Mother Natures Little Gems - The Polished Pebble

We have been cleaning & cleaning again some of our latest additions. These are some small natural treasures from our Wyoming trip last Oct. Collected in an area near the Laramie Mountains. While alot of people working with stone collect large pieces that can be cut & polished, myself included....I still continue to be drawn to the smaller pieces also.

Such detail in a little stone - and Mother Nature has already finished these beauties off with a nice tumble followed by a wind polish. No extra work for me, right? Well, sort of. The job of cleaning these pretties off can be quite labor intensive....soaking & scrubbing - over & over again for some. But the end result is worth it.

I always thought that these gems deserved their rightful place in a beautiful piece of jewelry. Recently there have been a few talented artists that have agreed with me. I must admit, I am amazed at their ability to twist & wrap wire while showcasing these smaller stones. They are amazing!

The pieces above are the most interesting dark grey metallic stones. While we are not geologists, we believe them to be manganese. The look reminds me of some iron meteorites I have...but they are different. Just think of what these would look like in a wrap - they are definitely one of a kind items.

And every now & then - while cleaning up a small gem you uncover some sparklie crystal druzy. This piece has a fracture down the middle. The plan is to make a cut along the fracture & polish the agate. They will be small - but stunning.

Connie  -  The Polished Pebble

Back from the wilds of Wyoming - The Polished Pebble



Chalk Mountains - Wyoming

Well, we survived another hunting season. Score.....NO Elk - lots of rock. It seems we are on a every other year schedule for getting an elk. On the other hand, rock seems plentiful & is only limited by how far I want to drive & how much weight I can carry back to California. Got to get a bigger truck ;)

This years weather has been interesting everywhere. And the first two weeks of October in Wyoming was right on par with the rest of the weird weather. When we left Bakersfield it was upper 80's to lower 90's....the last few days of Sept. When we arrived in Wyoming it was in the low 80's.....we were hoping for a nice cool down, but mother nature had other ideas.

With few exceptions, the weather stayed very warm our whole trip (2 weeks & a few days). The weather played a big part in the NO ELK. Because it was still so warm, they just weren't moving out of the mountains.

Earlier in the year they had LOTS of water. Which exposed more rock in areas where the pickings had been slim or even unseen. I found the prettiest Agatized Petrified Wood on a friends' ranch that they had never seen before. It had been exposed by the excessive rain earlier in the year...but more on that later.

We have been trying to get everything back to normal here after the trip. The weekend was spent washing clothes, giving the dogs a bath, giving the truck a bath..(should have took pictures before - it was covered in thick sticky mud), mowing the lawn....and the list goes on. One thing I made sure we did was clean out the rock saw. After sitting idle for over two weeks it was fairly easy to drain & then muck out the sludge on the bottom. It is running as I type. Lots of pretties to open.

Here is a look at what we brought home....

Included in the pile is Black Agate, Moss Agate, Agatized Petrified Wood, Turitella Agate, Bull or Snow Quartz, some Jade, Sweetwater Agate and a whole lot of "Pretty" rocks.

Recounts of the daily rockhounding trips to follow - stay tuned.

Connie - The Polished Pebble

Going Ahh...Natural With The Polished Pebble

Ok, so just what did you think we were talking about???? Natural edged or natural finished Gemstones....right? Well, that's what were talking about.  : )

The organic look & feel of natural edged stones has always intrigued us. We love the newest trend in jewelry towards this edge. Designer jewelry have come along way from the "If it isn't gold with faceted gemstones - it isn't a designer piece."

There are artists out there on the cutting edge using copper, brass, aluminum, right along with silver, gold and even platinum. They are mixing faceted stones with cabochons....gemstone beads with raw crystals. Polished gemstone slabs...and even 100% natural wind polished pieces. Not only as accents - but as the focal piece of their creation.

We have always picked up those interesting pieces on our trips. And they have a place in our home and our yard. But until recently, they have not been offered for sale. Currently we have a number of interesting "Natural" pieces on our website The Polished Pebble .

Natural Jasper Nodule

 Many are found while out rockhounding. But just as many are found just where ever we happen to be. We are always looking for neat & unusual pieces to offer others or for our own collections.

You never know what you will find. Sometimes you come home empty handed - other times you find some real keepers.

Wind Polished Stylized Heart

There is a large demand for natural edged Gemstone Slabs that are polished front & back. We currently only list some slices of Oco Geodes on our site. One thing to remember, not all Oco's are created equal. Just like any other gemstone...there are different grades. You can find Oco Geode slices marketed for a buck a piece. But they will be pretty junk...not colorful treasures.

Oco Geode Gemstone Slice

We are looking to expand our offerings to other slabs like this.......

Dark Cherry Jasper Natural Edged Polished Slab

But one of our latest pieces is a real treasure. And remember, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".....

This is the outside of one of our Wyoming Geode - Nodules that come from a friends' ranch. We just love that organic feel. When this end piece came off the saw it just spoke to us. And under that interesting exterior.....

Some beautiful agate. The finished pendant will be a real conversation starter. And there will never be another one like it.

On the down side....while alot of people are looking for the unusual pieces. Some balk at paying much for "FOUND" pieces. To that we reply, our costs include gas, wear & tear on our truck, time & marketing. If you want them for free - they're out there...go find them.

For those that are looking for that "One Of A KIND" piece - check out our website  The Polished Pebble

Wyoming Jaspers, Agates, Opal & Geodes,OH MY!.........The Polished Pebble

Well, we have been home for a while. And some of the "Must Due Before Winter" jobs have been crossed off the  list. In between everything we managed to get alittle cutting done. And alittle closer evaluation of just what pretties we brought back from our Wyoming trip.

So I thought I would give you a few pics & some info.

Assortment of gemstone rough from Wyoming

The first picture shows a piece of chocolate brown jasper with bredicated common opal, a piece of jade & quartz, & a piece of golden japer. I am really excited about the jasper & opal piece. It was found as float & search as I may, I couldn't find anymore. It is waiting for us to fire up the big saw, as it is too big for the 12".

closer look

This picture also shows what we think is rose quartz. It is a monster piece & we hope it will fit in the large saw. You can also see the opal in the jasper better.

Geodes & Agate Nodules

Direct from my secret local, are a few Geodes & Agates Nodules. I brought home some last year along with some pieces. Figuring that I could cut the pieces for cabs. Was I wrong. You see, most of the geodes are a mixture of Agate & Calcite centers. So, when the Geodes broke open the Calcite got stained & broken down in structure. And if I did find some solid, it soaked up the cutting oil like a sponge. I tried - but for the most part it didn't work out well.

This year I concentrated on either whole Geodes or solid Agate Nodules. Here are some pictures of a few I have cut.

I will be cabbing a few soon - so we should know how they work out. Right now they look like some winners.

I also picked up some black agate, should make some nice cabochons. There are some pieces that are wind polished & I am thinking about using them as is. I LOVE natural finish items, the texture is so organic.

I found this great old jar on a trash dump at the Ranch

And there are NO empty jars at my house - it was only fitting that I filled it with smaller pieces of black agate for this trip.

That is just a peek at what we brought back from Wyoming.

Oh, we have recently been camera shopping & I think we have found something that will give us better pictures to share & not cost an arm and a leg. We'll have more info on that & MORE Gemstone & Lapidary stuff soon.

Don't forget - ThePolishedPebble.com for your Gemstone Cabochons

 

The Polished Pebble - Living With Stone

We are surrounded with stone in our daily lives. From the granite counter tops in our kitchens & baths - to the stone walkways we traverse. Stone columns, stone accented planters & more.

Now imagine that your chosen path in life it to work directly with stone. To choose, cut & shape, grind & polish. Our life here at The Polished Pebble is consumed with stone. And we love it - most the time.

Working with stone teaches you many life lessons. So we thought we would take some time to share..........

Never judge a rock by it's outside appearance. Kind of like the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover". With stone it has much the same meaning. Oh, we do look for certain signs on the outside. But, most the time, you need to look past the outside coating to see the true beauty within.

Perfection is a myth. We all strive for perfection. And you should always do the best you can do - no matter what. But, flaws are sometimes unavoidable. Work with them or around them. I have yet to find a rock that was truly perfect in every way. Same with people.

Quality in - Quality out. Remember the old saying "You can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear"? Well, that holds true with stone or gemstones also. If you start out with fractured or pitted rough stone you will end up with junk. And it takes just as much time to work junk as it does primo rough - so why waste your time?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just because you think a piece is beautiful doesn't mean that everyone shares your opinion. We all have our own likes & dislikes, favorite colors & styles. Try to see beyond your own world. Reaching more people or customers takes effort & imagination.

Cheap is NOT best. The equipment that we work with is expensive & things have to be replaced often when you are using them a lot. Trying to cut corners or substitute poor quality or cheaper made items (ie - diamond saw blades, diamond grinding & polishing wheels, motors & such) never seems to save us money in the long run. They always end up not lasting as long or not working as good. I guess you could go back to the "Quality" issue here too.

Follow Your Heart. Sounds corny doesn't it. But if you spend your life doing what others want you to do & never do the things that you love - what's the point? Don't get me wrong, there are many thing throughout life that we HAVE to do. And many are NOT fun. But you need to make the time for the things you love - you & you alone are responsible for your happiness.

Remember to check out our website at ThePolishedPebble.com

The Polished Pebble - Working With Stone

Most people, when you talk about Gemstones, think Diamonds, Sapphires, Rubies & such. Faceted stones. Few will think - Agate, Jasper or any of the other wonderful stones used to make Gemstone Cabochons.

Faceted Gemstone Parcel

Truth be told, the first Gemstones used for personal ornamentation (jewelry) were these agates, jaspers, lapis, opals, quartz, jade, etc, etc.......... Rounded & polished to show of their rainbow of colors & designs. And only for the royalty. It wasn't until recent history that faceted gems became the standard for Gemstones.

Far from the signature "Bolo Tie" Cabochon. Today's Gemstone Cabochons come in many shapes & designs. While they still may be made of agate or jasper - they are just as likely to be made of unusual and beautiful minerals that until recently would never have even been considered usable in jewelry. And many of the new "Artist" style cabochons can stand alone as a Work Of Art.

Birdseye Rhyolite Gemstone Cabochon

And because of advanced mining & transportation thru out the world, we have new finds of beautiful stone available for use. Ocean Jasper - Madagascar, Royal Sahara Jasper - Africa, Condor Agate - Argentina, Cherry Creek Jasper - China and the list could go on & on. Not to mention all the wonderful stone right here in the US - old standards & new discoveries.

Royal Sahara Jasper Gemstone Cabochon

Finally it seems, that the lowly Cabochon is being seen for the true beauty it has to give. Being natural does not have to be drab & boring. There are many stones that offer MORE than just sparkle - check them out! ThePolishedPebble.com