Lapidary (Lapidarist) is an artisan that shapes rocks, minerals, and gemstones into cabochons, faceted gemstones, carvings, inlays, and numerous other amazing things. By this definition, making jewelry from non-stone materials is not Lapidary Work. There are varying opinions on this topic. The lengthiest discussions I’ve seen in the Facebook Groups I belong to is whether working with materials other than natural rocks is actually lapidary. Let’s look at some of the Lapidary materials at the center of this hot controversy.

One of the most popular non-stones is Fordite. Fordite is a general term used for any paint residue (overspray) that has built up in layers on walls, carriages, and pipes. REAL Fordite is lead based paint, sprayed by real human beings, in the automotive plants prior to the mid 70’s. In the interest of being brand-conscious, it might be called GM-ite, or to be neutral it might be called Motor City Agate. In the mid-70’s the Government outlawed Lead in paint and mandated Powder Coating. Powder Coating eliminated the overspray, therefore eliminating buildup of paint. Recently, imitations of real Fordite have been showing up on the market. It is relatively easy to distinguish new stuff from old. New stuff is bright, or in hot metallic colors never used in the old days. The layers are much thicker and the new fake Fordite does not contain Lead as the old stuff did. Lead content would be impossible to determine by a glance. I would eat some of the paint, and if you eventually die, it’s probably got lead in it. WAIT, I’m just kidding, but wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Mosaic Turquoise is cheap chalk Turquoise imbedded in resin with other material, most dyed. It is attractive material, and people like it, but again not completely genuine natural stone. Most Turquoise, especially beads, are stabilized with resin now days. In the old days turquoise was not used that was chalky or soft. Today, Stabilized Turquoise is the norm and is not considered “fake”. Some of our customers prefer unstabilized Turquoise, and we have this material, although it is more expensive that stabilized material. The fact is that much Turquoise, especially from China, is also dyed. By cutting my own Turquoise, I am able to determine what is stabilized and what is not. To be honest, the stabilized Turquoise if much harder and polishes better, in keeping with it’s status as a true Gemstone.

Drusy (Druzy) Quartz is often dyed, vapor treated, or both. A treatment called Vapor deposition is used on much of this material. Natural Drusy Quartz pockets are formed into cabochons, then treated with Titanium (or other) vapors. This creates an amazing array of colors and patterns on the Drusy pockets. Many of our customers love these “blingy” pieces. I consider these real stones that have been enhanced.

A local favorite, non-rock Glass Slag referred to as Leland Blue Stone, is not a stone at all, but residue from an old smelter that was located in Leland, Michigan. the slag was dumped in Lake Michigan and used for fill back in the day. Heavy promotion has made Leland Blue jewelry sought after in the Grand Traverse area of NW lower Michigan.

Another popular glass used in jewelry is Goldstone. Simply put it is glass with microscopic pieces of copper in it. There is interesting history behind Goldstone that a Wiki search can shed light on for you. Other colors of Goldstone are produced ( blue, purple, and green) using different colored glass and different minerals for the flash. Another name for Goldstone is Aventurine Glass. This is a great descriptive term for Goldstone. Goldstone has an optical effect called Aventurescence, similar to natural Aventurine stone.

There are some rocks, like Bumblebee Jasper (not a jasper at all), that you would swear was fake, but is actually real. Bumble bee is actually a tuft material found in volcanic vents in Indonesia. Recently, it is rumored that the readily available material has been mined out. It has always been difficult to find high quality Bumblebee. The only place I ever found to get real good stuff is by carefully searching the Tucson Gem Shows. We still have some pieces at a reasonable cost, but expect Bumblebee to increase in value in the very near future.

I have found that many jewelry makers are not able to tell you about their stones. They do not collect and/or cut their own stones. In most cases I can tell my customers exactly what the stones are in my jewelry, where they came from, and I am always completely honest in talking about any treatments or enhancements the stones have been subjected to.

The rocks and gems we make our jewelry from can come from sources around the world, but it’s another matter when jewelry, like that seen in big box stores is manufactured by overseas companies. This makes the jewelry imported. If the jewelry is “designed” in the USA and manufactured overseas, or in Mexico, it is still imported. Our treated gemstones are sometimes imported and sometimes manufactured in America. We can answer most any questions as to the source of any gemstones we sell.

Our business is based on integrity and honesty, unlike many. I see much deceitfulness or ignorance on E-bay in particular, and some dealers in general. With us, you can be assured what is advertised is what you get. Sometimes you can purchase jewelry cheaper than ours. We cannot compete with imported inexpensive jewelry, nor do we try. If you want cheap imported jewelry, go to a big box store. If you want a common, overpriced Diamond, you know where they are found. But if you want an American made, rare, one-of-a-kind piece of quality jewelry, Snob Appeal Jewelry is your choice.