
Welcome to TaoGem's Blog !
If you entered through a specific blog post via search engine results, then after reading you can go
directly to the blogs main page to read all recent blog entries
TaoGem offers inexpensive gemstone cabochon supplies for special jewelry design. Interesting Unique and unusual loose cut gemstones. Beveled and polished gemstone supplies for the artistic designer who truly is searching for something special that will support his or her own creative perspective. Standard run of the mill cabochons are readily available on the internet. Our Gemstones offer many art, crafts, and gemstone jewelry design possibilities. Custom lapidary orders are available upon request for most gemstone material.
Interesting, unique and unusual matched earring cabochon pairs.
Special attention given towards cabochon designing for the purpose of bezel type settings. Most all cabs have nice beveling.
Read the
"Advantages for Gemstone Jewelry Designer who Develop Relationship with Lapidary Shop" blog post that tells about the importance and advantages when considering TaoGem as your lapidary shop.
TaoGem's Lapidary / Gemstone Community Forum offers support for this site as well as a wide variety of discussions related to the gemstone arena. Our Gemstone Community offers something for everyone involved at every level and within any gemstone related niche, including Cutters, Wholesalers, Resellers, Designers and many others.
Be sure to stay current and subscribe to this blog's content by using the Web Reader "subscribe" chicklet at the top of any of the sites pages. You can subscribe and receive site updates to your email address too.
If you ever have any questions about anything at all, please use the contact form. As a rule, you should receive a response within a few hours.
Be Sure To Shop My Gemstone Cabochon Store !
Saturday, September 19th, 2009
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 [...]
Posted in Gemstone Rough and Slabs | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
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 [...]
Posted in Gemstone Rough and Slabs | No Comments »
Friday, May 1st, 2009
Wanted to share a really neat tutorial on how to set a square gemstone cabochon by one of our forum members, Bob of Bobs Premium Cabs shared with us.
Bezel setting a stone with sharp corners is somewhat more difficult than an oval because if it isn’t done properly the excess metal puckers at the corners.
Bezel [...]
Posted in Gemstone Cabochon Jewelry Design | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
Been having fun again with more multi gemstone groups that are excellent for jewelry designing.. Especially if your a silversmith and like interesting and unique pieces..
What makes the group gemstone cabochon sets a little more interesting, is the way they are cut from the original mineral slab. Somewhat similar to making a quality pair of [...]
Posted in Designing Gemstone Cabochons | No Comments »
Friday, April 17th, 2009
Been a while since I have added a new entry.. All the action is on the forum !
Was finally fortunate enough to have a member from our local club come over and walk me through some basic silver soldering. She was a big help. Little things like working the torch properly, using the flux correctly, [...]
Posted in Gemstone Cabochon Jewelry Design | No Comments »
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
Needed something to blog about so thought would add an entry about today’s soldering project.
I wanted to try another like 1Rockhounds Biggs Jasper piece with the bezel tape on the outside of the backing. Except I tried another attempt at using flattened wire for the backing again instead of cut out sheet backing.
The order of [...]
Posted in Gemstone Cabochon Bezel Setting | No Comments »
Thursday, February 12th, 2009
At year end we had thought after a portfolio evaluation, things were not going to be so bad.
That has changed. Another recent evaluation shows that I am going to loose some where between 20 and 30% of monthly income.
What was once a casual and non stress business/hobby now has to be picked up a notch [...]
Posted in Gemstone Cabochon Jewelry Design | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 2nd, 2009
About a year ago I began exploring various marketing and promotional techniques for the purpose of boosting my online presence.
I think just like myself, a lot of brand new online lapidary related business owners find ourselves somewhat overwhelmed with the many different possibilities that just sorta seem to present themselves to us as we embark [...]
Posted in Gemstone Announcements / Promotional | 2 Comments »
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Just to share …..
One of my recent pieces started out so well…… I was smiling through the entire process of shaping and soldering the three step bezels for this three piece necklace.
Then came the last two solders for the little bails on the top of the two hanging pieces. That is when disaster set [...]
Posted in Gemstone Cabochon Jewelry Design | 4 Comments »
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
Here is another absolutely beautiful gemstone mineral I totally enjoy making cabochons from.
This mostly Azurite with druzy mixed with a little Malachite rough I purchased at a local fair. I had been befriending the owner who together with his wife spend the summer setting up their jewelry booth throughout the Pacific Northwest.
He has been rock [...]
Posted in Gemstone Cabochon Tutorial | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
This was my first time having the opportunity to work with this Tourmaline in Quartz mineral. When I first looked through the piece of rough, was not entirely sure if it would be all that much better to slice it one direction over another.
The black Tourmaline really did not cluster or run any more or [...]
Posted in Designing Gemstone Cabochons | 3 Comments »