Lapidary Studio & Gallery

Cracks, Fractures, Vugs and Gemstone Slabs

2010-07-29T11:27:00.001-05:00

Rocks are Rocks!

Gemstones are Rocks!

Gemstone Slabs are Rocks!

Rocks have Cracks, Fractures and Vugs !

Therefore, Gemstones and Gemstone Slabs have Cracks, Fractures and Vugs !

I frequently hear customers stating the fractures, cracks and/or vugs in a cabochon slab or piece of rough makes it undesirable for cutting Gemstones. I'm certain those folks truly believe what they are saying. But in fact, it isn't true! They believe a piece of material with cracks, fractures and/or vugs is less valuable than one without them. This is also untrue. Most material is priced by weight and the last time I checked, fractures, cracks and/or vugs did not weigh anything. The value is in the potential of the rough material to produce a valued Gemstone. Also entering into the equation is the experience, skill and the artistic ability of the Lapidarist.

Another common comment is the size of slabs. Most inexperienced lapidarist seem to believe "big is better". They seem to have the idea that a larger slab is better in quality and more bang for their buck. Not necessarily true. Some of the most expensive Cabochons I've sold were cut from what most people would throw away, the end cut! Again the experience, skill and the artistic ability of the Lapidarist comes into play. The experienced artistic gem cutter knows how to spot that diamond in the rough, whether it's located in a small piece of rough or a 6 pound slab. Which brings up another subject, the prices of Cabochon material.

It's beyond me why the customer believes gemstone slabs are too expensive. Any good gemstone material will run $20.00+ a pound or up. When you figure in the cost of the rough, equipment to cut it, the time involved in slabing it and the waste factor involved, the going price of slabed material is still a fair deal. Add those costs to the cost of advertising and it's still cheaper than buying a truck/car, gasoline and travel time to go into the mountains and mine the rough. I know, I've done both! So the next time you think a $12.00 slab is too expensive for material that will produce you several Cabochons worth $35.00 each, just do the numbers.

Happy cutting.
Studio182

Internet Mining and the Lapidary Artist

2010-07-15T22:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's difficult to decide what you are really drawn to in the world of Rocks and Gemstones.
For instance, we were digging (mining) in a creek bed in West Texas this month and I got to thinking. 'This sure is a lot of work scratching and digging (mining) in the heat for a few Agates. Not to mention the cost per pound when all trip expenses are added up'. Most of our Rock Hunting trips have resulted in such a large per pound cost, we could have just bought a truck load of internet rough and had money left over for several nice dinners! Thinking back to the days when I was a member of a Rock and Mineral Club in the Oklahoma City area, I remember a saying the old timers would use. "Ain't Rockhounding when you use the Golden Pick !". (Golden Pick being buying Rocks from a Rock Shop.)

That line of thought got me to thinking. Why isn't it perfectally acceptable to MINE for your materials using the Internet in this day and time? Most of the choice hunting grounds have been placed off limites in one way or another to the die hard Rockhound, so why not Internet MINE in the comfort of your easy chair , in an air conditioned atmosphere.

Keeping that thought in mind, I did some numbers crunching and was surprised to find that 'Internet Mining' really made dollars and sense in todays economy. We are not into collecting and displaying Rocks and Minerals. For the Lapidarist, you can produce less expensive Gems by purchasing your slabs/rough through the internet. Adding the expense of purchasing all the required equipment to work rough rock from its' rough stage to a finished Cabochon/Faceted gemstone, Internet Mining only makes sense financially. Although Slabs and Rough may seem expensive on the internet, when you analyize the cost of hunting your own rough, sawing it into slabs and the waste factors involved in hunting/field mining rough to finished Gemstones, you'll realize the 'Golden Pick' approach is the only way to go.

Now, I'm not saying that I'll never pick up another piece of rough off of the ground, but I will say, my days of rockhounding field trips are over. I think it's about time to just sit in the shade and sip a cool drink. I'll do my Lapidary work in the comfort of the air conditioned Studio in the future.

Anyone else have comments or thoughts on this subject?

Lapidary Rough, Slabs, Tumbling Material and Cabochons

2010-03-09T15:32:00.005-06:00

Our Web site at http://www.studio182.com/ features distinctive and extraordinary Lapidary rough, slabs & tumbling material for the accomplished Lapidary Artist.
Studio 182 also offers custom and designer cut Cabochons for the innovative Jewelry Artist.

Visit us on line and find that perfect item for your special Lapidary or Jewelry creation.

Drilling Gemstones and Slabs

2010-03-04T15:28:00.007-06:00

Drilling Gemstones and Slabs

Discussion:

Drilling stone is expensive and a slow process. But once the process is mastered, it can be easily accomplished and a very satisfying and productive experience.

Equipment needed:

Drill Bits.
Diamond drill bits are best suited for the drilling task. You will find that an assortment of sizes is a good choice for initial stocking your Studio/Shop. As you gain experience, replacement of used bits assures a proper size bit is always available. Some of your Bit choices are:

Bonded Core Drill Bits:

Least expensive drill bits for Lapidary use. Recommended for the beginner and small quanity projects.

Bonded Diamond Drill Bits:

More expensive and durable. Use for medium to large quanity drilling projects

Sintered Diamond Core Drills:

Use for larger hole cutting projects.

Ball Burr:

Use to countersink pilot hole to prevent drill through breakage.

Drill Press choices

A suitable Drill press is a must for drilling gemstones or slabs. This is a very important piece of shop equioment, so choose wisely. Some choices are..

Drill Press:

Best suited all around drill press for the Lapidary Shop/Studio. Not only is this type of drill press suitable for stone drilling, it also has additional multiple functions around the Shop/Studio.

Automatic Gem drill:

Recommended for use on soft materials with a Mohs scale hardness of 5 or below. No other useful shop/Studio functions can be performed with this unit.

Manual Gem drill:

Recommended for use on harder materials. No other useful shop/Studio functions can be performed with this unit.

Foredom:

The Foredom is an excellent piece of equipment. If using for drilling stone, purchase the drill press accessory, as hand held drilling of stone is very dangerous and tends to break drill bits. This unit is also highly functional if carving stone is desired.

Dremel:

The Dremel Tool is an excellent piece of equipment. If using for drilling stone, purchase the drill press accessory, as hand held drilling of stone is very dangerous and tends to break drill bits. With the proper attachements, this unit is also highly functional if carving stone is desired.

Coolant:
Coolant supply: Water as a coolant is recommended. Add Crystal Cut per manufacturers instructions.
Coolant delivery system: A fountain pump from your local hardware store, plumbed with plastic flex hose and water shutoff valve will supply adequate cooling for the process. Make sure the pump will fit in a plastic coffee container. Use a plastic coffee can for the holding tank.
Coolant Drilling tank: A plastic container works really well as a Drilling Tank. Size depends on the size of the piece to be worked. An 8" x 8" x 2" deep plastic container should do as a starter drill tank.
Lapidary wax: Use standard Lapidary Wax for mounting/securing the Stone to wooden drill block.

The Process:

Mark stone:
Inserting drill: Insert Drill with only enough of the Drill extending to drill the depth of the hole. Drilling with excess drill length will result in a "drill wobble" resulting in a broken bit.
Mounting/locating stone: Secure stone with Lapidary wax to prevent movement. Small drill jobs may be hand held, but be careful not to shift the stone when drilling.
Drilling process: Proceed slowly. A hard down pressure will result in drill bit tip breakage, disabeling the drill bit. Experience will teach you to "listen" to the bit cutting action to determine proper pressure/s.
Back Drill: Back drill to prevent drill through damage to the stone.
Countersink pilot hole: Prevents breakage around the final hole sizing.
Drill to size: Drill slowly! Do not rush!

If additional instructions are needed or questions for setting up the Coolant Delivery System and Drilling Tank, please feel free to email me at: Peric27887@aol.com. I will be happy to email answers to your questions and/or detailed instructions to build the unit.

2010 Economic slow down

2010-03-03T00:54:00.000-06:00

The economy has slowed things down a bit around here. But, having gone through economic downturns like this in the past, it's time to increase inventory.
Have been cutting Slabs, Cabochons and polishing Gemstones like crazy.
My stock of rough is getting to the point that another shipment is going to have to be ordered in from our supplier. Another trip to Southwest Texas also seems to be in order for some more of that great West Texas Agate! I'm running a little short of the Marfa Agates..
It will be good to visit Gods Country again!
Happy Stone Cutting and send us an email to let us know what you're up to.
Paul@Studio182.com

Lapidary Slabs for Sale:

2009-10-19T04:31:00.005-05:00

It’s 2:00 am and "You’ve got mail!" bellows!
Sure enough, it’s from another Artist that’s got insomnia. The email reads:

Subject: small slabs by the lb.
Message: i need small slabss about 6 inches by 4,5 or 6 inches by the lb.they need to be thin about one eighth to one quarter of an inch.

As expected of me, I return email the potential customer requesting additional information.

The second email response is a little more explicit. It states:

“I need about 20 lbs.of pieces of all kinds of random minerals .Odd shapes are good and the thinner the better. Some will have pattern and some not and thats o.k.
Could you send me your phone no. and where you are located .Also what you think the shipping cost will be . Broken pieces are o.k. as long as they are good size and thin.”

Early that morning, I’m sorting through the Slab stash to gather enough material to fill the order. Great! There are plenty of Slabs that meet the criteria, so email the customer and get the ball rolling. The mail person is due around 2:00 pm, so this will be a slam dunk order.

My email states the charges per pound for slabs will be $13.00 per pound plus shipping.
Customer response:

“hi,
Thanks but the price is too high for me.I had bought some in Arizona for $5 a lb. These were irregular sizes and i picked out the larger pieces that i needed. They can be rejects and irregular shapes. Let me know.”
Oh the joys of operating your own business! I spent the rest of the afternoon restocking the Slabs!
Now it’s real easy to complain about the way this event progressed and place the blame on the customer. But instead, I’m more prone to blame myself.
First mistake was asking for additional information. I operate an Internet Website, and the correct response should have been “All Slabs available are listed on our Web Site”. That would have been the end of the whole mess. But, No! Dummy here asked for more punishment by requesting more information. By doing so, I made myself the customers’ slave employee.
The customers’ last response was the last straw for me! The customer went from “small slabs” in the first email to “large slabs” in the final email. This is a recipe for failure! This person is not going to be satisfied, no matter what I do. Oh, and we finally got to the meat of the request, $5.00 per pound for slabs!

So, just cut my losses and shut this deal down. My final email to the customer was one of congratulations for making such a good buy in Arizona (the customer was from California) and informing them I did not have any $5.00 per pound slabs available.
The internet has opened up the marketplace. It allows the whole world of uninformed Artists & Crafters to graze in the marketplace. A customer wouldn’t think about driving all over the country to bargain shop with the price of gas like it is today but they will bargain shop through email while driving up business owners advertising costs. At $5.00 per pound for cut slabs, that’s about a $12.00 per pound loss figuring the cost of the rough, equipment depreciation and labor.

Lucille's Studio

2009-09-12T02:34:00.000-05:00

Lucille's Studio

Blog to be added in the near future from Lucille's Studio in Pottsboro, Texas.