Wind Polished Agates & Other Natural Stones.........The Polished Pebble

As a lapidary - one who cuts, grinds, shapes & polishes gemstones - I have also continued to collect & use "Natural Finish" stones in my personal projects. Heck, I even drag home rocks that I never intend to cut. They are just Pretty Rocks, and they are just as important to me as my other stones.

When I was young, on vacation, my mother would bring home unique looking rocks. Driftwood, bits of rusted metal & anything else that caught her eye. She would use them inside & out for decoration. So, I guess it was not surprising that I did much the same as I grew up & looked for inexpensive items to decorate my home & yard.

Now, don't get me wrong - my home & yard don't look like a junk yard or something like that. It is just that I tend to use rather unconventional items in different ways.

That brings me to my latest topic - the use of wind or stream polished stones in jewelry. Truth be told, I have been using such items since I was in high school. Even then looking for something different, natural & beautiful. Something that no one else had - or could just go to the store & buy.

I did a couple of Google searches, looking to see if anyone was marketing such items. The pickings were pretty slim. But not everyone even know what I am talking about so here are some pictures.........

Botryoidal Black Agate Pocket

The above picture is one of quite a few pieces I picked up on our last trip to Wyoming. Notice the natural polish. It is a sweet little piece 1" tall by 3/4" wide. There is some host rock attached to the back that I plan on triming. This little beauty would make a great centerpiece for a pendant.

  

Blue - Black Agate with a Druzy Pocket

Another Wyoming find, this piece has one of the most desired centers around. Druzy is "Hot" right now in jewelry designs. The demand for good pieces is thru the roof. Right now this piece measures 1 3/4" long by

1 1/4" wide. There is also some host rock to trim on this piece. It could also be split in half, depending on its final design.

  

Blue - Black Agate with white accents

One of my favorite pieces I brought back. When you hold it in your hand it looks like a heart that has kind of melted & deformed slightly. The only thing this little pretty needs is to be put into a pendant that will highlight it's unique natural design. It measures 1" tall by 3/4" wide.

What about something different?

Botryoidal Agate Nodule from the Geode local

This little bubbly ball needs some more cleaning, but it shows the fun design that could be worked into a unique jewelry piece. It measures in at 1" by 1" by 3/4".

And this?

  

Flat Jasper Nodule

This very earthy piece was found in a jasper local. There were large broken nodules pieces littering about a 100 ft area. Nothing really spectacular about the big pieces. But I found this little guy in the rubble. The chip was already there. This piece measures almost 1 3/4" tall by 1 1/8" wide and 3/8" thick.

Pieces like these are one of a kinds. And for the most part, unless you are the one out there looking for them, not available to buy. Until now.........

We are going to start listing some unique "Natural" pieces in our website. Pieces that will allow those up for the challenge, to design truely one of a kind works of art.

The pieces pictured here were from our latest trip to Wyoming. They were being sorted for use. I have additional pieces that we will also feature for sale starting 11-15. Until then, you can just dream.

We have also recently purchase a new camera & will be working on replacing the current pictures on the website to ones that give better detail. Please excuss our mess during this change over.

For your designer gemstone cabochons - ThePolishedPebble.com