We’re looking for input. Which color do you like? This year we looked for a higher quality of lapis rough, which is tcchnically called Lapis Lazuli. Lapis is the Latinword for “stone” and lazuli came from a Persian word , j?zaward, meaning “heaven” or “sky”, since the sky is blue; therefore, it is the “stone…
Author Archives: Ev
Technology in the Owyhee
Do you see the telephone pole/cell phone tower? Most people see fantastic landscapes or beautiful pastoral scenes in picture jasper. Here I see a reminder of the relentless encroachment of technology in our lives. Lately I’m drawn to the idea of a technology sabbath. One 24 hour period a week when you turn everything off. …
Montana Agate
We bought a small selection of Montana Agate to try out. It’s hard to find good pieces that aren’t fractured, but at it’s best Montana Agate is beautiful and durable enough to be considered a ring stone. We’ll post photos of the finished pieces when we have them.
Hell’s Canyon Petrified Wood
In the lapidary world, this stuff is all the rage. It was found many years ago in Hell’s Canyon which is on the Snake River between Oregon and Idaho. Recently a dealer acquired the collection and has been selling it. As it’s gotten better known and more popular, it’s gotten more and more expensive. …
Vistaite: Picture Jasper From Oregon
A lucky friend found this at an estate sale. It’s a picture jasper that was mined near Prineville, Oregon a long time ago. We don’t know if we’re going to be able to buy any or not, but if we get some, we’ll give a shout out to all our collector customers.
Marra Mumba Update
A while back I posted a photo of a big chunk of Marra Mumba that we bought in Tucson. We started sawing it and got slabs that looked like this. Interesting, but we wanted that flashy long fiberous look. So we’re trying sawing from a different side. Wish…
Australian Marra Mamba
This is a chunk of Marra Mamba I bought in Australia. This is some of the old stock. It’s much nicer and more expensive than the stuff they’re mining now. I really had a hard time getting myself to pay the top dollar they wanted for this piece. Now of course, I’m glad I did….
Shattuckite Rough
These two dudes are ready to go into the saw. We got them in Tucson from our supplier from the Congo. We think he made the right decision to roughly polish the outsides. We just couldn’t resist.
Cover of Etsy!
AnnealedHeart Handmade Jewelry by Amanda Ace www.annealheart.etsy.com When Amanda e-mailed us to tell us that her piece with our stone was on the front page of Etsy, we immediately thought of the Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show song: But the thrill we’ve never known Is the thrill that’ll get ya when you get your…
Bubble Opal
This is bubble opal from Utah. I was intrigued. I only got these two pieces since I’d never seen it finished. Then a couple of days later I saw some carved. WOW. We’ll see how this turns out.