About the Process
This all began with a love for rocks. I discovered the beauty of agates and began to research them. Naturally, this lead me to learning about lapidary and then I was hooked! I sought out a lapidary teacher and was lucky enough to find a fantastic teacher within an hour’s drive. The next day I was sitting in his studio learning to make cabochons! This lead to getting all of my own equipment and also learning metal smithing, which I was surprised to find I love doing just as much a lapidary. Now I am starting with rough rock, cutting it into slabs with a lapidary saw, then designing, cutting, shaping, and polishing the cabochons. From there I sketch a design in my journal and begin the metal work! I work in mostly sterling silver and accent with copper, brass, and bronze to highlight colors and patterns in the stones. Here are some photos of the process from start to finish (more coming soon!). Please feel free to reach out if you have questions! I love talking about it all and enabling…I mean helping others get into it too!