Lapidary is the art of cutting, shaping and polishing precious and semi-precious gems and stones.

The photograph above is of labradorite, a type of feldspar found mainly in Labrador. A rough chunk may seem uninteresting, but once cut and polished, it displays an iridescence that can range from yellow to brilliant blue. The transformation of a rough rock to a polished cabochon (dome-shaped, non-facetted gems), is magical.

A unique feature of my work is the way I combine the art of lapidary with the art of wood turning. I combine domestic and exotic woods with semi-precious stones such as agate, jade and labradorite.

Some of my polished cabochons and turned boxes.

Finding rough material is like a treasure hunt. Searching for rough material can take you on travels to mineral shows and quarries or to a variety of Web site stores and auctions. I obtain most of my rough from attending annual gem and mineral shows in Ontario. I also go on field trips and to local auctions.

Cutting and shaping the rough requires special tools that can be purchased through lapidary suppliers. Circular saws with diamond impregnated blades will cut thick stones into thin slabs. These slabs are then trimmed on a smaller circular saw in order to prepare them for shaping. Shaping the stone to a desired form involves grinding with abrasives.

Polishing is done on a felt wheel that has a polishing agent applied to it. I usually use a paste made up of water and tin oxide powder.

Magical, Mystical & Healing Properties of Stones

We may find that certain stones demand our attention and appeal to us on an aesthetic level. At other times, we may search for a stone because it is known to have particular metaphysical properties that may aid us in areas such as health, meditation, healing and divination.

One of my favorite "stones" to work with is obsidian, which is actually a naturally forming glass. Obsidian is formed when lava cools quickly. It hardens to a dense, hard glass and can have various beautiful characteristics such as a gold sheen, a silver sheen, and rainbow striations of color. Mahogany obsidian is named for the reddish color that runs through the glass, like a lovely wood grain. Throughout history, many cultures have revered the magical properties of obsidian. The ancient Aztecs used black obsidian mirrors to foretell future events. Today, black obsidian mirrors or spheres are used as an aid in divination and meditation.

Mahogany boxes with mahogany obsidian.		Maple tarot box with obsidian inlay.

There are many books available with in-depth information on the mystical and magical properties of stones, The books by Cunningham, Gienger and Melody are great resources in this area (see references below).

Lapidary Resources

Books
Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic.
Gienger, Michael. Crystal Power, Crystal Healing. The Complete Handbook.
Melody, Love is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals.
Schumann, Walter. Gemstones of the World.
Schumann, Walter. Rocks, Minerals & Gemstones.

For information on gem identification, I highly recommend the books by Walter Schumann. His books also include physical properties and characteristics of gemstones.