One Door Closes and Another Opens

 The days are much shorter now and the water is too cold on these old arthritic hands. So the rock lab- The Lap of Lapidary- is shut down until spring. This week was spent finishing off a few stones and cleaning the machines. The Cab King got a total overhaul after a very busy summer and a heavy job was made much lighter by my OCD artist partner in crime. 

As some readers will remember, Vickie makes some very beautiful paint from the rock dust pigment that collects in the machines and being who and what she is, the machines get a meticulous cleaning to ensure it all ends up in her bucket! Here's her Cab King haul.

I find it interesting how the colour varies from different areas. The darker stuff on the left came from the dried sediments in the bottom of the wastewater collection bucket while the lighter material was collected from the pans underneath the wheels.

I also made a big decision to install a new set of wheels. The 8 inch Cab King comes with an extra set of the soft wheels and I had bought new hard ones. The old ones have plenty of life and I'll probably sell them but I figure at the age of 75, it's doubtful I'll outlive this new set. Anyway, it's a new life goal!! And now the Cab King looks better than it has since the day after I started using it.

 So as that door closes for the winter, the door to the jewelry bench opens.

I have several new techniques I want to try and tons of beautiful stones to finish- all under the critical eye of The Real Artist who occupies her Real Art Domain beside me. Our hatches are all battened down here and I hope that wherever you are, you're set to enjoy the winter!

Stay tuned to see what mischief we can get into!

Cheers.

A Changing of the Seasons on The Neck

 Fall has arrived on Digby Neck.

It has been months since we faced that dreaded point when the days started getting shorter but at least we had the warmth. Alas, that too has started to wane. We now close the downstairs windows at night and wake up to darkness- a ritual that will be repeated for the next several months. Soon the dehumidifier will be shut off in the old stone walled basement, its hum replaced by that of the infrared heater to the joy of the two cats. 

Outside, the changing of the guard is occurring. The Cormorants are gone, soon to be joined by the Great Blue Herons and their spots on the pier and in the marsh have been filled by ducks and loons. Only the hardy gulls and crows will tough it out through the winter. The starlings are amassing on the telephone wires and we are seeing the odd jay along with the ominous presence of the harrier hawk.

The grass is growing much slower now and some plants are already dying while others, such as the Virginia Creeper, are going out in a splash of brilliant red glory.

Our routine has adapted. Afternoon tea or wine is now taken on the back deck where the sun's now shallow rays linger. It is amazing how important the warmth of the sun becomes as I get older. I feel the cold much more now. One good change is that the stars appear much earlier so on clear nights we are able to bundle up in our tilting deck chairs and search the now dark heavens for shooting stars and passing satellites.

Things are slowing down in The Lap of Lapidary as well. I'll do a few more loads in the tumbler and cut a bit more but the Cab King is now ready to be cleaned for its hibernation. I've recently completed a few pieces that I really like, however.

And I have enough "granite ice" to finally fill my display.

The pace has slowed dramatically, with fewer and fewer cars passing by and only the odd visitor to the shop.

So now the scene will shift indoors where I will take my place, Vickie willing, at my bench in her studio and work on completing some of the beautiful stones I fashioned this year and listing them on our website, The Seawall Emporium. I do cherish this time- feeding off the inspiration from "the real artist", listening to our favourite music and enjoying memories from time now long past. The cats seem to feel the same way as they seem content to spend hours curled up in balls on their beds on Vickie's table.

Soon the gale winds will be howling and the sea ice will be invading our bay, hypnotizing us with its wave driven movement. The cats will be seeking the warmth of the propane fireplace and walks on the beach will be a distant memory. Meanwhile, the oppressive, spirit crushing blanket of covid remains in place with no end in sight. 

However, hope springs eternal and for now, we will enjoy this brief window, this welcome calm before the storm that is fall on Digby Neck. 

Gail's Rocks

 Almost weekly, someone brings me a pile of rocks they have found and wants to know if they have found "treasure" and until recently, I have had to give them bad news.

But a few weeks ago, it finally happened. After seeing my shop, The Lap of Lapidary, my neighbour Gail, from whose farm we get our eggs, brought in a small peach basket with her "collection". Apparently, she has a spot somewhere on the Neck where she finds the most amazing small agates and jasper. I literally could not believe my eyes! Here's a small sample of what she brought.

I was so impressed, and she and her husband Frank are such good neighbours, I did something I NEVER do- I offered to tumble a load for her at no charge. Since they are on the small side, they are perfect for my tumbler and the results were spectacular.

A lot of these stones are so fresh and dense they look almost chert like and take a great polish.

Like Vickie, Gail is an artist and it's obvious she has the Artists/Agate Eye!

More proof that we have some of the most beautiful silicates in the world here on Digby Neck!

Latest From The Lap of Lapidary

 While we have had more visitors recently, I've still had time to get out to the shop and do some cutting. Here are some recent efforts.

The first is a beautiful piece of our local moss (some call it plume) agate.

This one had some nice colour and patterning and the inside sure didn't disappoint!

It shows the typical gorgeous golden plumes and some beautiful blue/grey pockets of fortification agate.

The next one was a real surprise. Quite frankly, this one had me stumped on the surface.

It had some nice yellow colour that always suggests sagenite but not much in the way of patterning. But inside...

This one has everything including the kitchen sink. There is definitely sagenite but also fortification agate and deep chocolate areas of what I suspect to be haematite. If I can get this to polish, I'll get some amazing cabochons! And to that end, I've already cut some additional slices.

By the way, these rocks are both local from Digby Neck. Stay tuned!

The Real Artist Emerges From Vickieville

 Every so often, the "Lady With The Agate Eye" has to remind me who the real artist is around here (hint: It ain't me!).

Along with the rest of the world, we are coping with the isolation and myriad other effects of the covid situation. And while we haven't had any cases in our area, we dearly miss seeing family, friends and...tourist customers! Empathetic, logical people feel it worse than others and Vickie is such a person. So a while back I suggested she "retreat" to a place of her making and we decided to call it "Vickieville". She, of course, is the mayor but I got to be Director of Sanitation! The theory is to create an environment where you, not the government bureaucrats, call the shots. And it seems to be working because after months of artistic ennui, she is back at her passion. Here is the first result.

It is different in many ways from her previous work and that is understandable since an abstract artist like Vickie paints her feelings and mood at the moment.

This piece, entitled "The View From Vickieville" is large (30"X40") and shows a new, simpler colour palate but a sense of confidence not shown recently. It is a reflection of a lot of practical changes such as giving away massive amounts of art materials, clothes and household items and making a practical assessment of our situation and how to maximize it for our physical and emotional well being. We are both eating better and exercising a bit and losing weight. We have more energy.

If you are not coping well, I suggest you give this idea a try. True, everyone has a different set of circumstances but remember, if you don't feel good about yourself, you can't have a very positive effect on those around you. We don't look upon this as ignoring reality. It's still there. But this creates a bit of a mental and emotional "buffer zone" that is helping us to have a more positive outlook.

We fear that this covid cloud is going to be with us for a long time- possibly the rest of our lives- and I can tell you that life is pretty good in Vickieville these days!

I'd love to get your thoughts.

Cheers and stay healthy and sane.

Lapidary Is Like A Box Of Chocolates!

 Since we have had steady rain here for the last few days, I decided to tackle the mound of interesting rock that She With The Agate Eye had found and wanted cut. (Hey, what can I say- she buys me new blades!). Several of the pieces were sagenite and plume agate, not my favourite but she loves 'em. Most were stuff I'd seen before but then I got to these two very pleasant surprises. Normally, the plume agate doesn't polish very well because the plume areas are a little soft but this one...well, see for yourself!

Not only is the patterning outstanding, it polished to an absolute glass finish. And the best part is that just below the glass surface in the clear areas, are crystal druzy pockets that cause the stone to sparkle as it moves. It is about 4 cm. in height. This is absolutely one of the most beautiful cabs I've ever made and I have three more pieces to work with. It demands a very special setting.

This next piece was from a rounded end cut and all I had to do was smooth it out a bit and define a shape.

Again, the patterning and colour are fantastic and it has polished to a glass finish when I went to 50K diamond paste. Vickie, who among about a thousand other talents is a very accomplished abstract artist, has "borrowed" this piece for inspiration.

This is why I love cutting rock because as Forrest Gump says, " You never know WHAT you're gonna get!"

The Great Cabochon Project is Complete!

 Well, it's been a hectic couple of months but the cab project is almost over- just a few days after I turned 75! And yes, I'll admit I got a little (well maybe a LOT) carried away.

My original goal was to produce 100 quality cabochons from my existing rocks and slabs. The first step was to choose the shape and I let the rock determine that as much as possible. In a few cases I kept a raw edge if it enhanced the look. Then I had to cut out the shapes using my trim saw attachment for the Cab King and it worked amazingly well.

Here I want to say a word about Cab King. I'll tell you flat out that I would not have tried this venture with my old equipment but it was possible because the Cab King is faster, much quieter and far more comfortable to use. Some say the wheels don't last but mine are great and after two years including this batch, they have plenty of life left. Also, the watering system is wonderful. One last bonus- I don't know if they recommend this but I mounted the saw in place of the fine grit wheels and was able to switch back and forth between cutting and shaping. Just have to have some protection from the turning saw blade.

So yes, I got carried away and ended up with closer to 200 stones, which is way too much for my jewelry needs for the upcoming winter but the lady with the agate eye just keeps bringing me so much beautiful rock- agate, jasper, amethyst, sparkling druzys, petrified wood- and virtually all of this batch is local from the Bay of Fundy.

There is some amazing patterning.

But some of these are just awesome when you see them with a light behind them! Here's the same batch backlit.

So my plan now is to take out any that have flaws (sometimes cracks appear towards the end) and polish some of the best pieces to 50,000 grit if I think they will look better (they are at about 14,000 now). Sometimes a surface that is too glassy can detract from the visual effect of the patterning.

Then I will post pics of smaller groups on IG and Facebook and possibly here as well and offer them for sale individually, either as loose stones or made into jewelry on site.

It has been an awesome learning experience and now I can cut some more slabs!

Covid restrictions have eased in Nova Scotia and we are getting some visitors from the rest of Canada so if your plans are taking you to this area come on by and say hi and see what we are working on.

Cheers!

On The Rocks!

Have you ever wondered where that expression originated?

As with all the truly great things in life great things (curling, single malt scotch, golf) this phrase was born in Scotland. By the way, did I mention that I also originated from there so we should probably add that to the list. In fact, I have actually acquired three square inches of the peat bog used by the Laphroaig Distillery- an investment that nets me a dram of whisky a year in "rent"!

Scots love a wee dram and many prefer it chilled. Winter drinking presented no problem as half the time the drinker was lying in a snow bank to begin with so chilling ingredients were "at hand" (and at foot as well I guess). But even in Scotland, there is a very brief period called, laughingly, "summer" and here is where innovation was needed in the days before refrigeration and readily available ice.

Those canny Scots came up with a brilliant idea- go down to the nearest ice cold stream and grab a few cold rocks from the stream bed. Plunk them in your glass and you were in single malt heaven. Inns would gather some each evening and so the idea of ordering a drink "on the rocks" was born.

Later, ice replaced the rocks but the expression remains.

However, although progress brings convenience, it does NOT always bring improvement! As ice melts, it turns into something called "water" and the effect is to dilute the potency of the beverage. This would not be a problem for most Scots as the drink is gone long before the ice has a chance to even START melting. But other cultures often linger over their tot so many people have gone back to using actual "rocks"

As a lapidary, this caught my interest and I have some cooling in the fridge at all times (just in case...). Recently, I shared a single malt with a relative and they apologized for not having ice so I set out on a mission to make him some of the good stuff.

Now, this is not as simple as it might seem. Some rocks are porous and so might suck up some of the ambrosia and that would be a tragedy. Other rocks could flake off, giving the drink a "gritty" taste and still others actually add a taste and if you're drinking single malt from Islay that would constitute what the Bible refers to as "a sin against the spirit (Matthew 12:31)

So you must carefully choose your rocks. For this attempt, I had the perfect starting material- a section of diamond drill core (a 1 inch "tube" of rock) that consisted entirely of  brecciated green jasper. I had enough for 6 "rocks so the first step was to cut it on my Hi-Tech saw. Here are the results.

However, even after the edges had been ground slightly on my Cab King, there was still a chance that the edge could break the glass resulting in a loss of scotch and, well heartbreak!

So I threw them into my Lot-O-Tumbler with a load of regular rock and created the final product.

So while ice will be gone in short order, these babies will be around to cool drinks for millions of years!

Gina Halteman-Formica...a great artist!

 A few months ago, a lady in a beautiful part of Pennsylvania saw one of my finished cabs on line and asked to buy it. I sold her the piece and asked if she would send a picture when it was completed...and she sent TWO!

 The stone was the one in the middle of these three- a stunning example of Mexican Crazy Lace Jasper!

So the artist- Gina Halteman- Formica- took the stone and made it look even better by creating an amazing, unique setting. (Sorry for the picture quality but it is hard to photograph silver.)

And I absolutely love her connector- a hand fashioned sliding bail that attaches to the back of the setting so the stone seems to "float".

I really enjoy her work because, like me, she makes a lot of her own findings and connectors and she does a lot with upcycled copper. You really should check out her work at lovegwireworks.com

I'm back on the CabKing and here are some recent pieces- part of my 100 Cabochon project. This diverse grouping of agate and jasper are all local! What amazing material I have to work with!

And just a reminder, if you are travelling near Digby NS, we are now open most days.

Cheers!

Shop Update and Opening

Hi all. We have been given permission to open and our province has decided to let some travelers cross the NS border so on the off chance we might encounter a tourist, we're open!

Right now, most of the action is centered on my shop- The Lap of Lapidary- where I am getting around to cutting some of the finds brought to me by "She With The Agate Eye". And I have to say there is some pretty cool stuff!

The last one is a real mystery. I don't know if the outer "shell" is a weathering effect or not but it's all silicate. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!

So now I am defining shapes and using the trim saw attachment on the Cab King.

There will be some beautiful cabochons if I can get it done without any disasters. I'll keep you posted.

And if you are in the neighbourhood, drop by. My "free tumbled rock" box is overflowing!

Cheers!

My Summer Lapidary Project

 I am blessed to live in an area where there is beautiful rock- agate, jasper, amethyst, carnelian, petrified wood- you name it and "She With The Agate Eye" will find it!

Because of Covid, this summer promises to be pretty quiet tourist wise so I felt it was a good time to work with some of my "inventory", a small fraction of which is shown here in my hi-tech plastic bag rapid retrieval system.

So my goal for this summer is to produce at least 100 top quality cabochons!

The first step was to fire up the Hi-Tech 10 inch slab saw (as shown here - mine ain't quite as clean!) It's a win/win as after I have done a bunch, Vickie cleans out the sludge and uses it to make pigment for her (real) art. She even sells the stuff!

I am cutting slabs and slices and then after a close examination of the rock, choosing the best possible shapes and sizes to maximize colour and patterning. They then look something like this.

Then I install the trim saw attachment on my Cab King. Honestly, I now do this in under 5 minutes- start to finish.

I love this saw for several reasons. First, it is an excellent trim saw and the Cab King blade is REALLY good. Secondly it is easy to clean. And lastly, putting the saw on the right I can still use the coarse grinding wheels at the same time I'm using the saw. Now don't get the idea that I'm good enough to cut and grind simultaneously but sometimes it is handy to move from the saw to the wheels and back.

So then I end up with a bunch of what are called "pre-forms". By the way, notice the extensive use of plastic meat trays!

As you can see, I make lots of small cuts to minimize the amount of rock I have to grind away thus saving wear on my coarse wheels.

Sometimes, if a rock is really small, I'll attach it to wood blocks to make it easier to handle and I find that, with a little practice, you can cut thicker slabs in two when you want thin slices for earrings etc.. I use double sided Gorilla Tape but it's not really vital.

So the project has begun and I'll update you on my progress and try to show as many pics of the finished product as I can.

Hopefully, at some point, Covid is in the rear view mirror and you can come and visit in person but in the meantime, if you see anything you like in our shop (www.seawallemporium.com) or on the blog, just let me know.

What's New at The Shop?

 Like the rest of the world, we have been in a state of suspended animation and isolation. We thought we would have the shop open all summer but then we had another total shut down and now it looks like early July might be our opening- if we open at all this summer. We sure do miss all our visitors!

Anyway, life goes on. I am back in my Lapidary workshop- the Lap of Lapidary- and have had both the 10 inch Hi-Tech saw and the Cab King Lapidary unit along with the trim saw attachment humming at various times. I have cut a LOT of rock, which I'll show in subsequent posts but today I'd like to show some of my recent completed projects. Last year I cut a beautiful piece of rhodochrosite from a mine in Argentina and I've just completed a set using one of the pieces.

The rock is so beautiful and since it was found in a silver mine, I thought it appropriate to combine it with sterling silver. I just love the way it turned out and I have two slices left!

I have also worked several stone to completion. The one in the center of this pic was sold to a lady who saw it on Instagram. It is a great piece of Mexican Crazy Lace Jasper and I can't wait to see what she does with it!

The weather here is still not great- sure wish global warming would show up! But the tumbler is on its third load and I have spent the really cold days making Viking knit chain in copper and sterling silver.

Just love the way they transform when drawn through smaller holes on the draw plate.

So we're keeping busy and if the shop ever opens, will have plenty of great pieces for you to see along with our amazing selection of hand dyed premium Seawall Fibres yarn.

In the meantime, check out our on-line shop- The Seawall Emporium, at www.seawallemporium.com

Stay safe and sane!

The Value of Imperfection

 Perhaps it's been being married to an abstract artist but as I "create" more, I've come to see the value of imperfection. We live in a society where perfection is in high demand- a perfect diamond, perfect smile, perfect teeth, perfect skin- the list is endless. And while perfection may be beautiful (and expensive) imperfection intrigues me more because it's ...interesting. The stone I am currently working on is a "perfect" example.

I love working with agate but agate is never symmetrical and it's the impurities that create the amazing patterns and colour shifts. Without them it would be a bland piece of quartz. This stone is a highly imperfect local agate. If you look closely, you can see a fissure in the center where the crystals have grown together and there are areas of inclusions and impurities. But these all contribute to the structure and banding and make the stone interesting. I'd look at it a lot longer than I would a flawless gem. 

I set the stone in upcycled copper that starts off looking like this.

I'd love to leave it looking like this but people don't like copper oxide rubbing off on their clothes! So I do the next best thing- I leave imperfections. Look closely at the copper setting above and you can see some scratches and areas where I haven't removed all the patina and the forms are not identical. I have the equipment and materials to make it flawless but I choose to leave it slightly imperfect because it makes it more interesting.

My shop is called The Artist's Mark NOT because my name is Mark (a question I get regularly from visitors) but because I want people to see the mark of the artist in the finished product.

Don't get me wrong, I am not denigrating those who set perfect gems in perfect settings. They have their place and require patience and expertise I admire but don't possess. But think of it- we remember imperfection- the crooked smile, freckled skin, unruly hair. So I'll stick with my style and, hopefully you will find the pieces...interesting!