Today I found a hidden gem...
(pun intended!)
I feel so blessed to have found a community of wonderful people so skilled in the art of gem carving, cabochon cutting, gemstone faceting and silver smithing.
All ready and willing to share their knowledge, loan books and organize field trips to gem shows and fossicking for stones.
The club has equipment for all these crafts.
Tubs full of stone slabs just waiting to be made into cabochons,
found while out fossicking and brought in by the members.
Faceting machines with all their intricate dials and angle measurements.
The familiar jeweler's benches.
An enameling kiln!
Cabochon cutting wheels and discs, neatly labeled with emery grit grades and running water to help with cutting and polishing stones.
A little pot of dopping wax, hot and ready to secure your stone for cutting and shaping and polishing.
An array of stones at various levels of the cabbing process sit in little holders.
Cabinets full of stone specimens,
most of them from right here in Australia.
The delight of it all had me floating...
I applied for membership.
I'm looking forward to this journey.
I look forward to sharing it with you!
--- Mariann ---
xoxo
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