October Newsletter for PrettyRock.com

October Newsletter for PrettyRock.com

Happy Rocktober!

We the cooler weather we are having in Charlotte right now.  It's time to put the garden to bed and start our winter hobbies.  We kicked off the season with a trip to William Holland Lapidary School (more below) and rearranging the studio (shed?) to make more room for the pixie and a gem carving space (more on that below, too) 
 
We are excited to be planning our first trip to Quartzite! If you have been and have tips or suggestions for where to stay or eat, please share! 

What are you working on?  What rocks are you looking for but can't find?  Need more information or more photos of something on PrettyRock.com?  Let us know!

Our email is service@prettyrock.com

We post almost every day:
facebook: @prettyrockcom

instagram: prettyrockcom 

YouTube: prettyrock

 

William Holland Lapidary Arts School

  If you want to learn a lapidary skill like faceting, cabochons, beading, silversmithing or just about anything rock related, William Holland is the place.  Dev and I have been many times to take faceting, gem ID, opals, cabochons and other classes.  The teachers are volunteers and do an amazing job. You will make life long friends who understand!  It's a lot like getting to go to rock camp for grown ups, but the food is better! 

  WHLA is in the mountains of Georgia and its seasons runs from April to November. Most of the classes are week long, but they have just added a weekend classes.  Their  tuition and fees are extremely reasonable!
Check them out: http://www.lapidaryschool.org/main.aspx

(We are not associated with William Holland, just happy students!)

Learning to Carve Stones

  Stone carving has been around since someone realized they could hit a rock with another rock and leave a mark. Jump forward a few 1000 years, and master jewelers, such as Faberge,  incorporate carved gemstones into their jewelry and offered them as stand alone artworks. 

  One family of the carvers whose work I have been studying (aka drooling over)  is the Drehers from Idar-Oberstein. They have worked with stone for 13 generations and their carvings are just gob-smackingly stunning!  GIA has a fantastic article about them.   Pretty sure I have watched the videos 100 times.

   Over the last few months, I have been obsessed with learning to carve gemstones, especially figurative carvings.  I love being able to combine my passion for art and rocks. But, there is a definitely a learning curve! You can follow my progress on our YouTube channel. I still have so much to learn, especially about polishing (does that ever change?) 
The goal! “Red Baron” Gerd Dreher, 2015
 Photo by Robert Weldon/GIA
 
One of my first carvings, a dogwood blossom.
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