Chapter 2: Choosing Gemstones Gemstone Types and Lapidary Uses Now that you''ve gotten a general introduction to the type of gemstone material best suited for beginner and intermediate lapidary hobbyists and artists, we''ll show you which gemstones are best for specific types of lapidary work. Not all gemstones can be used in the same way. For example, some gemstones are too large to be tumble-polished or face-polished as individual stones. If you want to polish such specimens, they must first be cut into slabs and then shaped into jewelry pieces. The table on pages 18-19 provides a guide to the uses each gemstone is best suited for. While this table is by no means exhaustive, the materials we recommend provide a broad cross section of what is readily available and affordable and will enable beginner and intermediate lapidary artists to produce outstanding finished stones and jewelry pieces. Gemstone Prices Most of the stones we recommend in this book can be purchased in bulk and are priced by the pound. The low end of the price range is about $3-$5 per pound; medium-level stones are $8-$15 per pound; and high-priced stones go for more than $20 per pound.

As you gain skill and confidence, you may choose stones on the higher end of the range, but you can produce many delightful lapidary products with carefully selected gemstones from the low end as well. Selecting High-Quality Gemstones Once you know which gemstone you want to use and how you want to use it, you''ll need to be able to recognize high-quality specimens to purchase. Just as choosing lousy produce at the grocery store will get you a subpar dinner, lower-quality stones will lead to less than optimal results: Garbage in, shiny garbage out. While it will certainly take time for you to consistently achieve high-quality results, starting with high-quality stones is the best way to avoid frustration. A Visual Guide to Selecting Gemstones To give you an idea of where to start, we''ve selected 12 gemstones from the table on the previous pages to discuss in further detail. These are good stand-ins for a number of others in the table, and the same selection tips apply to them as well. To make things as intuitive as possible, on the following pages we''ve provided photos for each gemstone showing rough stones that are below lapidary grade, rough stones that we consider lapidary grade, cut slabs, and atleast one completed lapidary piece, or cabochon, ready for jewelry making. This combination of images will help demystify this part of the process and help you select high-quality materials.

As their name suggests, below-grade stones don''t warrant the effort and cost necessary for them to serve as display stones or jewelry pieces (though they are great for learning). In contrast, lapidary-grade (medium- and high-grade) stones represent the sweet spot for most of your lapidary products; these stones would make nice jewelry pieces or tumble-polished stones for display. For stones that contain patterns or banding (such as agates, jaspers, or petrified wood), the primary characteristics you''re looking for are brightness and intensity of color, color separation (including distinctive layering or banding patterns), and unique coloration. When it comes to non-patterned and monotone materials (quartz varieties, black obsidian, aventurine), lower-quality stones are milkier or dull in color, while higher-quality stones are purer, less fractured, and brightly or uniquely colored. Rather than listing similar types of gemstones for each of the example stones pictured below, we''ve included the following criteria as a guide. Keep in mind that there are variations in hardness within these groupings, which is an important consideration for things like tumbling where you might want to mix different types of stones. More details are provided throughout the book. Most agates share the same selection and processing criteria: brightness, intensity of color and pattern, and hardness.

Most jaspers and petrified wood types share the same selection and processing criteria: brightness, intensity of color and pattern, and hardness. Quartz-based stones can be grouped with an additional criteria of clarity. Obsidian, sodalite, rhodonite, tiger''s-eye, and lapis lazuli share the same selection and processing criteria.