TaoGem Gemstones

A member from my Lapidary / Gemstone Community forum sent me this most unusual material.
This is Avila Brecciated Rhyolite. Also called “DeeDeeite” by the rock club nearest the deposit about three miles from California’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
Most of this type has larger rhyolite pieces floating in the agate…but these pieces have the smaller [...]

Heat Treating Minerals
There are a great many minerals
that can be heat treated as shown in
the forum post. Heat treating these
different minerals can result in some
outstanding color enhancements !
Here is a picture of some showing
a Brazilian Agate before, intermediate,
and a fully heat treated cabs.
Slow increments of raising the heat
and lowering the heat makes a
difference between highly [...]

Recently received several slabs of what I believe to be a dendritic Moss opal.  Not entirely sure if it is an opal, opalized, or a opalite. I have read that opalite is an opalized volcanic ash than can occur with common opal and agate. It can be dendritic.
Opalite is very hard and can have a [...]

Chrysocolla is right up there among my most favorite minerals for cutting cabs from. Most all Chrysocolla makes for some stunning jewelry. Then there are some that are truly a bit more unique than others.
We have been sharing a whole lot of different Chrysocolla varieties on my forum.
I especially like a Chrysocolla with Hematite, Tenorite, [...]

I just received this pictorial guide to over 150 types of agates and jasper.
“There are many excellent books currently on the market describing banded agates, but there are few with an emphasis on the other structural varieties. There are virtually no current books with images and descriptions of the wide array of fine jaspers presently [...]

I recently bought what was described as a Munjina Jasper. After some discussion on our forum, it was thought that in fact it was not Munjina Jasper, but Noreena Jasper.
I did a Google search and they sure do look a lot alike. Come to find out that another member, ImageOne (Ron), cleared up the confusion. [...]

A follow up from last weeks entry about Morrisonite Jasper. We have talked a bit about this Morrisonite as well as some outstanding Willow Creek Jasper on our community forum as well.
After purchasing from Rare Rock and Gem’s site the other day, would like to share yet more of this great looking mineral. Have not [...]

We had a new member join up to our forum who sells Morrisonite, Willow Creek, Bruneau, and other rarer Jasper type minerals. His site is called Rare Rocks and Gems.I received a package today from Philip. My mouth hit the floor when I opened it. From time to time will receive exceptional mineral rough / [...]

I was recently given a little bit of nice Chinese Pietersite Rough that was able to get a couple of small slabs out of.

After slabbing up the couple of small slabs thought might share one of my favorite cabs that finished.

I have a couple more on the bench that will post in a [...]

There are a lot of different types of Fossilized Coral, not to mention fossilized material as a whole. The one I have some experience with cutting for customers who make custom gemstone, bezel type setting jewelry is this Indonesian Fossilized Coral.
Here is an example of what I am most familiar with shaping cabochons from.

Here are [...]

An example of some beautiful Rainbow Jasper in slab form. This particular example really has a great variety of jasper colors. I do have this available in stock and can be cut and shaped in any way that a jewelry designer would like. I have talked before about how important it can be for a [...]

Purchasing quality gemstone in rough form can turn out to be a very disappointing experience. The results of my personal purchasing experiences had led me to believe that I might in fact be missing something that may all along have been common place in other lapidary shops. Other Cabbers must have a section of their [...]