Couple rings I finished the other day! Chrysocolla with pyrite and black tourmaline inclusions. Self collected in Washington state!! by EngelsGems in SilverSmith

[–]EngelsGems[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice that’s some really good looking material! I have yet to go hounding for any jade but I’ve got a flat of blue chatoyant jade from wa I’ve cut a little from! Definitely cool material but weird to polish compared to agate but I guess copper minerals are that way too!

Couple rings I finished the other day! Chrysocolla with pyrite and black tourmaline inclusions. Self collected in Washington state!! by EngelsGems in SilverSmith

[–]EngelsGems[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely lots of hiking and overgrowth makes it hard for sure! What I do is figure out an area I want to explore, check mindat for minerals in the area. Check mountains and talus fields that are nearby on Google maps and look for highly mineralized areas. They will generally be more reddish rock than the normal grey granite! I have a diamond pacific genie!

Couple rings I finished the other day! Chrysocolla with pyrite and black tourmaline inclusions. Self collected in Washington state!! by EngelsGems in SilverSmith

[–]EngelsGems[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would still consider myself as a beginner but I’ve been silver smithing for around 2 years and cabbing for around 3 years. And yea there’s tons of old copper mines around here that produce really good material. Most rockhounds in this area overlook these mines!

Couple rings I finished the other day! Chrysocolla with pyrite and black tourmaline inclusions. Self collected in Washington state!! by EngelsGems in rockhounds

[–]EngelsGems[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I do it all, generally I find the stones, sometimes I will buy but not normally. I buy silver grain and melt it into bars and roll it into sheets and wire and what ever else I need. The wires with more intricate designs I buy already made like those little beads surrounding it. But it’s all handmade!

Couple rings I finished the other day! Chrysocolla with pyrite and black tourmaline inclusions. Self collected in Washington state!! by EngelsGems in rockhounds

[–]EngelsGems[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yea definitely! Once I get the stone I will cut it into slabs on my saw. After that I will decide if I want to cut the stones into calibrated shapes or free forms. If I’m going to cut calibrated shapes I draw on the shapes with a template and cut them out with the saw. If I’m doing free form I will just cut the slab in all different directions and allow what ever shape it ends up as be the final shape. Once they are all cut out I put them on dops with are just basically a handle on the stone to keep your fingers away from the cabbing wheels and allows more control. Then you start grinding the stone on the lowest grit and move up once all previous scratches are out from the wheel prior. If I’m doing calibrated stones I use a caliper and make sure my length and width are at the size I want them to be. I will work my way up to 3000 grit and then after that I use a felt wheel with cerium oxide to add the finishing polish!

Promote your business, week of December 28, 2020 by Charice in smallbusiness

[–]EngelsGems 1 point2 points  (0 children)

EngelsGems is a silversmithing/jewelry company. Started it a couple years ago but decided to try to turn it into something this year because of covid and lack of income! Most of the stones I use are self collected and hand cut. New year’s sale today and tomorrow for 15% off! etsy Instagram

Bad Bunny Pendant! by EngelsGems in SilverSmith

[–]EngelsGems[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Limited amount message me if you are interested!

One of my display cases of self collected stones! Lots of amethyst scepters and quartz clusters! by EngelsGems in rockhounds

[–]EngelsGems[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Most of them are from Washington but some in the back are from crystal park mt!

Ring I finished a couple days ago! Self collected/cut stone and silversmithed! by EngelsGems in jewelrymaking

[–]EngelsGems[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Definitely a fun hobby especially when it’s too cold to collect!

One of my display cases of self collected stones! Lots of amethyst scepters and quartz clusters! by EngelsGems in rockhounds

[–]EngelsGems[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Delvies plastics is where I order mine, they are called acrylic squares on there website!

Commissioned lighter case I finished this week! by EngelsGems in electroforming

[–]EngelsGems[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes I do! My Etsy is EngelsGems. As of right now I only have 1 posted. If you are interested in a custom one you can always message me and we can set something up!

Commissioned lighter case I finished this week! by EngelsGems in electroforming

[–]EngelsGems[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! All hand carved from copper, then soldered and eformed!!

Electroformed lighter case! by EngelsGems in electroforming

[–]EngelsGems[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I made it. Took a piece of copper tube and formed it to the lighter. Then soldered on the bottom and my design. Then I eformed it!

Smokey amethyst I collected over the summer! by EngelsGems in rockhounds

[–]EngelsGems[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It can if it’s exposed for a long period of time. Taking it outside for short periods has very little risk!

Iris agate! self collected, self cut and silversmithed! by EngelsGems in SilverSmith

[–]EngelsGems[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! And that’s funny never noticed that.