lisa288
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2012
Posts: 1
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Post by lisa288 on Mar 21, 2012 13:28:23 GMT -5
Hi! I'm a new member, but just finished wire wrapping BikerAndys 58 pic cab THREE TIMES before I got it right "enough" to sell in my Etsy shop! What a great learning experience! When I was little, out in Montana my Dad and I used to go "rock hunting" for agates...I remember finding many in quarries. He then took me to lapidary school in Chicago with him a zillion times, and I watched him from cutting, tumbling, and turning into beautiful jewelry. I think his favorite was onyx. Now, I'm INTO ROCKS again. Gemstones. My Etsy shop is all about Color Energy and gemstone healing has a lot to do with it. Won't be buying really soon bcuz I'm just opening my Etsy shop and dropping every dime I have into that, but sometime before long I'd like to- so I'd like to ask, what are your favorite sources of rocks to tumble? Can you get specific rocks to do so or just an assortment, hoping you'll get some good ones? Whatever info you can offer to me would be MOST appreciated! Thanks, Lisa
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Mar 21, 2012 13:40:11 GMT -5
Welome Lisa!
For tumbling rough I rockhound and buy tumbling rough from other members, therockshed.com and thegemshop.com. I am consistently happy and you can see examples of the rocks I get from them in my recent posts in the rock tumbling photos section.
I haven't bought from Tony yet, but Idaho Rock Shop has a good rep as well.
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Mar 21, 2012 14:39:21 GMT -5
Though I haven't bought rough from them, I can second the recommendation for The Rock Shed. Shawn is twenty kinds of awesome, and takes really good care of his customers. They offer assortments as well as one-kind only batches by the pound. Location counts for a lot, too. If you're in an area that has great rock hunting, you can likely find some beautiful pieces to use in your work as well. (I'm looking into using some of my 'simple' beach stones in some jewelry designs, for instance, since they're not the kind of thing you see very often in jewelry.) If you peek at the 'Location, Location, Location' board, you'll find a lot of discussion about good places to go rock hunting. The thing to be careful about with found stones is to make sure they're of the same hardness when you work them up in a batch together. You'll likely be spending a goodly bit of time sorting and checking, but it can be a pretty relaxing thing to do. Check out the sales and swap forum here as well. There are a lot of great deals to be had from fellow members. One big positive to looking at the forum here is that you'll see exactly the batch you're getting in most cases, which can count for a lot if you're looking for something very specific, or a specific pattern or color. It's worth peeking at eBay as well, but use the usual eBay cautions, read through feedback carefully, and so on. There's a great series of books on the healing/energetic properties of various stones I picked up a handful of years back; if I can find them I'll post the names up, since I can't get to them at the moment. (They're packed away currently.) It was a nice three volume set at the time (it may have expanded since, it's been about 10 years ) and it covered a lot of stones I don't see listed in the other books I have seen, with a good bit of detail.
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Mar 21, 2012 17:35:42 GMT -5
Most any beach or river bank will give up some tumbling stock - maybe not the best or jewlrey grade, but something you can learn on until you decide to buy or can rockhound at proven locations.
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Mar 21, 2012 18:25:07 GMT -5
Welcome, Lisa. I've got more tumbling rough than I know what to do with. I've got a mix of South Dakota stones (mostly jasper and petrified wood), Utah agate, Montana agate, maybe some others. PM me if interested. Cheap.
Chuck
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 22, 2012 8:58:18 GMT -5
I think a lot of us have the opposite problem -- more stones than we can tumble in this lifetime! I am trying to clear space and I frequently offer material for clearance sale or for swap in the swap forum on this site. Right now I have some Smoky Quartz and some rather light-colored Agates on offer for sale or swap. But there's a whole potpourri of material from lots of long time trusted members. Smoky Quartz link: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=buysell&action=display&thread=51378Agate link: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=buysell&action=display&thread=51336If you're interested in a swap rather than buying, let me know pretty soon, because if I post them on EBay, I can only sell for cash. Ebay doesn't facilitate swaps. When you're ready, put a link to your store or blog in your signature line. Or even your Ebay feedbacks or About Me if you've been on Ebay. It helps people get to know you a little faster.
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cindybriggs
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 164
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Post by cindybriggs on Apr 7, 2012 9:50:59 GMT -5
Lisa, Welcome to the addiction. As was mentioned, many of us have more rocks than we know what to do with. I have a huge selection of beautiful petrified wood, agates, jasper, and flint. I can make you a great deal. Cindy
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Post by Rockhobbit on Apr 7, 2012 10:50:46 GMT -5
Send me a pm with your address...................I will send you a small box for free. I have tons of it!
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