Faceted Quartz Box by the Van Pelts

Made by Harold and Erica Van Pelt Lapidary (photos from 2007 Tucson show)

Two-part faceted quartz box with dendrites in quartz top, and 18 karat gold frame and hinge

Edward Erickson Gem Sculpter and Faceter

Another display from Tucson 2007.

Information displayed said:
Edward "Bud" Grant Erickson sculpted, hand-cut, faceted and polished all the "Super Gems" in this exhibit.

the boules were grown under *** by Dr. Milan Kakas at the Union Carl*** in Wasbegal Washington, specifically for Mr. Erickson's work.

Over a 38-year career Bud lead state of the art solids state *** associated electro-optic development.

***can read this word from photo, I should have gotten a better close up of it!

New Rocks Posted 5/18/09

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

French Fried Tourmaline

What happens when tourmaline gets just a tad too warm...
http://gringa-gem-news.blogspot.com/2009/05/french-fried-tourmalines-in-teofilo.html

(BTW this is a great blog, check out the rest of it while you are there.)

Pearls in the news...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601093&sid=afP5QnoYfINQ&refer=home


best quote: “Squeeze the goo like a pimple and the pearls pop out,” says Montfort-Jones.


oooo just what every woman wants to wear around her neck :)

More Opals..

An opal display by True Blue Opals at the Tucson Show:
Painted Ladies and Boulder Opal
Belemnite fossils (same family as modern squid)
Pineapple (Pseudomorph of Opal after Ikaite) These are just too cool...

PrettyRock.com : New Rocks Posted 5/10/09

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Cool Pyrite

Looks like a snowy day...

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Amazing video from the TED talks.

Wanna go?

Mike & Mary Jaworski Mineral Collection

This display is from the Tucson 2007 show is part of Mike and Mary Jaworski's Mineral Collection. Try not to drool on your keyboard...

New Rocks Posted 5/03/09

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Trip to Meteor Crater, AZ

While we were in Tucson, Dev and I took a side trip to the Grand Canyon, and Sedona. We stopped by the Meteorcrator. It was pretty darn cool. You can learn more about it here:http://www.meteorcrater.com/index.php

And yes, that white stuff is snow. We had snow at the Grand Canyon, too.

These are the attack ostriches that grabbed Devin feed cup and made a run for it. No, they don't roam the crater, they were at the ostrich farm out side of Tucson on the way back. One of the best parts of the whole trip If you are heading that way, check it out: http://www.roostercogburn.com/

Big Red: The Rhodochrosite Chrystal

This a big ol' rhodochrosite specimen from the Tucson 2007 show:

PrettyRock.com's First Annual America Rocks Marathon

Hey sneak preview for you all...gonna have an online party on the weekend of the 4th of July. We are calling it PrettyRock.com's First Annual America Rocks Marathon. Gonna have online games and prizes, rough going up every hour, what ever else we can think of to do. More info to come!

PrettyRock.com: New Facet Rough 4/26/2009

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Tree of Life Opal Carving

This is an amazing opal carving!

Great site for ruby and sapphire inclusion photos

http://www.gemresearch.ch/inclusions/

check these out!

Star Trapiche Emeralds

Another find from that set of photos from Tucson 2007:

Hiddenite Emeralds

I was digging around in my computer and saw these photos from the 2007 Tucson show. They are of Jamie Hill's collection of emerals from Hiddenite NC.

Watch for Rocks!

Dev and I saw this sign on the road from Sedona to Tucson for the big show :)

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.

If anyone is near New Hampshire, this looks like a great place to explore: McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center. Dev and I just sent their education center a little care package from PrettyRock.com. They are new and need all the help they can get, this is a hard time to be getting a new program up and running. Go science! :)

http://www.starhop.com/

Gemstones Found Only in One Location

Imperial Topaz found only in Ouro Preto, Brazil

I am working on a list of gemstones found only in one location. This is what I have so far. Please share if you know of any other or if any of these are wrong, let me know. This is all just off the internet, so who knows if it is right or not :)(Using the term gem loosely here.)

Tanzanite - Tanzania
Red Beryl - Wah Wah mountains of Utah (Bixbite)
Imperial Topaz - Ouro Preto Brazil
Larimar - Dominican Republic
Benitoite - San Benito County, California
Blue and green amber - Dominican Republic
Moldavite - Czech Republic
Fanta-coloured mandarin garnet - Namibia
Fire Opal - Mexico
Chrome diopside - Sakha (formerly Yakutia) in Russia
Charoite - Chary River in Russia
Mawsitsit - northern Myanmar (Burma)
Spectrolite (high-grade labradorite) - Finland
Diaspore - Turkey’s Anatolian Mountains
Petoskey Stones - northern beaches of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron
Michigan Green Stone - "Isle Royale" of the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan
Lodolite (variety of quartz with inclusions of chlorite, iron and calcite) - Minas Gerais, Brazil

The First of the Brazil Pages

are up! This is still a work in progress. Dev won't be able to add the video until his paper is done in a week or two.http://www.prettyrock.com/brazil-2009-introduction.htm

Back from Brazil! Moss Inclusions in Quartz?

We had an incrediable, fantastic, amazing experience in Brazil! We will be putting up a diary of the trip on the site...hopefully starting tomorrow. I pick this up while I was there. It was just laying in a tray of other included quartzes, such as you would see for wire wrapping at any rock show. I notice this one was different from any inclusion that I had seen before. Any thoughts on what it might be?

Rocks in the News - Feb 26 2009

Angelina Jolie's Emeralds had everyone buzzing the day after the Oscar's

TanzaniteOne and Gemfields duke it out and then TanzaniteOnes former head joins Gemfields and now UK's Gemfields brings Zambian emeralds to India and more on Gemfields in general

GIA cut's staff by 9% (It has also raised the price of it's classes.. but they didn't put out a press release about that.) and announced the 2009 Richard T. Liddicoat Scholarships

Times were slow at the 2009 Tucson Gem Show (not that anyone was suprised.)

AGTA issued an alert on dyed tourmaline (okay..not surprised by this one either.)

Fracture filled rubies entering the market ( or this one...there was an article about this in Gems and Gemology in 2006. )

JA Competition Winners Announced

I guess I shouldn't ignore the whole hoopla surrounding gemstone diffusion particularly tourmaline.. don't even know where to begin linking for that, don't want to give free advertising to any of them, so just do a google search if you are interested, but be sure to read both sides of the debate. Here: http://gemologyonline.com/Forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7556 That's the link to gemologyonline's debate on the subject. That should cover it.

Can you help? Fundraiser for Ryan

http://www.for-ryan.org/
This is close to the heart of one of our fellow rock hounds. Jon (at Gearloose) has created this page for a friend of his to help off set medical costs for their child. Please help if you can.

What's your favorite gemological tool?

Take our poll here!

http://prettyrock.com/prforum/index.php?topic=156.0

More on our Brazil Trip...

http://www.prettyrock.com/brazil-trip-2009.htm

We have added some information pages on our upcoming trip to Brazil, and a form to make requests for rough...serious or wishful thinking :)

Irradiated Blue Topaz and the NRC

There is so much false information and rumors flying around the internet that I thought it would be good to post a link to the latest and greatest info from the NRC:

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/irradiated-gemstones.html

Rocks in the News Jan 2 2009

Happy New Year Everyone! We made it through the Christmas season! Wore my poor little shipping fingers to the bone.

PrettyRock's Big news! Dev and I will be going to Brazil in March!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/01/02/comet.diamonds/index.html
Diamonds linked to Comet

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/27/giant.emerald/index.html
Big rock tug-o-war!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/23/international.gifts/index.html
kinda sad that she can't at least borrow them back to wear once in a while...

GIA Cuts Staff by 11%
http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/content_display/diamonds/grading/e3ie36ce5eb50d8af30097a8e5865d33824?imw=Y

Helping Jeweler's in troubled time
http://www.jckonline.com/article/CA6625858.html

Canadian Rubies?
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/True-North-Gems-Inc-TSX-VENTURE-TGX-928374.html

Cutbacks in the world of luxury
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/08luxury.html?ref=worldbusiness

Can't Make it to Tucson this Year?

This blog will help you get your Tucson fix! Dev and I won't be going this year because we are saving up for the Brazil trip. I stumbled upon this blog:

http://tucsongemshow.blogspot.com/

What a great idea for all of us stuck at home and wishing we were in Tucson :)

PrettyRock.com : Faceter's Gallery

Hello,

Just want to remind everyone that we have a Faceter's Gallery. This is a free way for all faceters to market their services or just a way to show off what you do.

This is ONLY open to faceters who do their own cutting.

http://www.prettyrock.com/faceters-gallery.htm

If you are interested in being included please email me the following:

1. Name and location (city and state is fine) and pretty picture of you (or your cat or grandkids or studio)

2. Do you accept commissions? (You don't have to to be included.)

3. Short (very short ) bio of your life as a faceter.

4. Contact info: email or address or phone Please remember this will be on the internet. Sorry, I am not going to act as a go between

5. Images of stones you have cut, about 200 x 200 dpi, .jpg format. We are limiting the gallery to 3 images of your choice of stones. However, you can post as many as you like if the rough is purchased from us These are not images of items for sale, we aren't putting up prices. They are examples of what your work looks like, you don't have to have the stone still in your possession.

We have thought about having a Jewelry Gallery, too. If you would be interested, let me know.

$108 million in Jewels Stolen from Harry Winstons in Paris

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE4B441C20081205

*ouch*

Carving Tutorial by Hans Meevis

Hans Meevis has an excellent carving tutorial on ganoksin:

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/freeform-gem-carving.htm

He does a great job of going step by step through the process with photos of the tools and stones along the way.

I received most of the tools I need to learn to carve for my birthday this year. This was the inspiration I needed to get going and carve something... even if it is something only a mother could love :)

Marketing Handcrafted Jewelry and Gems

Working on the catalog this week got me thinking about marketing. Marketing is a very important part of having a small business...something artists and craftsmen often don't want to admit. I don't make jewelry or gems (yet :)), but I do have an art background. When it comes to painting, it was probably 60% marketing, 40% actually painting. If you are really lucky you can talk someone else into doing the marketing for you or hire someone...other wise, it's you talking someone in to purchasing your work.

PrettyRock has a bit of a different business model, we are selling the materials artists use as opposed to art itself. But we do spend a good bit of time and energy (and money) marketing with advertisments on the net and in magazines, with the blog and links. We did shows for a long time, but although they were fun and a great way to meet people, they turned out not to be cost affective in terms of marketing.

What have you found to be affective? Participate in shows? Do you have a website? blog? do you advertise on the internet or in magazines?

If you are looking for ideas, ganoskin has great section of articles:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/directory/library/subject/11/1
If you find one you really like, please share the link.

This is a marketing audit directed at jewelry makers:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/marketing-audit.htm

Great way to get you brainstorming.

I'd love to hear your suggestions!

National Geographic - Crystal Caves

Dev and I watch this episode a few weeks ago, it was amazing! Gave me claustrophobia just watching :rocksearch

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/3569/cave-crystal-giants-1#tab-Overview

Carrots are devine... You get a dozen for a dime, It's maaaa-gic! - Bugs Bunny

As the saying goes...if it's too good to be true, it probably is:

A "confidence trickster" set up a sophisticated scam to dupe people into buying
fake gemstones made of concrete and glass, Northampton Crown Court heard today.

Read more here:
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Confidence-trickster-set-up-fake.4740096.jp

PrettyRock.com: New! Darkside Faceting Lap

We've Joined the Darkside! Faceting laps that is...

Developed by the inventor of the Batt™ Lap, the DARKSIDE™ is a lightweight advanced composite polymer polish lap, made of specially developed material coated onto an aluminum baseplate, then machined both sides for flatness. 8" diameter, 1/2 center hole. This lap has gotten rave reviews from professional and amature gem cutters. Click here to read a thread on our forums for more information on how to use this lap

Imperial vs Precious Topaz

Where is the dividing line between imperial and precious topaz? Got an opinion? Join in the discussion here.

Rocks in the News - November 21 2008

GIA Announces New Leaders

The fight over tanzanite control continues

Record Sapphire Sale at Christie's

Big Diamonds Not Selling at Sothby's

Flawless 2 ct Diamond found at Crater of Diamonds

Saks Sues Customer of Mispriced Jewelry

Exhibit on the History of Jewelry in Baltimore

Andesine: the Cliff Notes

(This is our one andesine, it's 1.2 ct, 8 x 6 mm, in case anyone hasn't seen one)


Pala International has published a good article that summarizes the whole andesine issue. http://www.palagems.com/gem_news_2008_v3.htm#andesine

Since there was never really any rough available to the rough dealers, Dev and I have not been personally involved in this issue. I think we bought one cut stone a year or two ago, just to see what all the hoopla was about. Since at the moment, we are a rock shop and not a lab, nor an investor in andesine, we promptly stuck it in a box marked "To be identified later" and forgot about it.

It has been very educational to see how this story has unfolded, how the different gem labs and researchers have evaluated the gems and come to conclusions (or not), and all the actions and reactions of the different sides involved. It has been a very emotional issue for some, and source of investigative detective work for others. We can only hope for those who have collected many stones, that either it turns out that there is real andesine, or that the companies they did business with will do the right thing and offer a refund.

I do think the andesine issue brought to the forefront just how influential the internet has become in gemology. On the positive side, scientists and gemologists are able to share their findings quickly, and information gets to the public more quickly. On the down side, we expect answers and we expect them now. It's hard to remember that good science takes time.

Gorgeous Faberge Egg Contest

About the contest:
Forbes.com and Instructables sponsered a contest build a Fabergé-styled egg
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/10/29/innovation-faberge-contest-tech-personal-cx_ec_1029egg.html

The stunning winners:
http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/29/innovation-faberge-contest-tech-personal-cx_ec_1029finalist_slide_2.html?thisspeed=25000

GemWise post on Tanzanite

Richard Wise has a great blog post on grading tanzanite:


http://gemwiseblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2008/11/in-praise-of-purple.html

My Mini Mineral Collection

This is my little mineral collection...gathered from all over :)

PrettyRock.com: New Rough Added 11/15/2008

Dev added some new rough this week..with a little surprise:
http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Light Sensitive Minerals

There is a great article in the November 2008 Rock & Gem Magazine, "Light-Sensitive Minerals: Why Some Specimens Lose Their Color" by Bob Jones. He discusses the chemical make up that creates the light sensitivity and how to care for and display light sensitive minerals. Some of the minerals he lists are:
Brown Zircon
Aragonite
Halite
Celestine (Blue)
Yellow Sapphire
Green Spodumene
Colored Diamonds
Smoky, Rose, Amethyst Quartz
Pink, Yellow, and Blue Fluorite
Red Spinel
Maxixe Emerald
Brown, Sherry, and Blue Topaz
And there are more.

It's very well done article, check it out if you haven't yet!

Specific Gravity Kit - Review from IGS

Dev and I were thrilled to receive the following review about our specific gravity travel kit.

____________________________________________________________________

PrettyRock.com has released a new Specific Gravity Travel Kit. This is a wonderful kit with a lot going for it.
My first impression was the high quality of the pieces and how well thought out it is. First, there is a very nice scale. It is small, to go with the theme of being light and portable. However, it also comes with a built in breeze cover and measures up to 100 carats. That is as much as any portable scale will handle. PrettyRock advertises that it is good through 50 carats. That shows their modesty and conservative attitude when it comes to advertising.
The kit comes with a small, plastic cube, the lid of which serves as the water vessel for the specific gravity readings. It is also used to store the hanging aparatus and the calibration weight. In addition, it comes with a sturdy little stand, a pair of tweezers and an electronic calculator.
Now, I like sturdy, but I was surprised at how heavy the weighing aparatus is. I had assumed that it had to be light, so as not to use up much of the scale's capacity. To test it, I weighed several large stones and even the calibration weight. Once the scale is zeroed with the weighing accessory on it, it retains its accuracy to the full 100 carats.
I was impressed. I have been using a wimpy wire for SG readings - one that causes me to use my full vocabulary. This set up is much easier to use and takes a lot of the headaches, and vocal exclamations, out of taking specific gravity readings.
Specific gravity readings are still tricky and a lot of care needs to be used. (See Specific Gravity Testing.) I wouldn't recommend using toluene in the plastic vessel. If you are interested in traveling with the kit, a small bottle of distilled water with a drop of liquid soap will both do the job and is safer.
This is a wonderfully easy kit to use, plus it is small enough to fit in your briefcase. Whether you are looking for something portable or something for your lab, I highly recommend this kit.

Sincerely,Donald Clark CSM IMGPresident

International Gem Society

Visit on Australian Sapphire Mine...online!

http://aussiesapphire.com.au/VirtualTour/html/virtual_tour.html

This is a great virtual tour created by Aussie Sapphire. This way you can check out the mine without getting your feet dirty...

Take a Virtual Trip to the Smithsonian's Gem and Mineral Exhibit

http://www.mnh.si.edu/earth/main_frames.html

Not quite as nice as being able to see it in person, but still very cool! This is a online version of the Smithsonians Natural History Museum's Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, & Minerals. Check it out and bring your kids along

Gem Mining in NC

Dev and I starting our gem addiction by going to the mines in NC. Yes, some of them are seeded..but who cares, it was a lot a fun! The Washington Post had a great article about the mines in NC last weekend:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/07/ST2008110702096.html

I am working on a page about the various sites to try..stay tuned for more information.

Prettyrock.com - New Gemstone & Mineral Wallpapers

I just added some new wallpapers to our free wallpaper page.
http://www.prettyrock.com/free-wallpaper-minerals.htm

Topaz Crystal

Spinel Crystals
Syn Padparadscha Gemstone

Grossular Garnet Specimen

PrettyRock.com: New Gemology, Jewelry, and Faceting Forum

Yea! We have our own brand spanking new forum for gemology, faceting, and all things rock related. We have been wanting a better way to chat with our customers, and offer them a place to ask questions or share their love of rocks. The new forum is here: http://prettyrock.com/prforum/index.php

Come on in and join the fun!

Garnet - Great Balls of Fire

Have you all seen the new book (or is it a periodical..what is it exactly? )in the lithographie series? Its gorgeous, just like it's predecessors! This one is on garnet in all it's glory. We picked up the first part of the series in Tucson a few years ago, and got on their list for the new ones.

If you don't know what I am talking about check out http://www.lithographie.org/

PrettyRock.com: Specific Gravity Travel Kit

We have a new product, the Specific Gravity Travel Kit. It's easy to use and compact! Won't take up too much rock room in your suit case.

Specific Gravity Travel Kit

AGTA Spectrum Awards 2009

were announced last week:

http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com/njn/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003881761

Congratulations to all the winners!

Rocks in the News - October 29, 2008

Rare Gemstones Hitting Record Sales

Pariba Lawsuit Dismissed

JTV Reaches Settlement Over Andesine

Burma Ruby Ban Goes into Affect Oct 26

Martian Opal?

PrettyRock.com: New Rocks Posted 10/26

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Gemstones Still Hitting Record Prices

According to the WallStreet Journal, the value of rare investment grade gemstones has been climbing steadily for the last few years. Even with the down turn of the economy, people are still investing in gemstones because they see them as more stable than other types of investments. The value of stones continues to rise as other investments dwindle. Read the full story here.

PrettyRock.com: Italdo Diamond Spray

We now carry a full line of Italdo Diamond Sprays for your faceting pleasure:
http://www.prettyrock.com/php/faceting-polish-powders.php

PrettyRock.com: Free Gem Id Database

Devin has created this nifty gem id database:

http://www.prettyrock.com/php/gem-id-database-BETA.htm

This is the beta version (for non-geeks that means we are still testing it) We would love for you all to try it out, see if you can break it, see what is missing, what's confusing, what you would like that isn't there, and so forth and so on.

If you break it, you do need to tell us [b]exactly[/b] how you broke it, or we won't be able to fix it. (We being Dev.)

Right now it has about 150 types of stones in the database. If you have one you think we should add, let us know.

This will be available free to use by anyone.

Dev has some weird addiction to making databases...can't get enough at work, so comes home and makes them here, too. He thinks it's fun \:D/ Not sure how he will entertain himself now that this one is done...

Tourmaline Heart!

This is a stone Dev recently gave me. Its a watermelon tourmaline, but the red center is shaped like a heart! This picture doesn't really do it justice, it's much cuter in person!

PrettyRock.com: New Rough Added 10/05/08

Dev put up new rough today..some gorgeous rough!

You can see the latest rough here: http://www.prettyrock.com/php/facet-rough-all-recent.php

Prettyrock.com: Joe's Special Polish, and Joe's Opal Cure

We are happy add two new products to our store: Joe's Special Polish and Joe's Opal Cure. Created by Joe Depietrio of Bead n' More.

Joe's Special Polish is a secret blend of 3 different powders. It should be used on stones no harder than Topaz (8 on Mohs). It gives a beautiful final polish to cabochon, or faceted stones - especially opal.

The Opal Cure is a kit for curing opals that maybe be fragile or crazed. It contains Resin, Hot Stuff glue, and no stick plastic sheet, and directions use. It requires a heating unit, but Joe has included breif directions for creating your own in expensive heating unit using recycled items and items easily found at hardware stores.

Dev and I first used Joe's Special Polish ad Opal Cure in the opal class Joe was teaching at William Holland. We loved the results! He was kind enough to let us share his secret polish with our customers. Thank you, Joe!

Color Vision Test

Don Clark of IGS just posted this neat color vision test in his newsletter (great letter by way, sign up if you haven't already!)

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77

Its a series of color chips to line up.

PrettyRock.com: 1.80 and 1.81 Refractive Index Liquid comparison

We have had some questions lately about the difference between the 1.81 and 1.80 refractive index liquids. I added this page to provide some answers: http://www.prettyrock.com/RIliquidcomparison.htm

Back! What a summer...

I am back from taking my GIA labs in Raleigh. What a blast! I was there for about 3 weeks taking the Diamond, Gem ID, and Colored Stone labs. I learned so much and made some great friends, too. Now, I just have to finish up the Colored Stones course and find my way through the Gem ID class (and the dreaded 20 stone exam!) (You can imagine what my garden looked like after 3 weeks of neglect in August in Charlotte...not pretty, but the bugs were fat and sassy.)

Dev is back in school after the summer working on his MBA. He will have his nose in a book for the next few months. Hopefully he will come up for air from time to time and add some new rocks to the site.

Dev and I have also been busy gearing up for the holiday season and working on some new products to add to the website. A very exciting time for PrettyRock! I can't believe how much we have grown in just a few years.

Great article on glass filled rubies

Great article on glass filled rubies:

http://www.gemlab.net/website/gemlab/fileadmin/user_upload/Research/GEMLAB-Research-Newsletter-09-2008.pdf

Love those inclusion photos!

PrettyRock Blog: Back from Rock Camp

We are back from our rock trip, and back to the daily grind..so to speak :) We went up a day early and went to the Franklin Rock and Gem show. I got a few cab to use in silver class and we ended up with some fantastic opals... not sure if we will be sharing those on the website or not, hard to let them go! This is actually several shows together, the Annual Macon County Gemboree, G & LW Wholesale Gem Show at Watauga Festival Center, another show that I am not even sure has a name, and then there is a little one across the street from the Gemboree. You do need a wholesale license to get into the G& LW show, so bring your papers with you if you go to that one next year.

William Holland was fantastic as always. This was our 3rd time there and it gets better each time we go. We meet so many new rock friends and see familiar faces, it's like home away from home. Dev took faceting and learned some new techniques and tips. I took Silver 1 and had a fantastic teacher, Will Smith. He has some of the most beautiful Tennessee Agate on his website: http://www.tnagate.com/ He also teaches faceting in Nashville for those of you lucky enough to live near there. I started the week sure I would set something on fire with the torch, but by the end of the week, I was using it like an old pro. Which is saying something for someone who doesn't even like to light candles. We made several projects, and I got to use some of the opal I cut in the opal class last time. (See top image)

On the way home, we stopped by the Grassy Creek show in Spruce Pine. It was a hot and steamy day, but we still rummaged our way through an entire bucket of Mexican fire opal looking for facetable pieces. There are two shows at Spruce Pine, the indoor North Carolina Mineral & Gem Festival and the outdoor Grassy Creek Gem and Mineral Show (sponsored by the Volunteer Fire Department, which I think it pretty cool.) We just had time for the outdoor one this year, but both are great shows.