ruccello
Jr. Member
Some stones I've collected and cut.
Hi all, I haven't posted in this section yet but thought it would be cool to talk about some stones I've found in the past. I enjoy collecting from Arizona and New Mexico when I vacation out there. The petrified wood came from a trip I did a few years ago to northern Arizona. It cut and polished beautifully - reminds me of a Monet. The pink jasper came from a trip to Rockhound State Park in New Mexico. If any of you get out to New Mexico, this place is a rockhounders paradise. The third piece is ocean jasper. I bought a slab from ebay a couple of years ago. This was an incredible stone, the colors were intense, and the pattern incredible. I used to just collect, then a few years ago I started cutting and polishing cabochons with a Highland Park combo I bought on ebay (needed a little refurbishing first). Then I had all these cabs, so a year later I taught myself how to silversmith (I'm an amateur I assure you) - these three pieces I designed, made the bezels, cut and soldered - and made the necklaces. The most rewarding part is knowing you found the stone, cut it and polished it yourself, and created a great piece of jewelry that someone out there is enjoying. I do sell my work, and a website is in the works.
So, don't let all those beautiful stones build up in shoeboxes in your basement, start cutting!
Richard
Hi all, I haven't posted in this section yet but thought it would be cool to talk about some stones I've found in the past. I enjoy collecting from Arizona and New Mexico when I vacation out there. The petrified wood came from a trip I did a few years ago to northern Arizona. It cut and polished beautifully - reminds me of a Monet. The pink jasper came from a trip to Rockhound State Park in New Mexico. If any of you get out to New Mexico, this place is a rockhounders paradise. The third piece is ocean jasper. I bought a slab from ebay a couple of years ago. This was an incredible stone, the colors were intense, and the pattern incredible. I used to just collect, then a few years ago I started cutting and polishing cabochons with a Highland Park combo I bought on ebay (needed a little refurbishing first). Then I had all these cabs, so a year later I taught myself how to silversmith (I'm an amateur I assure you) - these three pieces I designed, made the bezels, cut and soldered - and made the necklaces. The most rewarding part is knowing you found the stone, cut it and polished it yourself, and created a great piece of jewelry that someone out there is enjoying. I do sell my work, and a website is in the works.
So, don't let all those beautiful stones build up in shoeboxes in your basement, start cutting!
Richard
