Monthly Archives: September 2015

Larimar: From Junk Pail to Fine Jewelry

What will this Larimar Rough look like when cut and polished? That's the fun.

How will it look when I cut it? This could be good.

Earlier this month my blog featured a piece of rough Larimar (Pectolite) that I found in someone’s cast offs at Tucson two years ago.

Looking through old buckets of rocks behind a rock shop.

Some things found in a rock show tub.

treasures in the weeds

Looking through spider-infested buckets behind a rock shop out west.

I enjoy the gamble of buying random stones I see around the major shows. You never really know how good one of these rocks will be until you cut it open. Ugly rocks may turn into treasures with careful cutting. I’m a real scavenger, finding these treasures hidden in obscure places, such as in back of a rock shop in old buckets, in old collections grandpa used to have, in a dusty piled-up garage, and scattered treasures at major rock shows. Bonnie is good at this also, and will often point out possible treasures. (I have to keep her away from Sonoran Sunrise though as she thinks every one of those are treasures.)

Let’s get back to the Larimar. Bonnie often comes to the shop area and I asked her to “weed” rocks. That requires bending and twisting. She is more agile than I, and she knows how to weed (retired librarian). She also finds treasures I forgot I had.

During a search for materials she could weed, she located a bucket of rocks I picked at a show (way off the beaten path) in Tucson. In the bucket was a fairly plain chunk of Larimar. If Bonnie finds something she thinks is worthy, she puts it in a “To Cut” pile and I work it into the saw queue. I eventually cut this Larimar and was I surprised and delighted. I got three nice slabs of very high quality gem material.

Snob Appeal Jewelrylarimarcab

I cabbed the slab and wrapped up a wonderful pendant for some lucky person to adopt.

Snob Appeal Jewelrylarimarpendant

I have more stuff in the “To Cut” bucket, so stand by… I’ll get to it eventually and show you.

What’s on the Workbench?

Paintbrush Jasper-China

Paintbrush Jasper-China

Bonnie mentioned that I have not blogged about “What’s on the Workbench ?” in some time. So this month let’s just have a look.

I usually consider my workbench as the place I make finished jewelry, but getting stones to the point they can be worthy takes time also. Many wire artists do not cut their own jewelry stones, but I think it’s important to control my jewelry from start to finish.

Where do I get all the beautiful stones I use in my jewelry? I get that question all the time. Over the many years I’ve been in the Lapidary business I’ve acquired many old collections from estates or old collections that were just wasting away in a basement, garage, or barn somewhere. Rocks are also bought at the rock and gem shows in Tucson, Quartzsite, or rock & mineral shops anywhere we travel.

Outside Mexican Crazy Lace Agate

Outside Mexican Crazy Lace Agate

Inside Mexican Crazy Lace Agate

Inside Mexican Crazy Lace Agate

Owyhee Jasper-Owyhee Mountains Oregon

Owyhee Jasper-Owyhee Mountains Oregon

Leland Blue Stone is actually slag glass form an old smelter in Leland, Michigan. It is a local favorite.

Leland Blue Stone is actually slag glass form an old smelter in Leland, Michigan. It is a local favorite.

Deschutes Jasper. Oregon

Deschutes Jasper. Oregon

I eventually make jewelry stones (cabochons) from the rough. I love that many times (actually most of the time) I just don’t know what’s inside a rock of interest. Let’s saw it and see the inside!

Biggs Jasper has great pictures. Notice the Dendrites?

Biggs Jasper has great pictures. Notice the Dendrites?

What will this Larimar Rough look like when cut and polished? That's the fun.

What will this Larimar Rough look like when cut and polished? That’s the fun.

Anyone that works with rocks generally knows what kind of rock they have, but the surprise occurs when that rock is sliced. Sometimes that rock is a Heaverite (just heave-her right out on the scrap pile). Bonnie’s flower garden is sometimes the beneficiary of these rocks, other times they just pile up outside the barn waiting for some visiting kids to take them home. The times that really are exciting is when the rocks are much better inside than I ever could have imagined from the outside. On occasion a rock may be just exceptional. I love these. Snob Appeal Jewelry is well known for the rare, unusual, and exceptional. I love it when someone buys a truly amazing piece.

Distinctive Picture Jaspers amaze me. A recent Paint Brush Jasper had a really outstanding scene. Classic picture jaspers like the famous Oregon jaspers from Biggs Junction, Owyhee, and Deschutes are famous and popular.

Turquoise and Petoskey Stone. Bonnie has been busy too.

Turquoise and Petoskey Stone. Bonnie has been busy too.

Many, many of the stones I cut can have unique pictures in them, so I’m showing you a few. . Dendrites in jaspers resemble trees, shrubs, and plants and make the scenes in these Jaspers very realistic.

A Dendrite is a crystal structure with a tree-like branching form, adding realistic-looking details to the picture jasper stone. These are not a fossils, as many believe. Manganese is a common mineral that crystalizes into dendrites in picture jaspers.

Many projects are in the works here at SAJ. I find myself with too many ideas for the time I have. If you watch cartoon movies, you’ll know what I mean when I say I see that little fish saying in my ear “Just keep cutting-just keep cutting”; so that is what I do. I’m busy, but enjoy it as long as I don’t have a deadline.

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