Wear Stone Jewelry Sets!

Our very first regular customer always wanted me to make wire-wrapped earrings to go with her pendants. She was a good friend, so of course I had to do stone jewelry sets for her, but I hate making earrings. You might not know it, but a small stone is MUCH harder to wire wrap than a larger stone, so the very nature of earrings is troublesome right from the beginning, and I avoid it unless someone pesters me into making stone jewelry sets for them. But I am a married man, and do have someone to tell me what to make, and sometimes I even listen.

You may have noticed the many recently added products at www.snobappealjewelry.com, and Bonnie has pestered me into offering you matched wire-wrapped pendant and earring sets, and she added a new category in our Pendant section entitled Stone Jewelry Sets so you can see them all in one spot instead of scattered under different stone names.

To make a matching stone jewelry set you have to start with a big enough stone that has good pattern to it, so lots of stone are unsuitable. Part of the fun in the lapidary shop is trying to see what you can get out of a piece of rock.

We’ve had many customers ask about Pendant and Earring sets, we decided to give you an easier way to locate them. So check out our new button. Which set do you like best?

Brockway Mountain Agate Treasures

View from the Copper Harbor Lookout on Brockway Mountain Drive. Mid 1930’s

History is not really my favorite subject, I am more of a rock guy. I will tell you about hunting for Brockway Mountain agates, but first I will show you some historic pictures of the area.

I married into a family of historians. Bonnie’s parents collected many things, including postcards from 1930 through 1960. While she was looking through their old cards she discovered several that depict the Keweenaw when it looked a bit different. Some pictures from 1935 of Brockway Mountain were especially interesting, considering what it looks like 80 years later. I enjoyed looking back and comparing it with the area as it is today.

View from the Copper Harbor Lookout today. Really it is surprisingly similar to the earlier pictures. How many other areas as beautiful as this are not cluttered with huge mansions and gated communities or condos?

From the 1950’s, This sign welcomed people to the Keweenaw. The “Copper Country Vacationist League’ was the forrunner to the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Mid 1930’s. The trees are bigger today. You can see the top of Brockway Mountain in the distance.

From the mid-1930s, shortly after Brockway Mountain Drive was completed, you could see Lake Fanny Hooe on the right and Copper Harbor on the left. The trees frame this view today.

Thanks to the persistence of many folks, the mountain was saved from private development and access was retained for the public. What a loss that would have been!

Making jewelry on the mountain top while waiting for the sunset.

I made this Firebrick Beauty on the mountain

The sunsets from the top of Brockway Mountain have to be some of the most spectacular sunsets on earth.

I shared my secret hole with a couple of my best rockhounding buddies. Chris Cooper and I.

You finding anything in that hole Gary (Gary Katt)?

Looking for agate seams

During the constuction of Brockway Mountain Drive, many large egg-shaped agates were found. The inside of these were pretty much colorless Quartz. Very few had any banding except near the crust. I had one in my collection, did not know what it was, cut it and found the Quartz. In recent years I did some digging in the hard rock, opened a hole that has been very productive. You can see this in the videos.

Close up of an agate seam in matrix

A nice nodule collected

Don’t these Keweenaw agates look nice when they are washed?

State law limits collecting to 25 pounds per year now. When this was collected no limit was in place.

THE FOLLOWING MOVIES ARE REAL; AS THEY HAPPENED; WITH NO CAMERA TRICKS OR EDITING. ENJOY!! I just thought they’d be more exciting with disclaimers.

Today, further down the Mountain, some nice Seam Agate can be found. This agate is referred to as Keweenaw Agate, Ledge Agate, or Brockway Mountain Agate. This Lake Superior Agate is often opaque and peachy colored, but some have nice banding. Many diggers, including me, have secret glory holes on Brockway. I have told a few rockhounds I trust to keep a secret and hope they find good Brockway Mountain Agates.

A prime example of Keweenaw Agate, also called Ledge Agate.

Opaque Ledge Agate from Brockway Mountain.

As you can see from my pictures and videos I love the Keweenaw and the gemstones that come from that area. If you like these stones, I invite you to purchase our pendants either as gifts or for yourself. They are great reminders of Brockway Mountain, Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor, and other copper mining areas. Visit our selections of Lake Superior Agate jewelry, Michigan and Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry, Firebrick, Mohawkite, Prehnite, Datolite, Thomsonite today.

Petoskey Stone Pendant Sale!

A Petoskey Stone Pendant sale just in time for Christmas!

Our art shows are over for the year so we are working on the web site, adding more pictures and descriptions of the Petoskey Stone pendants. We decided to offer some Petoskey Stone pendants for sale. If you are quick and alert, you can snag a great gift for Christmas. Check out our Sale Page for the currently available items. We included some of the Pink Petoskey stones as well. Look for nice patterns and unusual ones.

Here is a tip for the savviest shopper. There may be some sale pendants showing there that are not on the sale page. The resident data enterer, my wife Bonnie, sometimes forgets to check the two boxes that would make them appear both on Sale and on the Sale page. So to compensate for this, be sure to check out both the Petoskey Stone Pendant page and the Pink Petoskey Stone page for the best selection. If you missed my article about Pink Pets you should read all about them.

Order now for best selection! Go to our Sale Page now!

Isle Royale Greenstone Jewelry Bonanza

I use whatever I have to make dop sticks, screws, nails, etc. I had perhaps 100 Greenstones dopped in this bunch, ready to be cut and polished.

A Big, Bold, Greenstone about Quarter sized. Greenstone of this size are becoming extremely scarce. Many of the mine waste piles, where Greenstones were once found, have been crushed and hauled away for road fill.

Sometimes I wonder why certain things randomly happen. Why would someone decide they were going to sell grandpa’s rock collection, and pick me over the many thousands of rockhounds or jewelry makers?

A beautiful small Isle Royale Greenstone.

A non-island stone (this one from Central X)

On occasion I purchase Greenstones from other collectors. This is our Michigan State Gem, and collecting it is a challenge.The problem with Isle Royale Greenstone is that collection in the National Park is now illegal. My policy is to only purchase stones with provenance documenting that they were collected many years ago. These stones can only be found in old collections. The opportunity to purchase these historic stones presents itself on very rare occasions. A couple Greenstone collections have been acquired recently. Some from old mine waste piles and some from a very old Isle Royale collection.

Participating in Keweenaw peninsula Arts & Crafts shows allows us to meet many people. It is not uncommon when we are selling our Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry at arts & crafts shows for some random person to mention that Grandpa used to collect rocks and/or make jewelry. My response to these statements is always to query what happened to all of Grandpa’s rocks? Responses vary, but the ones I like are a derivative of Oh they are in my garage, basement, collecting dust, or some other relative has them. Most often we hear that they are lost or were sold off many years ago.

At a recent Art Show I returned to our booth and Bonnie was taking to a lady. Bonnie has a much more friendly face than I, and people seem to connect with her. I overheard the word Greenstone, but we generally do not interrupt conversations. An old Greenstone collection had been in storage for over 20 years! A worker on the island had spent free time walking the beaches and trails and collecting. This treasure we certainly were interested in looking at. The question of why people might chose us over someone else, to sell an old collection to, is obviously the awesome Bonnie’s friendly disposition and “good looks”; This statement should score me some points….

A couple days later I excitedly watched as an old wooden box was opened up to expose ten pounds of wonderful, but small, Isle Royale Greenstones! How long would it take me to find so many Greenstones in this day and age? It just can’t be done.

After a few days these Greenstones ended up changing hands. Bonnie thought I was crazy, but knew I was happy to have new stones to sort, dop, cut, polish, and wire wrap into Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry.

On the Keweenaw Peninsula, mine waste piles are being crushed and used for road fill; accelerated, recently, due to the storm damage to roads in the some areas. Historic Greenstone sources are gone forever. How long would it take you to dig ten pounds of Keweenaw Greenstones? Where could you even locate this many Island Stones? I have found many Greenstones in the past, but it is not like the old days folks.

Beautifully patterned Island Stone.

A Thomsonite-flowered Greenstone from Isle Royale.

Some prefer a smaller pattern. This chatoyant beauty is from Isle Royale.

A very cool bubbly Island Greenstone desert with a whipped Zeolite topping.

An amazing light Green, broad patterned, Island stone is small, but very worthy.

I have been happily cutting this hoard; the shop machine have been humming, and I have been smiling. These beautiful Greenstones were actually within a few miles of us every time we went to the Keweenaw, but just like magic, they eventually migrated to me. I think it was Kharma, or it could have been just plain luck resulting in Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry!

During November and December, many of these spectacular stones will appear in some new jewelry and sold on our website in the Greenstone area. If you need a perfect Greenstone, like what you see in this blog, get ahold of us. Christmas is not that far away when it comes to getting custom jewelry made. If you hope to get a ring, buy a stone from us and take it to your jeweler (or make something yourself). I guarantee this new trove is producing the very finest Isle Royale Greenstones available. I have cut thousands of Greenstones, and these new (old) gemstones are great quality stones.

We have been frantically trying to post up as many new Greenstone pendants as we can for Holiday Season sales. Most of the stones in this post can be found on our website.

See our pendants and cabs at Greenstone jewelry and cabochons

Read our history of the Michigan State Greenstone gem

Read interesting Isle Royale information

Visit the official Isle Royale NPS website

Making Custom Great Lakes Stone Jewelry

Among our Great Lakes stone jewelry pieces, every year one or two pendants stand out as very special. One extraordinary stone pendant this year was a triple segmented pendant of three semiprecious gemstones from the Great Lakes area. A gorgeous Minnesota Thomsonite, a Keweenaw silver nugget, and a copper-filled Keweenaw Datolite show off the great influence of metals in stone through this fancy piece. The photo does not do it justice. In person, it shines in many directions and swings freely, and the pinks in the top and bottom complement each other.

This special piece was custom made for a most discriminating customer. Annually she searches through my inventory to find my best new pendants. Also she picks out stones that fit her bold and eclectic tastes, offering design challenges in the late summer and allowing me to create something very special over the winter months. She is an advocate of Michigan artists as well as loving Michigan stones and the great jewelry that can come from Great Lakes stones.

Great Lakes Stone Jewelry

You can see that the size of this pendant is big and bold; this one is around five inches in length. The silver nugget was most likely picked from a mine ore crusher many years ago somewhere in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Thomsonite was an inch tall and even wider, and dug in Grand Marais Minnesota years ago before the famous Thomsonite site was filled and and a park was created. The Datolite with loads of copper inclusions, was located on the Delaware Mine waste piles, making the entire pendant from places no longer existing. Most of these stones I’ve had for many, many years.

In order to make these large, multi-stone pendants, I think freedom or movement in the pendant is vitally important for comfortable wearing. When sitting, the pendant conforms to the different body positions.

Next year’s Extraordinary Pendant is being designed and, to be honest, I do not yet have the perfect stones. I’ve been feverishly searching my stash. I am not satisfied yet.

Recently I have created several custom pieces for other customers, and I can create one for you. I’ll work with your stones or mine. Christmas is approaching fast. Please think of us for your gifting needs.

Here are a couple custom pieces I’ve recently done from customer stones.

From one jasper a customer found on a romantic getaway. I love these nostalgic pieces.

A beautifully, customer cut CZ. It was a big faceted stone. The wire wrap challenge was matching the carefully calibrated stone with the wraps. The flowing design in the top directed the eye down into the stone. Michael’s wife will wear this on a romantic cruise in the near future.

You can see earlier examples of our Custom Work.

See a recent bridal set at Custom Rock Cutting,Lapidary and Wire Jewelry, Created Just for You!

Blue Stone Jewelry to Die For!

A stunning example of blue stone jewelry, a Lightning Ridge opal

Gorgeous Lightning Ridge Opal

Singing the Blues might mean you have a sad tale to tell, but what about wearing the blues? Let the Blues, blue stone jewelry that is, cheer you! You will not find anything sad about this happy color.

From ancient time people have been charmed to find dark blue Lapis, or sea-colored turquoise, and have loved owning it and wearing it. Like Cleopatra or native queens, lucky women wore beautifully colored stone. A precious blue stone from another location was money in the bank for ancient traders.

Blue Stone Jewelry includes An opal pendant

Blue Angel Opal Pendant is a sparkling Boulder Opal with Mercury Mist Topaz. Will you look great wearing it?

Larimar; notice the copper in one of the cabs?

Ocean Shadows Larimar Pendant looks like the ocean waves washing up on the sandy beach. Who wants to call it Pectolite?

Two of the finest Larimar cabs I ever owned.

Here in northwestern lower Michigan beachcombers seek Leland Blue for their blue stone jewelry. A left-over product of industry from a bygone era, various colors of the blue slag glass are loved for the color they add to a beach stone hunt. Often smoky blue, it can vary in purity of color and depth of color, each appreciated by different folks. Other areas of the world also have colored glass, we saw some from Sweden at our last Tucson gem show.

Bonnie’s Centennial Blue Datolite with Copper Lightning running down the gemstone.

Another special Michigan blue stone comes from the Copper Country in the Upper Peninsula, the Centennial Blue Datolite. Currently we have the Centennial Charmer and Icy Blue pendants available.

Blue Lace Agate is a favorite blue stone for jewelry. Formed in volcanic south African areas, Blue Lace agate is characterized by close linear stripes of tones of pale blue or white. Sometimes natural druzy pockets make lovely variations, older stock can be deep blue.

The blue with white shadows of Larimar jewelry reminds me of a pristine lake where you are looking at the sunny reflections of sun on the lake. Larimar comes from the Caribbean area and it seems right that it should look so waterlike.

Beautiful Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

Turquoise is probably the most popular blue stone ever found. We have a very pure Intensive Flair Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Pendant. Other stones from Royston or Kingman have matrix incorporated in the stone color, making more interest for many stone collectors.

Dark Blue Lapis Pendant in gold fill

Another famous blue stone is Lapis. Found in mountains on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, the political and geographic situations make it a challenging stone to get. We have several faceted dark blue pieces as well as a denim lapis heart. Pyrite is often found in Lapis stone. A stone of the ancient pharaohs, it decorated the tomb of King Tut.

Our Blue Opal Angel Pendant is an Australian opal.

Morenci Flowers Azurite/Malachite Pendant with gemstones

Close-up Azurite/MalachiteAzurite is a lovely blue stone but is not as well known. Our favorite pieces often combine with malachite and originate from our own southwest copper mines, Morenci and Bisbee being the most famous. Lasting Romance Azurite-Malachite Pendant is dressed up with some other precious gems to make a beautiful piece. Morenci Flowers Azurite Malachite Pendant is a smaller stone with various shades of blue and is also enhanced by precious gems.

And if that isn’t enough choices for you, how about the Victoria Stone which has some dressy and vibrant blues. The most popular is the bright blue like the Hues of Blue Victoria Stone Pendant, but you might also like the Indigo Bling Victoria Stone Pendant dressed up with London Blue Topaz.

Indigo Blue Victoria Stone with London Blue Topaz

Our gemstone pendant inventory goes far beyond what you see on the web. If you desire Lightning Ridge Blue opal, Kyanite, Sodalite, Dumortierite, Hemimorphite or Holly Blue Chalcedony, there’s a good chance that we can make a custom blue stone jewelry piece just for you. It might sound expensive, but it really depends on your stone choice. Go ahead, ask us!

After all that beauty, you must be over the Blues! Which blue stone jewelry is your favorite? Order today before it is gone!

Cabochons, Custom Lapidary, and Found Treasures

Some Petoskey Stones that made the cut.

Custom lapidary, or stone cutting, is a way to turn your favorite vacation stone into a jewelry piece you can wear forever to remind you of your great day on the beach or rock pile.

Many times people will send stones for cutting and/or wire wrapping that aren’t necessarily beautiful, but have a deep sentimental value to the owner. These might include stones that were picked up while hunting rocks with Grandma or Grandpa as a child, or something found while on a memorable vacation, honeymoon, almost anything that when they think back makes them smile. I carefully cut and polish your stone, and either send the Cabochon back for another jeweler to finish or make something for you myself according to your wishes.

Rutilated Quartz. I love the ribbons

Laguna Agate. This one had much shadow.

Pudding Stone found in the road.

A few new Laker Cuts.

An atypical Greenstone. No color touchup on it. Sometimes with Greenstones you see weirdness; but that’s OK.

Some recently acquired Fire Agate I recut.

Anadara (Salt Water Clamshells from Northeren California). The patterns are amazing.

Wedding jewelry is also something we specialize in, both for the bride, and also for the attendants. You would be amazed at some of the things I’ve done and made for people. Most recently someone ask me to cut out the shape of Yap Island and somehow combine it with a Petoskey Stone the shape of Yap Stone Money. I had to research where the hell Yap was and what it and Yap Stone Money looked like. This project is still developing in my creative mind.

In addition to some custom lapidary, I have had a little time this month to make a few nice cabs myself. I’ve decided to show you a few, primarily from Great Lakes Rocks and Minerals. Most of the rocks I have been working with Bonnie discovered while attempting to organize my shop area. When you buy up old collections, sometimes by the pickup load, bring them home, and toss them in piles, you have the tendency to forget what you have; or never really knew what you have in the first place. So this sorting can be surprising.

Datolites with Copper Inclusions

A few new Laker Cuts.

Top: Copper Included Agate from the Kearsarge Lode Bottom: Copper included Keweenaw Point Datolite. Good things and come in small packages that are re-discovered in my shop.

Bonnie’s recent barn finds include a bucket of Lakers hidden in the recesses, some nice Datolite from years ago, and some things we have purchased at the Quartzsite and Tucson Gem Shows over the years. So we are concentrating on some of these finds. As they might say, “so many rocks, so little time”! Which slab should I cut today?

Bonnie and I both got excited about a little yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite with copper that she found in the bottom of a cottage cheese carton with other treasures. I am not messy on purpose, but sometimes I dump whatever is in the top tray of my Genie or Titan Cabochon machine. This occurs when I have to change wheels, or move machines around, or even change for some clean water. These random stones and unfinished cabs get heaped in a little dish, with full intentions of returning them to the tray, after the dirty water is dumped. Sometimes (OK often), I forget and have little containers around with treasures from the tray. They get dumped together and forgotten until Bonnie or I re-find them. So a couple of these cabs are from those lost troves.

A small bucket of top grade Laker slabs and cabs was also found and I cut a few. Enjoy the pictures.

See more examples at our Custom Work page. If you are interested in any of these beauties in a pendant or have an idea for other custom lapidary, give us a call for a custom piece.

Chlorastrolite or Michigan Greenstone–State Gemstone

Piles of mine waste rocks used to abound in the Keweenaw. Not so much anymore. There’s a lot of Greenstone here, but where are they?

Let’s look at some interesting tidbits about Michigan Greenstone, the state gem.

After lobbying by the Michigan lapidary community, Isle Royale Greenstone (Chlorastrolite) became Michigans Official State Gemstone on February 21, 1972. Gov. William G. Milliken signed a bill that had rapidly sped through the legislature with overwhelming majorities.

Reportedly the lawmakers had some smart remarks to make before they were finished. One Senator from Kalamazoo (Anthony Stamm), said It looks like stuff I put on my driveway at $40 a load. Another legislator wanted to know if Chlorastrolite was any relation to the stuff that clogs arteries.Another lawmaker explained If you think my wife is going to trade in her Diamond for a Greenstone, you have rocks in your head.

A beautiful Isle Royale Greenstone.

Chemically Chlorastrolite is Hydrous Calcium Aluminum Silicate. It commonly has a polygonal mosaic pattern sometimes referred to as an alligator pattern. It can be light or dark green, but the pattern is much showier in lighter shades. Lighter green predominates Greenstones from Isle Royale, while many Keweenaw Greenstones are darker. A desirable Greenstone trait shows radiating lines exhibiting Chatoyancy like Tiger-eye.

A solid Greenstone has a hardness of 5.5 to 6.

Tumbled Greenstones ready for sorting. Most of these are good for jewelry.

Chlorastrolite is formed in vesicles (small holes in bubbly Botryoidal lava) in the upper strata of the lava flows. In many cases in the Keweenaw, the vesicles do not completely fill, and you get hollow nodules. Imagine cutting a large Greenstone, thinking how big and splendid and special it is, plus how much money it might be worth, and all of a sudden, you bust through to a hollow center. Everyone that cuts quantities of Greenstone has done this. It’s very frustrating indeed. I will leave out the expletives uttered when this happens.

On the other hand, sometimes a hollow core may have been later filled with another precious mineral found in this area–Thomsonite, Prehnite, Datolite, or even Copper. These elicit a WHOOP! sound from me. I have even seen hollow Greenstone with copper crystals inside. (For more on my favorite Greenstones with inclusions read The Shades and Patterns of Greenstone (Chlorastrolite) May 1, 2016

Sometimes I just take the entire Greenstone and matrix and pop the Greenstone out as needed.

A Greenstone found underwater off Isle Royale in1961 by Arthur Vierthaler is in the Smithsonian and is claimed to be the largest Greenstone ever found at one and a half inch by three inches. I have seen many larger, and have personally cut a two inch by four inch one myself.

Shall we go way back in time? In the 1890s to the 1900s Isle Royale Greenstones started to appear in New York City. Socialites assumed they were of French origin because of the name. These ladies were somewhat lacking in geographical knowledge, and although there was minor interest in stones from romantic France, when it was found they were from a remote Island in Lake Superior, interest waned. Michigan Greenstones were relegated to the curio category and only had a passing interest.

Greenstones from Isle Royale. Collected 50 years ago.

Greenstones had more recognition in the Midwest where they could be purchased at Wisconsin and Northern Michigan barbershops and saloons. Today, Greenstone dealers still do not get the customers for Greenstones that they warrant. Because Michigan Greenstones come from such a limited area of the world, few people have ever seen one. They are basically a one source gemstone and that source is the Isle Royale National Park, (where they’re illegal to remove), or in the Keweenaw Peninsula, where they’re becoming more scarce because of all the Private property and all the old dump piles having been crushed and hauled away for road fill.

Michigan Greenstones may resemble several other vesicle-filled stones that are found in these areas. These nodules can be Chlorite balls, Chlorite covered shot copper, Copper agates, Greenstones, or other things. We may find what we call Greenstone Wanna-Bes. On the outside these appear as if they may be Greenstones, but when we grind them, they become green dust or mud. They just didn’t get fully baked by the geologic forces I guess!

Over the years I have accumulated not only vast amounts of Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils, but occasionally when I purchase an old collections from an Estate or garage sale, I also see old rock books or, if I am lucky, some notes or historic data on rocks and minerals.

Years ago I visited an estate sale of a well known Geologist/rockhound and discovered a couple boxes of documents, maps, notes, articles, and books no longer in print. To me, these are just as valuable as any rocks I might find. These papers and books contained secret locations, historical data, and many, many other valuable resources. I cannot explain you how excited I was to find these boxes; even more excited then finding that bonus fry or three on the bottom of the McDonalds bag.

I started to dig through these boxes and other archival resources and see what tidbits I could find on Chlorastrolite (AKA Greenstone). I know I have written about Michigans State Gemstone many times, but I am always looking to find something new from the old articles. Much of the information in this blog is from my treasure trove of old resources.

The Chlorastrolite Now Michigans Official Gem by E.W. Courter Lapidary Journal November 1974

Footnote on Chlorastrolites by Lee Carter Lapidary Journal October 1969

Other information delved from papers of the late Don H. Clarke

At Snob Appeal Jewelry we sell high-quality, hand-crafted, wire-wrapped stone jewelry specializing in stones from the Great Lakes Area. You can see our Michigan Greenstone cabochons and jewelry, Lake Superior Agate jewelry and other Keweenaw stones, Petoskey Stone jewelry,and stone and agate jewelry from around the world.

Lake Superior Agate Hunt; My Best one EVER

Slices ready for cabbing

I love Candy stripers

These Lakers were some I picked that day in Wisconsin.

Over the years Bonnie and I have had many rockhounding adventures. Some stand out above the rest. This month I would like to tell you the story of our best Lake Superior Agate Hunt Ever; a hunt both amazing and unexpected.

From the name of the agate, people might expect to find Lake Superior Agates only on the beaches of Lake Superior. However, Lakers (as we fondly call them) are found in a broad streak starting at Lake Superior and spreading to the southwest over several states.

Nothing better than a small stash of slices begging to be cabbed.

We were driving through Wisconsin, enroute to Minnesota, perhaps 20 years ago and noticed just outside Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, a road widening project, very extensive, with lots of land being moved with heavy equipment in preparation for a new four lane road. I mentioned to Bonnie that I thought we were in Lake Superior Agate area, but due to all the heavy equipment moving about, I never had a second thought about it UNTIL we saw a flea market just down the road.

I saw a large sign on one of the tents as we went by that said AGATES, so of course we stopped. I hit it off with the dealer, and he and I bonded over our love for Lake Superior Agates. He mentioned he had a friend that lived nearby and loved to show off his agate collection. He called the elderly gentleman (we surmised he was in his 90s), and subsequently we were invited over to his house to see his agate collection.

Unusual coloration and shadow

A wild guy in a wild Laker

We knew we were in the right location as we drove up the driveway and saw a full-sized petrified wood log among many other large rocks laying in the yard.

Unfortunately it has been so long that I do not remember the old guys name, so we call him George. We were welcomed into his house and noticed he had agates everywhere. Beside the four china cabinets filled with Lake Superior Agates, he had agate tables, agate lamps, agate counters, agate covered boxes, agate slices in the window, agates of all sizes; everything Lake Superior Agate–jaw dropping! George hinted that we had not seen anything, and should go look in his basement. He was in a wheelchair and couldn’t go down with us, but our excitement level was already elevated. The basement was another stony story. The walls were lined with shelves holding large Lakers of every sort, plus various other rocks collected from many locales.

Would you sell any of these? is a question any rock lover would ask when confronted with agates so amazing and abundant. His reply was to the negative. I accepted this, but wondered why George would not want sell a few. He clearly had health issues and none of us are going to live forever!

The final discussion involved hunting Lakers. I just love picking the old rockhounds brain. I ask him if he would go looking in the area for Lakers where would he look. He responded: Sonny, I’d look out in that road construction zone.

Ok Bonnie, I am going agate hunting. We rented a motel room nearby, waited until 5pm, and headed out to the construction area. I recall Bonnie opted to stay at the Motel. I found a safe place to park, briefly wondered if we were doing anything illegal. As the cars whizzed by on the old road, we hunted the newly smoothed landscape. I noticed a pile of gravel filled with rocks; and guess what–many of them were Lake Superior Agates. I filled almost a five gallon bucket and found at least a dozen fist sized or better, over a pound each. I actually felt guilty, and wondered where other rockhounds were; why am I the only person hunting here? The rock hunt took perhaps an hour or two to fill the bucket. I like to imagine what we would have gotten if it had been raining!

I think if old George had been able, he would have been there also. I often wonder what happened to him and his agate collection. I will never forget this amazing hunt. I think I still have some of the Lakers we found that day, but they are all mixed with other Laker Buckets.

Every Rockhound has stories like this. Sometime I will tell you about the deluge rain storm in the Keweenaw when Greenstones were actually flowing in little streams down the banks of a mine waste pile. A story for another day,

Custom Rock Cutting, Lapidary, and Wire Jewelry, Created Just for You!

Custom druzy wire jewelry to match the brides wedding colors.

For a unique touch, the bride created her own bouquet out of comic books. The pendant matched the dress and bouquet perfectly.

Special occasions call for special jewelry. If you are looking for custom special occasion stone jewelry, cut and wire wrapped just for you, please consider our custom lapidary services. We have created jewelry for Renaissance (and other) Weddings, special gifts, and lots of personal mementos. The services we frequently provide at Snob Appeal Jewelry include:

Special Occasion Custom Lapidary

If you find a nice Petoskey Stone, I can polish it so you don’t have to lick it to show off the pattern!

These freeform Thomsonite cabochons are highly desirable.

These beautiful examples of Copper Country cabochons are cut and polished for use in jewelry.

Perhaps you have a favorite rock or slab that you have finally decided to have worked on. I can cut and/or slab most any rock up to twelve inches. Prices can vary for this service depending on size, number of rocks or slabs. People often bring me rocks they have found, or rocks with sentimental value. Since each rock is different, after studying it, I look for attributes to highlight, and point out flaws that I may be able to repair or work around. I am honest with my customers. My trips to the Upper Peninsula involve new and repeat customers bringing their finds to me. Many repeat customers stop to get my opinion on their Lake Superior Agates, Datolites, Greenstones, and uncounted other finds. Some want a Cabochon cut and wire wrapped, while others might just bring in a Petoskey Stone for me to polish. Whenever I do custom lapidary on any customer owned rock, I treat it as my own, not shortcutting my procedures in any way. My best advertising is word of mouth, and I do not want my integrity and honesty besmirched. I hope you’ll tell your friends about your new favorite!

2. Custom Wire Wrapping

A wire-wrapped dragonfly was a whimsical pendant for a dragonfly-loving customer.

Old stock Mexican crazy lace agate with opal turned into one of my favorite wire wrapped pieces I ever made.

A big, bold double-hinged copper nugget pendant created from a customer’s stone collection, including copper and greenstone.

A beautiful candy-striped Lake Superior Agate elegantly but simply wire wrapped, not distracting from the perfect agate.

I love it when someone wants me to make a pendant from their stone. I try to get some feel as to their style and choice of precious metal wire. I make pendants from Argentium Sterling (Tarnish resistant Sterling Silver), 14/20 Gold, both pink Gold and Gold Gold). Many customers like a mix of colors that allow different chains to match a pendant. This two or three-tone approach allows someone to purchase a gift pendant for someone they are not sure of the metal they wear. Sometimes a stone just yells for accents of a silver or pink metal, so we can discuss the choices.

A custom wire wrapped cubic zirconia faceted by a talented customer is my more recent custom piece. How’s that for bling?

As you can see from photos, my wire wrapping style is classical. I do nothing that takes away from the star of any pendant, THE STONE. With some wire artists, you will see a lot of wires running all over the place. I appreciate that some may like this “Wire Sculpture” style, but that’s not how I do it. My wrapping is very precise both in design and construction. Some multi-stone pendants are a combination of engineering and design in unison.

Prices of pendants are dependent of the amount of wire (size and thickness of the stone), how complicated the wire wrapping is, and the time it takes. To evaluate your special occasion custom lapidary, I really need to see the stone and discuss what you want done in order to give a price. I do not “cheap” on wire; In general the more wire, the better the jewelry looks.

Elegant stone wire-wrapped jewelry is my specialty. To make your custom lapidary special, the addition of gemstones or sparkly cubic zirconias might make your piece just right. Occasionally a stone calls for a playful look.

Send me a picture or give me a call and let’s see what we can do with your favorite rock or stone! Custom lapidary and custom wire wrapping are our top services! The bottom line is we love and understand rocks and can make great special occasion custom lapidary for you. Try us!

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