GEM TALK DIRECTORY
Gem Talk is a sponsored IGTV series I created to connect members of our community with lapidary artists and gemstone dealers! One of the ideals of Gem Talk is that these artists and dealers are working towards ethically sourcing their materials and gemstones. To date there is no ethical certification or standard for colored gemstones, for more information I recommend checking out Sustainable Jewellery - Principles and Processes for Creating an Ethical Brand by Jose Luis Fettolini
FEATURED LAPIDARY ARTISTS
INSTAGRAM: @BAYSTATEOPALS
SHOP: etsy.com/shop/BayStateOpals
SPECIALIZES IN: OPALS
Lou Marcotte sells opal gemstones that are made from natural opal rough and are solid (no doublets or triplets).
INSTAGRAM: @HEART_ONS
SHOP: heartonsleevejewelry.com
SPECIALIZES IN: QUARTZ, AGATE, LABRADORITE, OPAL + JADE
Mark Thone has been creating cabochons, gem carvings, and hand carved calibrated body jewelry for over ten years. He also teaches jewelry classes in Rochester, NY.
INSTAGRAM: @JADECOASTJEWELRY
SHOP: etsy.com/shop/JadeCoastJewelry
SPECIALIZES IN: JADE (NEPHRITE) OPAL + CHYSOPRASE
Dillon Carr is a lapidary artist located in Central California, he has been cutting stones for over ten years. He does custom stone carvings as well!
INSTAGRAM: @R2ROCKZ
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: CHRYSOCOLLA, AMAZONITE, AGATE, GASPEITE, JASPER, AZURITE + MORE
Robert L Roberts is a lapidary artist located in Idaho who has been cutting stones since 1993.
INSTAGRAM: @KMBYTHELAKE
SHOP: etsy.com/shop/KMbythelake
SPECIALIZES IN: VINTAGE STOCK SUGILITE, RICHTERITE, JASPER + OCEAN WAVE JASPER
Natascha Rodriguez is a lapidary artist, taught by her father. Her father has over 50 years of lapidary/gemstone experience of which she has been exposed to for over 30 years.
INSTAGRAM: @ARROKS_ROCKS
SHOP: https://www.etsy.com/shop/arroksrocks/
SPECIALIZES IN: A WIDE VARIETY OF CABOCHONS INCLUDING MOOKAITE, AGATE, JASPER AND SURFITE.
INSTAGRAM: @GEM_FOX_
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: A WIDE VARIETY OF CABOCHONS INCLUDING APATITE, VARISCITE, AND CULTURED OPALS.
INSTAGRAM: @SLABKING_
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: HIGH GRADE, ETHICALLY SOURCED TURQUOISE, VARISCITE AND PICTURE JASPER. CREATES MINI & SMALL CUTS, CREATES CUSTOMS TO MATCH LOST STONES, AND LIGHTNING BOLTS!
INSTAGRAM: @CONSCIOUS_CREATORS
SHOP: INSTAGRAM
WEBSITE: http://www.consciouscreators.co/ (coming soon!)
SPECIALIZES IN: Oregon Sunstone from Lake County Oregon, Variscite from Colina Verde Mine in Esmeralda Co., Nevada, Amethyst and Smoky Quartz from Grand Daddy Purple Mine in Inyo Co., California And many other USA mined materials!
Ryan Novell is a lapidary artist and mine owner. He personally prospects for deposits in the US and works them by hand himself or with a small team. This cuts out any middle men and any chance of unethical practices occurring as all material is natural and mined directly by him.
INSTAGRAM: @ECKEL.LAPIDARY
SHOP: INSTAGRAM
VISIT HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL
SPECIALIZES IN: high end old stock materials such as American picture jaspers, plume agates, rare petrified woods and dinosaur bone. With a background in jewelry and landscape painting, you can be sure his cabs are artistically composed with an eye for balance, design and functionality as a jeweler!
FEATURED GEMSTONE DEALERS
INSTAGRAM: @KNOTANDSPLICESTONES
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: AMERICAN MINED GEMS - TURQUOISE + VARISCITE
Nicole Melton is a jeweler who also sells gemstones! She is a collector and has a lot of hard to find materials. Almost everything she sells was mined and cut by an artist in the US.
INSTAGRAM: @HAUSOFSTONES
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: ETHICALLY SOURCED ROSECUTS
Tiana is a gemstone dealer, jeweler, and lapidary artist located in Sonoma, CA. Her main goal is to provide quality gemstones produced and purchased in a manner that demonstrates respect for the people who make them as well as for the environment.
INSTAGRAM: @NEWSTONEAGECABOCHONS
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: CONSCIOUSLY CREATED CABOCHONS
INSTAGRAM: @TURQUOISE_OBSESSION
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: A VARIED ASSORTMENT OF EXPERTLY CUT TURQUOISE CABOCHONS THAT WERE MINED ETHICALLY.
INSTAGRAM: @HI5DIAMONDS
SHOP: IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS (Downtown San Francisco) AND INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: MELEE, SALT & PEPPER, GRAY AND WHITE DIAMOND ROSE CUTS, FANCY CUT SALT & PEPPER DIAMONDS, ALTERNATIVE DIAMONDS.
INSTAGRAM: @VILLIAGESILVERSMITHCABS
SHOP: IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS (Glouchester Warehouse) TRADE SHOWS, ETSY AND INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: A HUGE VARIETY OF ETHICAL SOURCED GEMSTONES. THEY ARE AGTA CERTIFIED.
Village Silversmith is a family-owned business with a history that starts in the beautiful seaside village of Rockport, MA. The life-long interest of minerals, fossils, stone cutting, and silversmithing running through the Bajoras family led to the opening of their first retail location in Rockport in the early 1990s.
Since then, Village Silversmith has grown from a small family business to a company that employs over fifty people. Within ten years the company had opened seven additional locations, and multiple online selling platforms!
INSTAGRAM: @RAREEARTHMININGCO
SHOP: IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS (New Hampshire) TRADE SHOWS, ETSY AND INSTAGRAM SALES
SPECIALIZES IN: OPALIZED WOOD, AZURITE GEODES, LAVENDER TURQUOISE AND 300 OTHER GEMS IN A VARIETY OF DESIGNER SHAPES.
Rare Earth has been the leader in unusual one of a kinds for 50 years now. They are on an everlasting hunt for the highest quality and newest material to bring to market! Specializing in Opalized wood, Azurite Geodes, Lavender Turquoise and 300 other gems in a variety of designer shapes to team up to give you a look no one else has in the marketplace!
INSTAGRAM: @TURQUOISE_MOOSE
SHOP: INSTAGRAM SALES, TQMOOSE.COM AND ETSY
SPECIALIZES IN: TURQUOISE, VARASCITE, AND ETHIOPIAN OPAL.
In 2017, founded by Li and Erika, long time collectors from Northern California. Turquoise moose evolved from just one offline hobby cutter to selling genuine cabochons online serving thousands of creators now. Li dedicate her and Moose team to providing the best experience. Team moose are believers in the magic that can happen between what the Earth provides and in what we do with our own hands. We stand behind the Moose Verified quality standard. That’s a promise from one turquoise lover to another. Lastly, we see our creators feel happy by connecting truly with the pieces they get, and therefore creating happiness from the moment they receive the stone to after the jewelry piece is created. Happiness is everything. The marriage we witness between the stones and their creation is truly magical.
Actually, here is more about us. Feel free to read on this about us page as well: https://www.tqmoose.com/
