 |
SCENIC JASPER
Egypt. 68mm x 54mm.
$90. Horizon Mineral
Custom Lapidary. |
Fabulous, Cabulous!
By Helen I. Driggs, Managing Editor
Photos by Jim Lawson
The earth makes beautiful things. With heat, pressure, and time, raw planetary
stuff eventually morphs into fantastic minerals of every color, size, and shape.
In their natural forms they are unbelievably beautiful, and for some, the story
stops here, but in the hands of a talented lapidary some minerals can be shaped
and polished into exquisite gems suitable for jewelry. Cabochon gems, those cut
with a curved surface and typically with a flat back, are also most often gems
that are translucent to opaque, although transparent materials can also be fashioned
into cabs.
The gem trade is a huge international business, but the small, independent
gem cutter who gathers rough, seeks the best potential in a certain slab, and
brings the inner beauty of that stone to light in a splendid cabochon is often
the best source for unique or rare material for artisan jewelry making. I've
talked to six such cutters recently, and gotten their insights on what's
hot or happening in stone cabochons right now. So, look at the photos, get out
your shopping list, and I'll race you to Tucson for the gem shows later
this month!
10 Cabochon Buying Tips
With the dazzling array of color and material out there, it's hard
not to be overcome with stone lust at a gem show. I try to keep
these things in mind when I'm buying cabochons for my work. |
1. Size
Yes, big, giant, gorgeous stones are beautiful. But, remember,
you'll need a lot of metal around those stones to protect and
support them. That means weight. And cost. And more time
making the piece. And don't forget -- thick or deep stones equal
deep bezels, so you'll end up fabricating those from sheet
instead of ready-made strip. Even more time.
2. Shape
Funky shapes are cool and interesting, but sharp direction
changes or very pointed corners are a fabrication challenge and
will often dictate how you must set the stone in a piece. A bezel
may not work with that stone in your hand, so if you don't want
to make prongs or something more challenging, watch those
corners.
3. Workmanship
Is the back of your cab flat? If it isn't, you'll have to adjust your
design to support the irregularities on the back of the stone. That
will add to your fabrication timeline and the cost of more metal.
4. Material
Is the stone brittle or otherwise delicate? Trust me − buy an extra
one. You never want to break a stone, but it happens.
5. Cost
Does it fit your budget? Will it fit your customers' budgets when
you're done making the piece?
|
6. Skills
Do you have enough experience to set the stone you're holding
confidently? By all means, buy it if it's a good price, but realize
practice makes perfect, and you might hold it for a while before
you use it. You'll know when you're ready.
7. Color
Sure, that blazing, hot pink drusy is just fantastic -- but will your
customers think so, too? Just because you like certain colors
doesn't mean everybody does, so if you plan to sell what you
make, try to purchase stones in many colors to offer choices to
your customers.
8. Supporting Cast
Don't forget to buy smaller accent stones. I know it might seem
boring to get a bunch of plain round, 10- or 12mm stones, but
at 3 a.m. when you decide you need an accent stone to finish a
pendant, you'll be glad you have them on hand. Make a list and
follow it.
9. Quantity
It often pays to purchase stones in quantity. If it's a cut or material
you love and your customers love, buy enough to get a price
break. Ask the cutter how much that is, and go for it.
10. Love Eternal
If you see something so fantastic you have to have it, you can
afford it, and you will make a piece from it, buy it. The funny
thing about gem material is that it is a limited commodity. You
may never, ever see that kind of stone again, and regret really
is a terrible thing. If you think you'll be "haunted" by a cab you
love, buy it, and make a present for yourself. |
Drusy Chalcopyrite
Naica, Mexico.
30mm x 14mm. $25.
Sierra Madre Mining Company.
|
Drusy
Quartz
Combo-Cut.
Brazil. 40mm
x 40mm. $120.
Horizon Mineral Custom Lapidary.
|
Picasso
Ammonite
Morocco.
90mm X 85mm.
$70. Gary B. Wilson. |
Fern
Fossil
Maison Creek, illinois.
100mm x 45mm. $90.
Gary B. Wilson.
"Fossil materials have been very strong sellers.
People are attracted to their earthiness and history in this
world of cookie-cutter stores and
goods. So many of these materials
give us a sense of place, where
geological conditions were just right to create them."
-- Gary Wilson
|
Confetti
Agate
Chihuahua, Mexico.
34mm x 10mm.
$17. Minarex.
|
Coyamito Agate
Chihuaha, Mexico. 55mm.
$65. Barlow's gems.
|
Chinese
Picture Stone
Mexico. 78mm x 50mm. $225.
Sierra Madre Mining Company.
|
Brazilian Agate
Brazil. 34mm x 26mm.
$30. Minarex.
|
Covellite
Montana. 35mm x 30mm. $65.
Sierra Madre Mining Company.
|
Tuxedo
Agate
(dyed) Morocco.
60mm x 45mm.
$90.
Horizon Mineral Custom Lapidary.
|
Cabochon gems can be the star of
the show...
"I was a self-taught smith frustrated
by the cookie cutter quality of
commercially available stones.
I decided to cut my own, in shapes
and materials that were more to
my liking, so I bought some used
equipment and taught myself
lapidary. I've been engaged in
a full time cutting business for
about 12 years."
-- Michael Hendrix |
"Over 22 years ago, I was a vice president
for a health care company, flying over
150,000 miles a year to offices all over the
U.S., and not a very happy camper. On a
vacation trip to Australia, I purchased my
first opalized clam shell (my company's
namesake), later visited the opal mines
in Coober Pedy and Mintabie -- and
took lapidary classes at the San Diego
Gem & Mineral Society for $1 a lesson.
I was hooked."
-- Mark Lasater |
Chrysocolla
and Cuprite
Mexico.
26mm x 50mm.
$60.
Barlow's Gems. |
Mine
Shaft Basalt
(feldspar phenocrysts on
basalt from a copper mine)
65mm x 50mm. $45.
Gary B. Wilson. |
Emtorolite
Chrome Agate
Emtor, Zimbabwe.
34mm x 50mm. $110.
Horizon Mineral Custom Lapidary. |
 Shattuckite
Africa. 30mm x 47mm and 34mm x 48mm. $55. Sierra Madre Mining Company.
"If the stone and setting really kick butt, and the customer really wants it,
nothing else matters. Other factors include seasonal color cycles and fashion
color trends, but our repeat customers are usually looking for a color or stone
they don't already have, so trends don't really apply."
-- John Bajoras
|
 Drusy
Malachite/
Chrysocolla
Chile. 25mm x 41mm. $250.
The Clam Shell.
|
Azurite/Malachite
Morenci, Arizona.
26mm x 50mm. $220.
The Clam Shell.
|
Montana Agate
Montana. 22mm x 42mm.
$45. Minarex. |
Arizona"Pietersite"
(serpentine with chrysotile fibers) Arizona.
70mm. $140. Barlow's Gems.
|
|
Dendritic Limesone
Germany. 26mm x 34mm. $25.
The Clam Shell.
"Without a doubt, the biggest challenge for all cutters in the future will
be to continue to find interesting and unusual rough material at any kind of a
reasonable price." -- Mark Lasater
|
Guadalupe Poppy Jasper
California. 13mm x 41mm.
$25. Minarex.
|
Apache
Sage Jasper
New Mexico.
80mm x 34mm. $65.
Gary B. Wilson
|
Septarian
Nodule
(fossil mud crack) Morocco.
90mm x 80mm. $85.
Gary B. Wilson.
"The best part of the business is watching where my clients take off with the
materials I furnish them. They are indeed a creative lot!"
-- Gary Wilson |
|
Dendritic Agate
India. 71mm x 52mm.
$360. Sierra Madre
Mining Company.
|
Plume
Agate Dendritic Doublet
India. 65mm x 53mm. $50.
Horizon Mineral Custom Lapidary.
|
Mariposa Jasper
Mexico. 28mm
x 42mm. $30.
The Clam Shell.
|
Picasso
Jasper
Utah. 28mm x 58mm.
$45. Sierra Madre
Mining Company. |
Grossular
Garnet
Republic of South Africa. 40mm x 9mm.
$21. Minarex.
Cobaltocalcite
Zaire, Africa.
24mm x 42mm.
$60. Barlow's Gems.
|
Maw
Sit Sit
Myanmar.
45mm x 30mm.
$200. Barlow's Gems.
"I rockhounded with family as a child, took a jewelry class in junior
high, and quickly learned I could make money selling silver jewelry to teachers
and neighbors! I joined a rock club, took goldsmithing lessons, then graduated
from GIA in 1981 and went into the gem business right away."
-- Bruce Barlow |
Find Them
John Bajoras, Sierra Madre Mining Company
www.villagesilversmith.net,
978-375-9231
Bruce and Debbie Barlow, Barlow's Gems
www.barlowsgems.net,
623-465-2771
Michael Hendrix, Minarex
minarex@gotsky.com
Joe Jelks, Horizon Mineral Custom Lapidary
302-644-3333
Mark Lasater, The Clam Shell
www.theclamshell.net,
928-759-0922
Gary B. Wilson
www.garywilsonstones.com,
520-8787-1066 |
