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~ABOUT THE ARTIST~
Greetings!
If you're here, you must be the curious type, like I am. -smile- So let's cover the basics first, ok? I now reside in the beautiful Idaho panhandle, less than 4 miles from the Montana border, and only about an hour south of Canada. As you might imagine, it's gorgeous thriving forestland here, with more shades of green than there are names for. My family and I are currently enjoying the process of building our new house; we're down to mostly finish work now, thank goodness. It has a comfortable studio where I can happily indulge my creative fancies, which include painting, silversmithing, carving stone, antler and bone, and of course lapidary art.
Over the years, many people have asked about the equipment I use to cut my designer cabochons, so it seems appropriate to reveal that here. But first, a little (ancient) history:
Believe it or not, I started my lapidary career some 44 long years ago with an old discarded washing machine motor, bolted to a broken wooden stool! Adding an assortment of used silicon carbide and muslin wheels made it possible to shape and polish many softer materials, such as turquoise, coral, mother of pearl, onyx, and jet. And thankfully, even using such primitive tools, the results were far from crude. By cutting my own stones rather than accepting the readily available but boring calibrated fodder, I was finally able to enjoy the freedom of a huge assortment of custom shapes and matching sets; they certainly made my humble silver jewelry stand out from all the rest. It wasn't long before others expressed an interest in purchasing my cabs, and many of them had some excellent original ideas that I was able to create for them in stone. There soon followed a wonderful series of creative collaborations with many fine jewelers, and working hand in hand with them taught me a great deal. Much more than I could ever write about here!
My preference, and that of the vast majority of artisans I serve, is a smooth-shouldered cabochon with a high, well-rounded dome. Not the thin, flat-topped type that simply don't hold up to wear in everyday jewelry. Remember, any gemstone should be considered fragile, brittle is a better word, in that it has no 'give' when struck or dropped. That's true even for diamond, the hardest of them all. So a more substantial stone is always a far better choice than a thin, flat one. Many lapidaries cut their cabs with a beveled edge, probably because that's easier for them, but to my eye such cabs have a decidedly unfinished look about them. And, particularly if they're to be bezel set, beveled stones seldom achieve that neat and tidy professional look that's so all important to the buying public. That's my considered opinion, and it's the reason why you'll find no bevel-cut cabs offered here or in my auctions; I simply don't like them!
You also won't find any stones that have been laid out using a template, though I'm aware that others have made templates of my original shapes. I've never had any use for templates of any sort, and feel they stifle creativity, nor do I use any automated cabbing jigs, tumblers or other 'cheats'. There's no assembly line production here, just old fashioned love of lapidary, which dictates the cutting of each individual stone to bring out the most possibilities. My cabs are cut without dop sticks, held in hand, which lends a better feel for the work.
As for the equipment I use these days, I've certainly come a very long way! In the past four decades plus, I've had opportunity to try nearly every commercial cabbing unit ever made, and have settled on what I believe to be the very best. Diamond Pacific, who bought out Contempo and Highland Park several years back, makes outstanding machines. They're well-built all-diamond wonders that can quickly and efficiently transform a trimmed piece of rock into a shapely polished beauty in a matter of minutes. Most often, I use my trusty 6 inch Genie, but my shop also includes a 4 inch Pixie, as well as the super smooth 7 5/8 inch Titan. Recently I acquired D.P.'s Multi-Flex carving unit and a few dozen brand new diamond bits, and that's opened up a whole new world for me. Carved fetishes, objects de art, and ultra fancy beads are on the near horizon, friends! Keep an eye out!
Anyway, each tool has a purpose, and each does a marvelous job. If ever you decide you'd like to try your hand at lapidary, I highly recommend you start with such proven performers. My company, Silverhawk's Creations, is now an authorized Diamond Pacific stocking dealer, and we'd be delighted to assist you with all your lapidary needs, anytime. If you have any interest at all, even if you're just curious, I invite you to visit my Diamond Pacific Tool Corporation website and take a look around.
Oops, I almost forgot to mention that I have a previously owned Genie available. It's a newer model, with a brand new pump, and more than half the life left in the Galaxy and Nova wheels, so let me know if you're interested. Photos will be added shortly.
Best wishes to you, from my home and studio to yours!
Sam Silverhawk
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~ABOUT THE ARTIST~
If you're here, you must be the curious type, like I am. -smile- So let's cover the basics first, ok? I now reside in the beautiful Idaho panhandle, less than 4 miles from the Montana border, and only about an hour south of Canada. As you might imagine, it's gorgeous thriving forestland here, with more shades of green than there are names for. My family and I are currently enjoying the process of building our new house; we're down to mostly finish work now, thank goodness. It has a comfortable studio where I can happily indulge my creative fancies, which include painting, silversmithing, carving stone, antler and bone, and of course lapidary art.
Over the years, many people have asked about the equipment I use to cut my designer cabochons, so it seems appropriate to reveal that here. But first, a little (ancient) history:
My preference, and that of the vast majority of artisans I serve, is a smooth-shouldered cabochon with a high, well-rounded dome. Not the thin, flat-topped type that simply don't hold up to wear in everyday jewelry. Remember, any gemstone should be considered fragile, brittle is a better word, in that it has no 'give' when struck or dropped. That's true even for diamond, the hardest of them all. So a more substantial stone is always a far better choice than a thin, flat one. Many lapidaries cut their cabs with a beveled edge, probably because that's easier for them, but to my eye such cabs have a decidedly unfinished look about them. And, particularly if they're to be bezel set, beveled stones seldom achieve that neat and tidy professional look that's so all important to the buying public. That's my considered opinion, and it's the reason why you'll find no bevel-cut cabs offered here or in my auctions; I simply don't like them!
You also won't find any stones that have been laid out using a template, though I'm aware that others have made templates of my original shapes. I've never had any use for templates of any sort, and feel they stifle creativity, nor do I use any automated cabbing jigs, tumblers or other 'cheats'. There's no assembly line production here, just old fashioned love of lapidary, which dictates the cutting of each individual stone to bring out the most possibilities. My cabs are cut without dop sticks, held in hand, which lends a better feel for the work.
As for the equipment I use these days, I've certainly come a very long way! In the past four decades plus, I've had opportunity to try nearly every commercial cabbing unit ever made, and have settled on what I believe to be the very best. Diamond Pacific, who bought out Contempo and Highland Park several years back, makes outstanding machines. They're well-built all-diamond wonders that can quickly and efficiently transform a trimmed piece of rock into a shapely polished beauty in a matter of minutes. Most often, I use my trusty 6 inch Genie, but my shop also includes a 4 inch Pixie, as well as the super smooth 7 5/8 inch Titan. Recently I acquired D.P.'s Multi-Flex carving unit and a few dozen brand new diamond bits, and that's opened up a whole new world for me. Carved fetishes, objects de art, and ultra fancy beads are on the near horizon, friends! Keep an eye out!
Anyway, each tool has a purpose, and each does a marvelous job. If ever you decide you'd like to try your hand at lapidary, I highly recommend you start with such proven performers. My company, Silverhawk's Creations, is now an authorized Diamond Pacific stocking dealer, and we'd be delighted to assist you with all your lapidary needs, anytime. If you have any interest at all, even if you're just curious, I invite you to visit my Diamond Pacific Tool Corporation website and take a look around.
Oops, I almost forgot to mention that I have a previously owned Genie available. It's a newer model, with a brand new pump, and more than half the life left in the Galaxy and Nova wheels, so let me know if you're interested. Photos will be added shortly.
Best wishes to you, from my home and studio to yours!
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