Another Season Begins

 Winter does not give up on Digby Neck easily. Winds off the water keep temperatures cool so even sunny days can be unpleasant. But eventually, all bad things must come to an end. The crocuses are croaking and the Great Blue Herons are back. The hummingbirds have reached southern Maine on their annual trek north and the cormorants will soon be basking in the sun at the dock across the street.

So after a tough winter, it's time to open The Artist's Mark.

The sign post will definitely need some repair but inside, things are looking pretty spiffy!

As you can see, we still have a good selection of our premium hand dyed yarn at our cost ($22/skein). Over the winter, we have created a wide selection of jewelry including some awesome copper bangle bracelets for both men and women, Viking Knit chain necklaces in both copper and sterling silver and pendants featuring stones from across the street and around the world. Here's a show stopper we just did in silver.

So if your vacation plans take you to Nova Scotia, come to the best part- Digby (the scallop capital of the world) and Digby Neck, home of the famous Balancing Rock, Whale Watching and, of course, our beautiful little shop.

Since I am a lapidary, I have an awesome rock shop so if you have kids, stop by and we'll give them a free gift and show them how you cut and shape rocks.

We're usually open every day but you can contact us by phone (902) 482-2188 or email ptoceanwaves@gmail.com to make sure.

Hope to see you soon!

Summer Project Complete

 Every spring I set out with a goal to finish enough rough rock to allow me to replace the cabochons and guitar picks I have sold through the summer in the shop and on line and this year I set out with high expectations because I had beautiful agate and jasper to work with.

I set my Cab King up so that I can use the coarse wheels on the left and also access the trim saw to cut shapes etc..

This actually makes the first stage of rough shaping go much faster. The plan is to take all pieces (this year about 60) through this phase and then remove the trim saw attachment (great saw by the way) and put back the three finishing wheels and polishing pad. And the plan was going perfectly until my sciatic nerve started to really act up and I couldn't stand up long enough to use the machine. So here I was with 60+ unfinished cabs and cold weather approaching. I needed a plan "B".

My wife Vickie (A.K.A. The Real Artist) knows how to use our Lot-O-Tumbler so we decided to finish them with it. The first problem was coming up with a big enough load and we did that by adding smaller, round, polished silicate stones. We sort of picked up where the wheels had left off by going with 600 grit and using more than usual to take into account the larger surface area of the smaller rocks. Normally I go one day on this grit but this time we went two. Vickie then moved on to 1000 grit silicone carbide pre polish and then to tin oxide polish. In both steps we added more grit and went two days. Finally, she did a burnishing cycle with Ivory Soap and again, we used more than normal.

The results were more than acceptable and there was virtually no breakage or damage. Here's how the total load looked.

And here's how it looked when all the round and small stones had been removed.

Now that I look at it, there were probably more than 60 pieces. But I ended up with some great cabochons,

and awesome guitar picks!

Would I go this route again in the future? Probably not simply because I love the process and I think the Cab King finishing wheels do a slightly better job. Also, you can't finish pieces that have crystal druzy pockets this way. But this process had it's advantages. First, it was faster and second it saved the wear on the finishing wheels but most importantly it gave us a way to finish the job with me out of commission!

New Pieces For The Shop

We have been very busy of late and while it's nice to see your work being appreciated and leaving with a happy customer, it means I have to get back to work.

Right now I'm working on cabochons I made, creating upcycled copper bails in a manner so they can be interchanged to suit the customer. I have an amazing stock of Mexican Crazy Lace Jasper and here are a few finished pieces.

 

As you can see, the colour and patterning on these is absolutely stunning! And these stones are rare since it is now difficult to obtain new material.

But we have beautiful local rock as well. We have a rock called Stilbite that can be very colourful and exhibit amazing patterning. Here's a great example:

And of course we have amazing agate and jasper.

These can be purchased in our shop or online. Hope to see you soon!

We're Open (Almost)!

 With the weather getting steadily better we are planning on opening on Monday, April 22.

This is shaping up to be a very special year. First off, we have a ton of new items, many featuring jewelry made from local stones shaped in my lapidary shop- The Lap of Lapidary.

Here's a pendant made from an amazing piece of local jasper, with a unique copper setting and a premium leather cord.

Another great pendant made from local agate with a sparkly quartz core.

We also have a whole new line of earrings featuring my own copper filigree design with premium beads and crystals. Here's how they look in real life.

We also ship so if you see anything you like or have a particular gift in mind, just let us know.

Soon the machines in the lapidary shop will be humming so if you have ever wondered how rock is cut and shaped and find yourself on Digby Neck, come on by.

And now for the really exciting part. Because we are getting up in years (way up!) we realize the shop can't keep going for ever. So if you visit, you will note that most items are discounted!

We look forward to seeing you if your travels take you to the unique part of Nova Scotia known simply as "The Neck"

Have a great summer!

Lots of New Pieces For The Shop

 We'll probably be putting our sign back up and opening the shop soon so we've been really busy creating pieces to fill the empty spaces and I thought I'd catch you up on a few.

I made this set from a large piece of red jasper that a customer sent so the Real Artist could use it for paint pigment. It turned out beautifully- a little too perfectly as it turned out as it sold as soon as I posted it on Instagram!

I wanted to create earrings using a copper filigree bead cap I have and this was the first pair. They also sold as soon as I posted them so I've been making more (pics will follow in the next post). The stone is a beautiful piece of local agate/jasper and I hung it on a very special sterling silver chain. It's still available.

This is another local agate that I set using a perimeter groove so as not to disturb the gorgeous patterning. I used German silver (non-tarnish) wire and hung it on a really nice sterling silver chain.

This (local) piece of plume agate is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever worked with. It seemed to call for brass wire to compliment the colour of the stone so that meant that I had to make a set of brass findings and a neck clasp. Whatever it takes I say.

 

 The patterning and colours are outstanding but again I made the mistake of posting it on Instagram and it also sold!

Next time I'll post a few more including the Boho Earring line I've finished.

Hope to see you at the shop but if you see something you like, we ship!

Spring Comes To The Neck??

 There are few things less predictable and constant than our local weather. Case in point- a few days ago it was (for here) very cold, -9C. Then it warmed up and we had a beautiful sunny day with a high of +15C. Yesterday, the wind kicked up from the south and the temperature went from 0 to +12 as the winds increased, eventually topping out over 90 Kilometers per hour. From 2 AM last night to 6 this morning the temperature sank to +1. I know because the wind was howling and the rain was hitting the windows in sheets, making sleep impossible! Then it started to snow. And today this was my view over coffee.

Now the real beauty of this shot is where the sun is rising. In the dead of winter, it would be coming up where the telephone pole to the right is so we're making real progress!

Next thing you know, we will be putting the store sign up and be open for business so starting next week, I'll be full time at the jewelry bench making new (and hopefully interesting) pieces such as these.

Of course, that means I'll be sharing my Norwegian wife's studio so I'm buying us both shirts.

Hope to see you this summer!

Winter Comes To The Neck

 Well, our first big snow storm has finally arrived and it's a doozy. Fortunately (for us) we are getting the least amount of snow in the province but at the other end (Cape Breton) they have drifts 10 feet high and the Halifax area has received over 2 feet! It is "Snowmageddon"!

Here's how things are looking in Cape Breton. (not my pic)

Needless to say there will be no beachcombing today. Fortunately, I have a ton of cabochons to work with.

Now the job is to choose about a dozen to make pieces for the shop. We will probably open sometime in early April and by then the store will be fully stocked.

Here's one of my favourites.

 

We are so fortunate to have such beautiful local gemstone quality agate, jasper, carnelian- you name it we've got it! Digby Neck is such a magical place.

Hope to see you next summer!

 

One Door Shuts...And Another Opens

 Well, the scenery sure has changed. I now look out on several inches of snow with more to come today. Lapidary work requires a lot of water and right now that water is cold- VERY cold.

So now the scene shifts to fabrication and that takes place on my bench in my alloted space in "the real artist's" studio.

I have a problem that would be the envy of most- too much beautiful material! The real artist (AKA She with the agate eye) keeps finding me beautiful agates, jasper, amethyst, carnelian- you name it. I literally have enough good material to keep me going for decades but at 77 years old (and I mean OLD) I don't see decades in my future. So the first task has been to pare down the "stash" to a manageable amount.

As you can see this hasn't been an easy job. The small oval container just to the left of the blue bin contains well over 100 possible cabs to set. I'll probably get that down to about 20 that I'll start working on soon.

So if you ever want to buy some beautiful cabochons to make your own pieces, let me know.

The Lap of Lapidary is Open

 The weather on Digby Neck has turned warm enough to turn on the outside water and that has allowed for the renewal of activities in my rock shop. The first order of business was to cut some of the finds made by "She With The Agate Eye". All these rocks were cut on my 10 inch Hi-Tech saw using their red sintered blade.

I want to say a word about the saw. I am loving it more with each cut! And having now used it for four years I can make some conclusions.

1. This saw is durable. I read comments on lapidary sights about the "cheap, flimsy build". I can assure you it is neither cheap or flimsy. Rather, it is tough and durable, easy to clean (more on that later), doesn't rust and the motor is great. For years I kept my 10 inch oil cooled saw with a new 1 H.P. motor for larger rocks but no longer. I'm selling my old friend, the Mercury 10 inch with it's nice motorized feed.

2. The red sintered blade is as good if not better than my previous go to MK-303, especially if you add a little water soluble lubricant. And I only cut material with hardness 6.5 or higher.

3. I love using water instead of oil. I cut by hand feed mostly and the water is cleaner, safer and the rocks are clean coming off the saw. As a bonus, my wife is an artist and she will actually clean my saw for me to get the sludge, with which she makes paint!(see earlier posts). She would never cut rocks on the oil saw but she enjoys cutting on the Hi-Tech.

4. Capacity. Any rock I could cut on the 10 inch oil saw I can cut on the Hi-Tech.

Now on to some examples. Here on Digby Neck, the agate, carnelian, amethyst, quartz and jasper are usually found as veins in the basalt. Here's a great example.

The vein contains agate, fortification agate and amethyst and since this particular vein actually looks like The Neck, I'll make pendants with a lot of the basalt intact. We have some spectacular plume agate and here's a good example.

I just love the pockets of fortification agate and it makes amazing jewelry. Here's another interesting example.

And last but by no means least, here's a specimen of my wife's favourite- sagenite.

Here on The Neck, we get some amazing colours in this rock- green, purple, yellow- along with amazing patterning and when it is solid, it makes awesome polished stones.

All the above stones are local and a small fraction of what can be found. So if you like rocks, stop by The Lap of Lapidary!

It's Earring Time!

One of the downsides of living in a house built in 1849 is a leaky stone wall basement. But in between mopping it up, I've had the time to work on earrings.

The first order of business was to make a second display. I used the same format as for the guitar string earring display

 Then I started to fill it. The first creations were a set of three using sterling silver sea themed pieces in beautiful abalone frames the real artist had kicking around. I used non-tarnish silver wire but sterling ear wires. The first features a whale tail.

Next came the anchor.

And finally, the shell. (sorry for the bad pic)

Now I am starting on the local agate and jasper I finished and drilled last summer. I plan on dressing them up a bit with some of the beautiful copper beads in my inventory and I'm pretty happy with the first pair.

So much for my day job. Normally, I make Viking Knit Chain in the evenings using 24 gauge copper wire but I am currently experimenting with a slightly thicker 22 gauge and really liking the result.

The real artist, not to be outdone, has finished her first sketch book using her home made dyes This beauty is totally hand fashioned, including the binding and we might have a few in the store by next season.

Stay healthy and sane!