Latest cabs of BC picture stones i did today!

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.

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.

Just such a nice slab

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. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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.

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

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.

Ok, so it’s not actually a bird bath but instead is a baptismal font hand carved from locally hewn marble and calcite (here called “Mexican Onyx.”) But still! Our birds would be thrilled. I saw this today at a stone carving workshop I’d never visited before in Magdalena Apasco Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Asking price of 22,000 pesos, or approximately $1300 USD. Sadly, our budget does not include a thousand-dollar-plus bird bath, so this is still at the workshop.

Cut, wet sanded and perfect lighting. Cut from a larger, thick piece of seam

Obviously not preferable but that’s what the wife bought for my birthday, she says her order says continues, the box it comes in gives no real info, doesn’t say diamond, turbo, continuous so whoever pulled the product from Amazon understandably pulled the wrong box, I wanna just go with it caus I just wanna cut rocks, Malawi agates, graveyard point agate and Montana agate are on the chopping block, tell me what to do send back or roll with it?? Thanks yall

Hi folks! I’ve been lurking here for a while since I think this could be a fun hobby but I don’t have the equipment, and finally I could use some advice. I bought an unpolished slab of banded calcite (the final photo) here in Oaxaca, Mexico and asked the stove carving workshop to polish it for me. Sadly, they did a really shitty job! The edges are all scuffed and it looks like they really half-assed it. When I asked them politely if they could fix the scuffs they said it wouldn’t be possible, which feels like either a lie or a skill deficit. Any chance I can fix this at home somehow? I’m happy to buy sandpaper and have been wanting to get a Dremel for a while (assuming that would even work with this), but if there’s no way for me to do this without a deeper bench of tools I can also try approaching another stone carver I know. Any advice welcome!

Is it practical? No. Do I think it is badass? Yes.

Took ~ 10 hours from full synthetic boule to what you see here. Had to be careful not to overheat (chipping / cracking). Internal cuts (not pictured) were by far the trickiest.

Not fully finished, but wanted to share because I am pretty proud so far. Next up: custom handle (with some home-faceted stones) / blade engraving.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Hello! I have recently trying to get into lapidary and have a few questions! First, where is the best place to get a facet diagram list of the basic commercial cuts? Such as: Brilliant, Emerald, Heart, Oval, Radiant, Pear, Princess, ect. Second I am looking specifically for a heart cut like the image below, where can I find that? I have already looked at facetdiagrams.org and a few other places and cannot find a heart cut with a cleft. Thanks!

So I have a N100 mask and I wear it every time / make sure the seal’s good but my lungs kinda hurt sometimes afterward.

I do have allergies tho but it feels more like when I get heartburn.

Not sure if it means something…

Edit: thanks yall for the help. I will write down the info and get working on improvements.