the 127 new texts collected. In these richly varied poems and prose poems some occasioned by reading Dickinson and Yeats, visiting churches and art museums, traveling through Austria, France, Italy, and Ireland, and reliving the wounds of childhood and adolescence Kelly describes personal experience and, by touching it with memory and imagination, makes it stranger than life itself. He is the diarist as dreamer, and the dreamer as alchemist.

Lapis Lazuli in the Bible

The name Lapis Lazuli also is known from the Persian word lazhward meaning blue, in allusion to its color. In ancient times, lapis lazuli was also well known as sapphirus, which is the name that we use today for this blue corundum variety of sapphire. Therefore the sapphire mentioned in the Bible is most likely lapis lazuli.

Lapis Lazuli on Wikipedia

Lapis lazuli (sometimes abbreviated to lapis) is a semi-precious stone prized since antiquity for its intense blue color.

Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan for 6,500 years, and trade in the stone is ancient enough for lapis jewelry to have been found at Predynastic Egyptian sites, and lapis beads at neolithic burials in Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far from Afghanistan as Mauritania.

Purchasing quality gemstone in rough form can turn out to be a very disappointing experience. The results of my personal purchasing experiences had led me to believe that I might in fact be missing something that may all along have been common place in other lapidary shops. Other Cabbers must have a section of their shop dedicated strictly to salvage techniques for the rough they purchase online! A great portion of the rough I purchase is really quite beautiful in the pictures that go along with the descriptions of these various chunks of rough. When I receive them in the mail, they still appear to be excellent.

Then then the eye opening experience of slabbing begins to show the true condition. Once I stare at the pile of slabs just cut and realize that most of it is fractured to a point that it becomes apparent that it will be necessary to design the cabs around the layout of the fractures.

Not being sure if this was common place when purchasing rough, I began to wonder if it was going to be necessary to have things set up so as to be prepared to stabilize a great amount of rough in order to salvage it. Much of the material is really quite beautiful. Nice bright colors, or great looking dendritics,  colorful flame mosses, and plumes.  I began to be quite sure that others must be sharing in this experience and they have to be working on ways to salvage such beautiful material.

I threw my experiences and thoughts out to other more experienced Lapidaries for discussion.  After learning from others their experiences and how they deal with fractured material resulting from a purchase of rough, I realized that it is part of the process. At least it is, as a rule, if we decide to purchase rough without having it in our hands first.

One thing that became apparent right away. A good Cabber will not sell cabs that have been treated to begin with.

I listened to comments like, “If any resin or glue is put on one of my stones I say so and that is VERY rare. I don’t know how many cutters cover up cracks and voids with glue and not say anything. If you are paying low prices for your rough and the deal seams to good to be true then it is.” From Seth who owns Griffin Custom Opal.

Comments like, “Working around the fractures is what i mainly do, i like to think i coin the term “natural freeform” when cutting this way. Becasue you have to let the pieces fall were they lie, and look for unqiue shapes, in combination of color/pattern that works.”, and “As you point out Toa ( TaoGem Gemstones ), online is a big componate as too were one can buy such material. But then you almost always fight a lossing battle with sellers who first dont really know lapidary, (they may know mining, or minerals), then simple market materials based on names for value and not grading the rough as it should be.   Its very easy for sellers to do this and part of the hobby when one becomes invloved in selling rocks of any kind.” from Shain who owns Freeformcabs.

These are just a couple of comments that opened my eyes so that now it at least makes a lot more sense. Yes, buying rough online can more times than not result in experiencing poor quality and likely very fractured material.

Realizing too that most sellers of rough are in fact not even experienced cabbers any way. It is likely the extent of what they do may well be the blasting of the material from the earth. No wonder it is likely fractured!

For me, the learning experience has brought me to a point where I will likely not purchase gemstone material in rough form online. I will be patient and look around my surrounding area so that I can get my hands on it first. Maybe even buy from someone who also shares the desire to turn out nice cabs and understands the importance of dealing in quality material. Yes, it will likely be more expensive. I am way ok with that. Also it was a clear from the members on the forum that it is far better to purchase slabs if we are going to buy online. We have a much greater opportunity to really see what we are purchasing.

To read comments from these and other experienced lapidaries on this subject visit the thread on the subject within our lapidary forum.

Link to forum discussion

All of the cabochons that this person makes are glass and they come from two main processes. The first process she usees for cabochons is lampwork (or torch work). These are made in a very similar process to the beads that I also create and sell. Flameworked cabochons allow for very unique colorations and designs with details that straight fused pieces cannot easily capture. Often, once a piece has been created in the flame and kiln annealed and she will sometimes slump it to a flatter profile, but not always! Some cabs encase in clear so they look like mini paperweights.

The second type of cabochons that she makes are straight fused cabs. These pieces start life as sheet glass and dichroic which she carefully layers directly into a cold kiln. The pieces are then super heated so the glass sheets become molten and reform into a new, patterned piece. This is the process she most often follow when using dichroic glass. Once fired the new pieces may be complete or may be cut up into smaller components and then firepolished for a nice finish. More……..