Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Real Deal

Certain people you meet are just It - the Real Deal - gentle, kind artists with strong opinions and work that speaks directly to your soul.
Ed of Stones in Motion is that kind of fellow and then some.

Anthony and I traveled to San Jose to see him - I wanted to learn a bit about cabbing, since I am so deeply obsessed with the art of rock cutting - my 300-or-so cabs should indicate that at this point I am just as much a collector as I am a designer using stones in my jewelry.

Not only did I learn a lot about rocks, I learned about the kind of person I want to buy rocks from and the hard work that goes into the creation of a really good cab.
Quite frankly this new knowledge made me feel a bit sheepish about some of my past purchases!

We sat down and had a bite to eat with Ed and his lovely, lovely wife - will you just look at the spread? Yummm!!!


I brought some King Cobra Jasper, a new and rare material from India to work with. This the rough, slightly wet which brings out its amazing colors:


Ed started working on it and gave me the chance to bevel the edges and round them over to the top of the cab - watching him do it looked like ice-skating, or something effortless and elegant... I was more like Bambi on Ice, but I loved the experience and was certainly bitten by the lapidary bug, indeed...


The end result? Voila!!! One half of the slab produced this stunning cabochon:


I went home with tons of inspiration and a full well, which feels fantastic.

Ed and his art are just so special, and I would sincerely recommend supporting his store by purchasing his cabochons for your work or collection: there is a reverence for the soul of the earth he is shaping in each lovely cab.

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10 comments:

Dave Schipper said...

Cool story...

Lisa said...

Wow, I'm jealous! I would love to learn how to cut stone. Ed is such a great person, and has gorgeous cabs. It must have been so exciting to meet him. That cab turned out awesome!

Anonymous said...

How fun! I have admired Ed's work on Etsy; how great you got to spend time with him.

I feel a bit sheepish about collecting cabs, since I'm no jewelry maker, but I did buy four from recently from a local rock show. They are so pretty.

Anonymous said...

And I'd like to add that you have the most lit-up smile I've seen on an adult; it's lovely.

MJ said...

I really enjoyed this little feature; thanks for sharing it with us. :)

Also, I peeked at Ed's shop and completely swooned over this: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=26906857 Wow, what a stone!

jessicajane said...

how neat~!

again, i am really sad your in nor cal now....cause now your speaking of cities i used to go to!!

susie said...

I am so jealous - that is the coolest! Tom and I would like to learn more about lapidary work. It looks like it was an amazing experience.
P.S. Love the Bambi on ice anology.
P.P.S. That jasper is gorgeous - I'm off to check out his shop!

Allisunny S. said...

Dave - thanks, Mister!!!

Lisa - Ed is a gentle genius :) That cab is definitely awesome because of his work, not mine!

Liz R - Hi there!!! Don't feel sheepish - they are so healing and good, stones from the earth...
p.s. I am still a kid inside, maybe that explains the smile ;)

James - Yes, many drool-worthy stones there! Love to you today, dearest.

Jessica - Doh, fate!!! Someday our paths will cross - likely in Siberia or some random place!

Susie - the only problem is now I am trying to figure out how to fit cabbing equipment in my life... sadly, no room yet but someday.... :)

Emily said...

Oh, you lucky girl, you! Ed is such a nice guy and it must have been amazing to see how a cab takes shape. Thank you for sharing this with us.

I also recently came to the realization that I just don't have room to cut my own rocks... someday!

Two B's said...

Oh, isn't it FUN? I'm spending the week at a William Holland cabing for 9 hours a day! It's like a camp for adults///Jeff is casting silver, we're having a blast! Have fun!