The Lapidary and Rock Polishing Blog

When precious stones are found in mines, they havent undergone rock polishing and don’t look half as dazzling as they should look. Gems are finely cut, shaped and are then put through some rigorous rock polishing to give it that mesmerizing stunning and impressive look. The method of cutting the stone is known as gem cutting or lapidary. This process was started in the early 1300s in Venice. Later in the 1400s this method was used in Paris and Bruges. There are four basic styles of gem cutting, namely tumbling, faceting and carving. The precious stones should be cut so well that they mirror and reflect the light that falls on them. If the gem has not been cut or the rock polishing has not been done well, it destroys the beauty and the shine of the stone. For example, an alluring diamond, if the rock polishing and cut has not be done well, it will not be as valuable, rich or worthy compared to a well polished diamond.

The gem cutter or a lapidary, also known as lapidarist begins the process of lapidary by sawing the gem. The gem from the mine is first cleaned with oil or water, to remove the residues present on the stone. The stone is then sawed with a thin circular blade. One can use different sizes of blades, depending on the size of the stone. Sawing helps remove all the debris and chunks of mud stuck to the stone. The second step is grinding the stone.

Grinding is usually done with silicon carbide wheels or diamond-impregnated wheels, which is used to give shape to the gemstone to a desired rough form, called a preform. The third step is sanding which removes the scratches and dents caused by grinding. Sanding is a very delicate fine process, which is similar to grinding. If the stone needs to be flat at one end, then the stone goes through a process called lapping.

Laps are made of iron or steel, to flatten one side of the stone. Then the rock polishing takes place, to create a mirror like effect. Polishing the rock makes the stone so clear and dazzling that it shines. Rock polishing agents like tin oxide, aluminum oxide, ferric oxide and so on are used. Cloth, leather, wood, can also be used for rock polishing. The next process is cabochon. The gem is smoothly rounded and polished on top, and either flattened or slightly rounded on the bottom. This is usually done to opaque or transparent stone.

Transparent stones are also faceted. The stone is flattened at on the sides symmetrically and the entire surface undergoes an intensive rock polishing, making it shine. The stone is then dopped on a metal dopstick, and later sanded and polished on a lap. Water or any liquid is used to clean the stone. A well faceted stone acts like a mirror, reflecting the light that falls on it, thus making it shine.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… CY: wait… I: wait… L: wait… YCat: wait… I: wait… Top: wait… I: wait… L: wait… C: wait… SD: wait…

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BARSTOW • Rocks run in the Depue family.

The family-owned Diamond Pacific Tool Corporation has been manufacturing equipment used to cut, sand, grind and polish gem stones since 1973.

The company won the Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Large Business of the Year award. It was nominated, among other things, because of its charitable contributions to groups like Barstow Youth Football and the Boys and Girls Club, its participation in events like Bureau of Land Management clean-up and trail creation, and because it allows the use of its building as a meeting space for various local organizations, as well as putting on occasional classes on rock identification, polishing and cutting.

Company founder and co-owner Bill Depue, now 83 years old, began collecting rocks when he was a boy growing up in the Harper Lake area.
With little else to do in the way of recreation, Depue would go out looking for Indian arrowheads or explore abandoned mines, bringing home interesting rocks like onyx or petrified palm in the process. His parents shared his interest, and his mother later ran her own gem shop in Lenwood for several years in the 1960s, Depue said.

As a college student at UCLA, Depue would come home on summer vacations in the late 1940s and make his own diamond saws to cut the rocks he collected. Still, Depue said he had never pictured himself going into the lapidary business. Instead, he went to work as a mathematics professor at the Northrop Institute of Technology, a small engineering college in Inglewood.

One of Depue’s other hobbies was flying, and he met his future partner George Ujihara while looking for someone who could build him a gyrocopter, which is similar to a helicopter but has its blades powered by propellers rather than directly through the engine.

Depue had just put down a $100 deposit to have Ujihara build him a gyrocopter when Ujihara’s business partner died in a gyrocopter crash, dampening Depue’s enthusiasm for the project. Still, Ujihara and Depue discovered a common interest in gems as well as aircraft.

“He had done some prospecting in Mexico before I met him, so it wasn’t hard to make a rock hound out of him,” Depue said.

The pair started Gem Tech Diamond Tool Corporation, the precursor to Diamond Pacific, in 1969. They came up with an innovative concept in the industry, producing a new type of diamond wheels used for grinding the gems. Diamond wheels had been used in the past, but they were always flat, Depue said. He and Ujihara were the first people to begin making wheels with the diamonds placed on the periphery.

They found a ready market, and the business grew quickly. Eventually, Depue’s brother Bob, who died in December of 2007, and their sister’s husband joined the team, Depue said. A few years later, the partnership between Bill and Ujihara split, although Bill said they remained friends, and Ujihara kept the Gem Tech name, while the Depues started Diamond Pacific. They moved the operations from Inglewood to Barstow in 1974, and in 1977, Bill quit his teaching job and moved back to Barstow to work at Diamond Pacific full time.

The company is now owned by Bill, his sister Beth Pinnell, and Bob’s widow, Sandra Depue, with Bob’s three sons, Don, Steve and Jerry, also working there.

The company has about 25 employees in Barstow and in 2008 shipped its products to 54 different countries, Steve Depue said. They also bought two side ventures, Contempo Lapidary Equipment, a Sylmar-based company that makes heavier equipment, and Geosonics, a company in Iowa that makes tumblers, office manager Jill Durbin said.

Unlike many other businesses, Diamond Pacific did not take an immediate hit from the economic downturn, Durbin said.

“It took a while, and actually we found business increased when the economy started slowing down — people were looking for hobbies and not traveling,” she said.

Still, sales began to take a hit over the winter, and the company will have to ride out the economic downturn before it can expand its facilities on West Main Street.

In the meantime, Bill is hard at work with one of his other hobbies — airplanes — building an aircraft with short takeoff and landing so that he can land in the desert and hunt for rocks.

Technorati Tags: rock polisher, rock polishing

Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art: February 21 “Rocks & Minerals of Illinois.” 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Feb. 21. Learn about basic Illinois geology and useful rocks and minerals found in Illinois. Ages 8 years to adult. $5. Every Sunday at 3 p.m. “Russian Gem Treasures” - Renowned lapidary writer, Bob Jones, travels to Russia to explore the mineral wonders, museums, and palaces. Special Exhibit “Scottish Jewelry” - to May 10. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, $2 for students and teens, $1 for children ages 7 to 12 and free for children younger than 7. Admission free on Fridays. In Wilder Park at 220 Cottage Hill, Elmhurst. Call 630-833-1616 or visit www.lizzadromuseum.org.

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I found this great video on youtube, showing a good example of some rock polishing using iortone. I posted it on here as I keep getting emails from people new to the world of rock polishing, who just want to know what its all about, and particularly are interested in what Iortone is. A lot of people are getting this method of rock polishing confused with an actual gemstone.

Just to definitively clear it up, Iortone is not a gemstone, but is just one of the elements which can be used in rock polishing. Either way, watch the video, and all will be revealed

Technorati Tags: iortone, rock polishing

The Tucson Bead Show is a three-day event featuring more than 200 artisans and suppliers, each chosen for traditional skills in bead making, textiles, jewelry design, lapidary arts, wearable art, polymer clay, fashion design, handmade cloth, embellishments, handwovens, glass making, wood carving, clay arts, enameling, fiber arts, metalwork, lamp work and interior décor.

The show will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Doubletree Tucson Reid Park, 445 S. Alvernon Way.

Admission is free.

For more information, e-mail Anna at tucsonbeadshow@msn.com or call 530-274-2222.

The word lapidary refers to a person who masters the art of cutting and polishing stones. Apart from the mineral and gem stones he also works on the materials like glass, horn, bones, corals, copal, shells, pearls, jet etc. These are durable metals and they can carve designs on them. These items could be showpieces, broaches etc. In fact there are various patterns of designs which are observed in their work.

But the people who are into cutting diamonds generally use special techniques and are not really included in this category. There are people who chisel inscriptions on the stones or they create thin sections of the stones in the laboratories. They are also known as the lapidaries.

Fixing and cutting the marble stones, semi-precious stones like onyx are also included in the art of lapidary. This art is quite old and in China this art is in practice especially on the Jade stones since the reign of Shang dynasty.

Types

The lapidaries are generally segregated into three categories. They are known according to the art they practice like tumbling, faceting and cabochon cutting. Tumbling is all about smoothing a surface that is uneven. The tumbling of the stones will need a special lubricant apart from the abrasive grit. Faceting is known to be the art of cutting the gemstones into geometrical shapes.

This enhances the looks and often price of them as they glitter in a better manner after faceting. The cuts could be round, square or semi-circular depending on the quality of the stones. Cabochon cutting is shaping the cabochon stones in a way that they acquire a special shape which has flatter bottoms and convex upper parts.

Lapidaries play an important role in determining the price and quality of the gemstones as often these depend on their cut and design.

Equipment

There are various equipments that you will need if you wish to become a lapidary by profession or simply because this is your hobby. The equipments have been modernized now-a-days and they are extremely efficient in cutting the stones and other materials easily. The diamond band saw, grinders, trimming saws, flattening machines, drills and drill bits, carbide cutting tools are included in the list of lapidary equipments. The popular companies manufacturing these are Lortone, Graves, Raytech, Pacific etc.

You should by the equipments from a wholesaler who can help you out with an updated catalogue and list of equipments. The provision of buying these online is also available but you should be aware of the quality and efficiency of the product you are about to buy. These are few things which you should known about the lapidaries if you aspire to become one some day.

Technorati Tags: iortone, lapidary, rock polishing

Learn About the Craft of Lapidary

The word lapidary refers to a person who masters the art of cutting and polishing stones. Apart from the mineral and gem stones he also works on the materials like glass, horn, bones, corals, copal, shells, pearls, jet etc. These are durable metals and they can carve designs on them. These items could be showpieces, broaches etc. In fact there are various patterns of designs which are observed in their work.

But the people who are into cutting diamonds generally use special techniques and are not really included in this category. There are people who chisel inscriptions on the stones or they create thin sections of the stones in the laboratories. They are also known as the lapidaries.

Fixing and cutting the marble stones, semi-precious stones like onyx are also included in the art of lapidary. This art is quite old and in China this art is in practice especially on the Jade stones since the reign of Shang dynasty.

Types

The lapidaries are generally segregated into three categories. They are known according to the art they practice like tumbling, faceting and cabochon cutting. Tumbling is all about smoothing a surface that is uneven. The tumbling of the stones will need a special lubricant apart from the abrasive grit. Faceting is known to be the art of cutting the gemstones into geometrical shapes.

This enhances the looks and often price of them as they glitter in a better manner after faceting. The cuts could be round, square or semi-circular depending on the quality of the stones. Cabochon cutting is shaping the cabochon stones in a way that they acquire a special shape which has flatter bottoms and convex upper parts.

Lapidaries play an important role in determining the price and quality of the gemstones as often these depend on their cut and design.

Equipment

There are various equipments that you will need if you wish to become a lapidary by profession or simply because this is your hobby. The equipments have been modernized now-a-days and they are extremely efficient in cutting the stones and other materials easily. The diamond band saw, grinders, trimming saws, flattening machines, drills and drill bits, carbide cutting tools are included in the list of lapidary equipments. The popular companies manufacturing these are Lortone, Graves, Raytech, Pacific etc.

You should by the equipments from a wholesaler who can help you out with an updated catalogue and list of equipments. The provision of buying these online is also available but you should be aware of the quality and efficiency of the product you are about to buy. These are few things which you should known about the lapidaries if you aspire to become one some day.

Technorati Tags: lapidary, rock polishing