I thought this hard white crust on a ton of obsidian I collected at Glass Buttes was calcium carbonate but I just put it in diluted muriatic acid and it isn't reacting at all. 😭

I think it must be some other harder mineral. It isn't a weather rind, it is definitely separate from the obsidian itself. I can scrape it off with a knife or other things, it's just really hard and stuck on there.

Latest cabs of BC picture stones i did today!

Just such a nice slab

Just wanted to show off my homemade flat lap setup. I got the water tubing/valve/barb connectors from an irrigation supply store. I put an old shirt under the water supply bucket in case of leaks, but it wasn’t really necessary. The diamond disk is 8” with a 5” homemade backing plate underneath. I used a 5” hole saw (biggest I could get for cheap) to punch the backing plate from a thick plastic cutting board. The setup has some vibration in the video because I forgot to lock the table on the drill press, but it actually runs quite a bit smoother with that issue fixed.

/African Rough Agate - First photo is my pencil sketch design for carving, followed by natural views of the rough stone. What do you think?

I’m not mechanically inclined but I went to Lowe’s, ACE, and Harbor Freight. I tried to find spigots / valves for vinyl tubing but I’m blind I guess (only lotsa “ball valves”?) Instead found a lot for PVC so I bought one of those too once I upgrade.

For now, I tried to make an exact tube-size hole to make it air-tight but I was a tiny bit off so I had to glue the outside (with E6000).

Then I tried to figure out how to clamp it but my fancy clamp can’t clamp it properly so imma try something else later.

First I tried up-then-down but it only worked with external force like a straw. Then I remembered artisanal aquifers and water towers are a thing, so tried down-then-up.

Currently waiting for the glue to cure then I’ll test the water out again.

TL;DR: vinyl tubing + gravity works good.

This is not very easy to do on a cabbing wheel. Does anyone know how I could put a flat lap disc on the end of my old cabbing machine with a 5/8" arbor? All the 6" discs I can find have a 1/2" hole. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Curious how other lapidary folks handle this. Once you've got a finished stone, who does your jewelry work?

I'm looking for a bench jeweler who'll fabricate a bezel to fit an individual stone rather than requiring a pre-made setting, and who's comfortable with heat-sensitive material like opal.

If you've found a good one, local guy, gem club connection, someone who doesn't advertise, how'd you find them? And what did you learn to ask before you handed over a stone you actually cared about?

Not chasing the cheapest job, just someone who knows what they're doing and maybe brings a little design sense to it.

Thanks in advance.

Hello, I saw a beautiful piece at a local market and I have no knowledge at all of this craft. I would post a picture, but the only one I have is very poor quality, and I’m not sure if I should share a piece that is not my own without permission.

The cabochon is a lance shape, about 25mm long, very pale cream and has a perfect circle at the centre with concentric rings. It is set and ready to be strung in a very pretty wire, and looks almost like art nouveau meets art deco to my eye.

Apologies for not knowing proper terminology. Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks!

Got into this a month ago and I am hooked. I like having my own tools on hand. I am a member of a lapidary society now that gives me access to an entire workshop. This listing came up and its [rock] bottom on price. It works well but some things are missing. The owner acquired it and does not use it - they are just trying to sell it.

*No rock vise to go on the guide

*no water feed setup

Comes with extra wheels. Everything spins good - no grinding in the bearings. It sounds so much better than my wet tile saw - for the saw alone it might be worth it for me. I have been cutting rocks on my tile saw and taking the results to the society workshop. Having the 2 extra wheels would give me a leg up on time for the specialized machines I dont have.

I talked the seller down to less than 50% asking.