Cutting stones is what I love most about this business.
I have been a rockhound since I was a kid, and I have been interested in rocks and minerals since junior high shcool. But it wasn't until about 1985 that I was able to purchase a used cabbing unit and take my interest to the next level.
I began cutting cabochons for fun and continued for a several years learning and improving my skills. Then, quite by accident, I discovered that jewelers were willing to pay me for the work I was doing for fun. I continued cutting and selling for some years more. Then one year, when I had a real slow season, I learned a little silver-smithing and began making some silver jewelry.
I developed a relationship with a local jewelry store and continued cutting stones and making and selling jewelry until the recent recession drove the store out of business. The majority of my work now is sold on Etsy. I make and sell gemstone cabochons, beads, and silver jewelry.
I have recently developed a cut that I call a "semi-facet". I haven't seen anything like it anywhere else, so it is new to me. I take a piece of rough material that is transparent, or nearly so, and cut it with a round (domed) top, with curved, rounded surfaces on the bottom half of the stone. What makes it different from a normal faceted stone is that all the surfaces are curved, and it is all done by hand on grinding, sanding, and polishing wheels. I hope my customers find this new style appealing.
