http://lapidarywow.com/ Find out about the craft of lapidary Mon, 3 May 2010 17:38:58 GMT en-us http://lapidarywow.com/quartz http://lapidarywow.com/quartz Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:30:59 GMT Quartz, a mineral that consists of silicon dioxide, has many colors that are affected by such things as trace elements in the stone, as well as, the heat and radiation from the earth. For example, amethyst, purple in color, can change in color to become green quartz; this is accomplished by added heat from the earth, however, this can also be accomplished in a lab as well. http://lapidarywow.com/onyx http://lapidarywow.com/onyx Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:30:08 GMT Cryptocystaline quartz chalcedony is the name for onyx that is banded. The colors in the bands can be white or any other hue but will never have blue, blacks or purples in it. Most of the onyx viewed have colors in the tan, brown and white family. There is a special type of onyx that is called Sardonyx where the bands are in shades of red. The forms of most onyx are natural but it is mostly made when the agate is stained, some common uses are for onyx to be made into cameos, intagilos andbeads. http://lapidarywow.com/garnets http://lapidarywow.com/garnets Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:29:19 GMT Garnet is January's birthstone and is found in a wide variety of different colors, from orange like a tangerine to scarlet red to pastel pink to green, and it also comes in gold, purple, and shades of brown. Garnet's name probably came from a fruit called a pomegranate, which has the same kinds of reddish purple shade as the gemstone does. You would probably find tiny pieces of garnet in ancient jewelry, because it resembled the seeds of a pomegranate fruit. http://lapidarywow.com/opals http://lapidarywow.com/opals Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:28:40 GMT The opal is one of the most desiredd gems in all of nature, and is also October's birthstone. It's also the traditional gift given for the fourteenth wedding anniversary, and has been mined by the tribes of ancient Central Africa, the Aztecs, and even Eastern Europeans. There were opals decorating the crown that belonged to the Holy Roman Emperor, as well as featured among France's crown jewels, and were given mention in the works of Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott as well. Josephine was given an opal by Napoleon, and opals were also often given out as wedding presents from Queen Victoria. http://lapidarywow.com/lapidary-an-introduction http://lapidarywow.com/lapidary-an-introduction Tue, 4 Aug 2009 13:13:41 GMT A skilled lapidary is able to bring out the natural beauty of any rock. A professional lapidary can take any raw, rough mineral, rock or stone and cut and polish it until it's ready to be displayed, either on a shelf or as jewelry. Stones like onyx, agate and fluorite can be carved by lapidaries into functional things like plates, vases and bowls, or they can be carved into artful, representational sculptures also. Cabochons (or 'cabs') are shapes that are flat on one side, are domed on the opposite side, and highly polished; lapidaries make these with a process that begins with a saw. Well, of course it begins with the rock itself, but rock hunting is another discussion entirely.