about me

I learned to make cabochons and to facet gemstones from an Aussie miner and master lapidary when I lived in Alice Springs, Australia, in the 1980s. I started with a couple of pounds of junk opal purchased for a dollar at a yard sale. One afternoon I was passionately grinding away on one of my treasures, when my Aussie friend noticed what a fine job I was doing turning a perfectly good piece of pinfire opal into white mud sitting on the bottom of the cabbing machine, whereupon, he tactfully offered a few suggestions to improve my technique. That was the beginning of many lessons in cutting all kinds of gemstones. A whole new world opened up.

I spent 5 years in Australia cutting everything I found around Alice Springs, the Harts Range, and practically anywhere I went in the Northern Territory. Beryl, garnet, zircon, quartz, prehnite, jasper, agate, chalcedony…you get the picture. I made a lot of dust—okay, mud. I finally got pretty good at it—cutting stones, not making rock mud, I was always very good at that.

When I got back to the States, I joined a local lapidary club and kept learning and cutting. Eventually, I taught a few classes for the club.

I studied metal smithing and jewelry design. Then I began making jewelry once in a while. I still make one of a kind pieces by commission, but really just prefer making shiny rocks.

With experience comes knowledge. For me that meant a more studied approach to each stone I cut. Instead of cutting the stone to a calibrated shape and size—usually some kind of oval or round shape, I learned to let the stone tell me how it should look. In my opinion, there is nothing like a free form cabochon to bring out the beauty and magic of any gemstone. However, calibrated stones are the ticket, it you prefer to use commercial settings.