The Art of Lapidary
Lapidary is the art of cutting, shaping, and polishing rough stones, minerals, and gemstones.
In April I took a trip to Diamond State Park in Arkansas, to dig for diamonds. While I didn't find any diamonds, I did find a passion for digging for raw gemstones. While in Arkansas we went to Ida Mountain to dig for Quartz Crystals. I fell head over hills in love with hunting for gems. I brought home a ton of Quartz Crystals, with no clue of what to do with them.
I hit the net looking for any information I could find out.
I researched how to clean, cut, and polish rough gemstones.
It is not a one-day process and is a lot of work.
First, you have to find rough gemstones
Sounds easy right, not - lol. You have to know what you're looking for and what your looking at to be able to identify a rough gemstone. Plus, you have to know where to look. Unfortunately, I don't live in an area where gemstones are formed, so I rockhond - another post for another day.
Once you find them, you have to clean them. The Quartz Crystals were embedded in red dirt clay. They were stained form iron deposits. To get the red iron stain off the Crystals you have to soak them in oxalic acid for at least a week. Then you have to wash them off and deactivate the acid.
Next you have to cut, shape, and polish them. The design process begins here. I love nature and a lot of my pieces are influenced by nature. The influence could be a sunset I observed, a flower I stopped to smell, or a bird I watched eat from my bird feeder.
Once the stone is shaped to match what I envision, it's time to turn it into a wearable piece of art.
A lot of work that, I find satisfying and relaxing. I get lost in the process and allow my heart and soul guide my hands and tools to mold it into the competed product.
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