I am often drawn to unusual natural stones and interesting fossils, especially those stones with an interesting story to tell. I much prefer working with semi precious stones with their beautiful array of colors, sometimes within the same stone, and the never-ending variety of pattern, contrast and inclusions.
We select and purchase rough semi-precious stone materials and slabs from smaller mining and lapidary businesses. We like to actually meet and speak with the miner/collector in person and learn as much as we can about the stone that has captured our attention! We then make a design plan and hand cut and polish our own semi-precious stones and crystals in our private Lapidary Studio.
The thing about stones, is that they are stones. You never know for sure what will happen when you cut into them! We try to make cuts that will enhance the beauty and interest of the stone, but the look of the stone could end up much different than the original plan. Some people like to design a setting, then order a custom cut stone to fit. I get more enjoyment from seeing what we can get from the stone and then allowing the setting design to evolve in my mind, as we progress.
Our final design, as with everything else, is driven by the stone itself. Our setting is intended to complement the hand cut stone, creating a truly one – of -a -kind piece.
Sometimes we see something beautiful or interesting and when we cut into it, we find all the interest was on the outside! Other times, the outside is not much to look at but when you cut into the stone, amazing natural beauty is discovered – the best possible outcome!
Sometimes, we decide to leave a natural stone finish, other stones we polish through a carefully planned out sequence of steps.
Occasionally, I obtain small faceted gems and cabs, precious and semi- recious, to use for accents.
Agate. Amazonite. Amethyst. Black Onyx. Blue Lace. Bumblebee. Carnelian. Charoite. Crazy Lace. Chrysocolla. Cloudy Quartz. Dendritic Limestone. Dragon’s Blood. Fluorite. Fresh Water Pearls. Garnet. Hematite. Iolite. Imperial Jasper. Japanese Pearls. K-2 Stone. Labradorite. Lapis Lazuli. Malachite- Azurite. Mookaite. Ocean Jasper. Owyhee Canyon Jasper. Picasso Stone. Quartz Drusy. Red Creek. Rocky Butte. Rhodochrosite. Rhodonite. Ruby Zoisite. Sodalite. Sonoran Sunset. Tourmaline. Turquoise. Uvarovite. Variscite. Zoisite.
Singly, or one of a small select group, each design is one-of-a-kind!