Lapidary

Understanding faceted vs cabochon gemstones through cutting processes, light physics, and material requirements. Real data on time investment, equipment differences, and when cutters choose each method.

A comprehensive look at cabochon value economics. Explore what drives pricing from $0.25 wholesale agates to $10,000 per carat black opals through manufacturing realities and market data.

Calendar time documentation for rock tumbling different materials from start to finish, including agate at 28 days, obsidian at 18 days, and beryl at 70+ days based on Mohs hardness.

Documentation of which rocks work in tumblers based on Mohs hardness ratings, from fluorite at 4 through corundum at 9, including processing time adjustments and compatibility groupings.

Documentation of the four-stage rock tumbling grit progression from 60/90 coarse through final polish, including particle sizes, economics, and what happens at each stage.

Smooth domed stones defined 1950s-60s jewelry aesthetics. The equipment, materials, and manufacturing shifts that moved American jewelry from faceted brilliance to polished color saturation.

Most lapidary guides assume you're buying a full workshop or already know what you're doing. Here's what actually happens when someone cuts their first stone.

Every lapidary book shows the Mohs scale chart. Here's what actually happens when you test unknown stones with files, knives, and the tools that work in practice.

Most lapidary guides assume you're buying labeled rough. Here's what happens when you're holding an unknown stone and need to figure out what it actually is.

Why your stone keeps flying off mid-grind and how temperature-matched dopping wax prevents workshop disasters in cabochon making.

A $40 blade cutting jasper gives you 200 slabs. That same blade on jade? Maybe 30. The economics of diamond blade wear across different stone hardnesses.

Your new cabbing machine creates water spray, silica dust, and stone slurry that has to go somewhere. Discover why lapidary workshop infrastructure - space, ventilation, and drainage - determines whether you're cutting stones or just making expensive puddles.

Professional gem cutting collapsed from 8,000 French cutters in the 1920s to under 100 today. Here's how weekend hobbyists accidentally became the keepers of centuries-old lapidary skills.

Cabochon making transforms dull rock slabs into mirror-polished gemstones through six grinding stages. Here's what actually happens at each step from rough to finished cab.

Most cabochons fail at 1,200 grit - where microscopic scratches emerge from beneath the water film. This is a complete guide to grit progression from 80 to 100,000, revealing why each stage exists and what happens when you skip one.

This is a complete guide to lapidary saw blade measurements. Learn how to get the right blade for your saw with this detailed breakdown of arbor sizes, kerf widths, and blade diameters.

Water consumption in lapidary work runs between 0.2 and 4 gallons per hour depending on equipment type, with slurry management being the real operational challenge rather than the water itself.

This is a complete guide to lapidary saws. Learn how to get the right equipment for cutting rough rock into slabs and creating cabochons from this in-depth post.

This is a comprehensive guide to help you choose the best cabbing machine for 2025. Learn how to transform rough stones into polished cabochons with this detailed equipment comparison.

This is a complete guide to rock tumblers. Learn how to get professional-grade polished stones from this comprehensive analysis.