Looking for rock for lapidary and specimens (cheap stuff )

Because i don't want to over pay again i will ask for very good photos of what i would be getting.. I got a box of stuff from someone that recommended him today... paid $50 and got a lot of potential stuff that i may be able to resell, some stuff cab worthy (less than 1/4 of the material), and some just junk (cut calcite and window glass believe it or not). I may break even but its going to take a lot of work for the junky stuff.


To give a better idea of what i mean by cheap stuff i'm talking about common (non white) agates, jaspers with good colors, or some other stuff like that.  I can post photos of what i mean if anyone likes.

I started doing lapidary work about 12 years ago and the majority of the stuff I got was on ebay. I still spend some time searching there but don't buy very much. If I was starting up now, I would try to get some mfrb or lfrb here. There are a lot of people who could provide you decent stuff and they are trying to further the hobby, not make a buck. You are looking for stuff that would make interesting cabs. It doesn't necessarily need to be premium material.
Look on ebay for stuff that has interesting scenes and is reasonable. It takes time but it is worth it. Your biggest asset is your saws so look for bargains on rough where you could sell or trade slabs. Get material where you can see what you are getting.

I got this a few months ago:

forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/66170/explain-me

Some advice on ebay. Decide what you want to pay for something and don't get into the bidding frenzy. Watch out for glamour shots where, an interesting portion of the slab is cropped and used for the listing picture. Unless you are collecting slabs, look for how many great scenes you can get out of a slab and bid accordingly. A flaw in a slab, will reduce the price a collector will pay, but there may be a lot of cabs working around the flaw. Watch out for overlit pictures of dark material. If the cab won't look good in normal light, it isn't desirable.

Here's a piece I bid on today.

www.ebay.com/itm/Big-Lace-Agate-Rough-/251626750827?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=pEiYhdWAhHpVc6DGACS4hm%252FzSNE%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

I looked at all the pictures and I decided that $50 delivered was what I would be willing to pay and get a good deal. I got outbid by two bidders.
I might have got it for $10 more and it could have still been a steal, but I set my limit and stuck to it. Rough is always a gamble.

Your website says you're 19 and live in Alaska. There are tons of lapidary rocks in your area! Do what the rest of us do, buy the rockhounding book for your state and start looking. Then we sell it, but not for cheap. there's too much "cheap stuff" available out there for free if you just go collecting.

In your first post, you plead your case, wanting cheap stuff to practice on, then in your second, you tell us you got some that has potential but are going to resell it. Sorry, maybe I was born at night, dunno, but it wasn't last night....

Good luck collecting, but you just gotta get out there and start looking for yourself. Join a local rock club, go on their field trips, talk to your college geology department, find others who have the same interests locally and enjoy the hunt for good stones. For every good rock you find, you're gonna collect and then reject tons of "cheap" stuff. And you never know till you slice it open whether that ordinary or slightly interesting rock is gonna be a treasure or not.

I am part of a local rock group and i do a lot of hunting on my own... there is great stuff if you can get to it (granted i can't go on trips that takes a full week to do unless my co-worker comes with as my job is usually busy. Also i don't have an atv or truck to get where the really nice stuff is which has amazing stuff. It is not possibly to walk ether.

I do pick up a lot of interesting stuff but most of it is not jewelry worthy

I in fact know the person who wrote the Alaska rockhounding book (Montana Hodges), she will be coming up next summer and we will probably go hounding to a few places.. possibly some not mentioned in her book that i know of.... if i can get at least a week off from work.

Also at least in my area the stuff that has potential I already have at least 3 slabs for myself... but in Alaska at least Alaskan rocks do not sell to locals very well.


A friend is going to the Tuscon show in the next coming says and is going to get me some stuff... I might get 10 lbs of every item or similar items.


Fancy jasper $30 for 10 lbs
Crazy lace #2 $40 for 10 lbs
Spider jasper $30 for 10 lbs
Crazy lace #3 $25 for 10 lbs
Picasso jasper $15 for 10 lbs


These are some prices from a catalog at one of the vendors that are what i mean by cheap. I'll probably get 10 lbs of each of these

I'd rather have a cabbing unit than new video games like most people and friends my age

The nelson takes forever to cut small stuff, the other home made cuts stuff a lot faster I think i can put a 16 inch blade on the nelson though as its a model 14/16.. I haven't tried manually pushing stuff in the nelson but i think it would just be a large mess if i did that. The nelson is fully enclosed so it is a lot quieter, the home made is partially open so it is loud... and its shape amplifies the sound.

On the nelson it might take 8 min to cut something small with the power feed where as on the home built thing it might take 30 sec to 1 min depending on material, it is also a lot faster at slabbing, you simply pull the handle back and turn the shaft 3-4 times to get another 1/4 in slab, It has no auto shutoff also but it does have an angle cut which the nelson doesn't. Both pros and cons to each machine and each one has separate uses

My plan with the saws is that the nelson will be used to cut large stuff since it is power fed and has an auto shutoff. the old home built is just going to be for small stuff or stuff. They are both old so as with all old motors they wear out after a while, both saws have original motors.

Presuming i have it setup this way i'm thinking the nelson i will use oil in and the home built one will just be water based as i'm not going to cut large stuff in it.

I could really use a 10 or 8 inch saw... the little 7 inch tile saw i got the blade is only about 2-2.5 inches above the table so it is basically only a trim saw which is what i primary bought it for.


Also being that all my machines are 20 min away if i can have 2 cuts going on at the same time that is good.

Some time i will make a review to better show the stuff



Also some day i will want to have an actual rock workshop so you can just imagine what that would be like... You say i am lucky to start at this age but as my co-worker says, most people dont get into this hobby until they are in their 40s roughly, with collecting or lap work.

yeah i have a few threads scattered about that show my saws.. eventually when i get everything fixed and unpacked i will create one thread someplace.


I can say i think i do value rough materials a little low but my co-worker (inspiration / idol as you might say) only pays wholesale which is what i am looking at for pricing as i have some connections and friends (some are very well known where you might say they are famous). So i look at things wholesale.. My co-worker who has been in the hobby for 20+ years, if you offered him carnelian agate or regular agates and shown him photos, would only buy them at $1/lb unless he can physically see them in hand.


I myself if i can part with my tumbled rocks, if they are regular Alaskan river rocks (mostly jasper) i sell for around $4 or $5 per pound... if that is too low please let me know

I know a flint knapper and he gives me a lot of scraps from his knappings but its usually all small tumble stuff (flint ridge and other high quality materials)

From what i seen online prehnite sells for $8 for a small 1 inch by 2 inch specimen and i'm only asking half that ($2 square inch).   Maybe i should ask for more.. I know the larger stuff is worth more as its very hard to get large slabs of it out.

Currently Gem Center USA, The prices should still be aruound those listed i'd think... I take it you go to those shows?