
How to read a rock before you cut it
The dull grey outside tells you almost nothing. Here's what to look for — fracture lines, rind, translucency — before the saw comes out.
Collecting tips, how to identify what you found, jewelry care that doesn’t ruin anything, and what forty years of cutting rock actually teaches you. Written by the two of us, not a content team.

The dull grey outside tells you almost nothing. Here's what to look for — fracture lines, rind, translucency — before the saw comes out.

You picked something up on a hike and you can't stop looking at it. Before you do anything to it, do these four things first.

Most cleaning advice is overkill or actively risky. Here's a routine that takes two minutes and won't damage a single stone.

The efficient way to slab a rock and the right way aren't the same. A note on why we lose material on purpose.

Hardness is the obvious answer, but it's not the whole one. Three properties decide whether a stone survives daily wear.

Why two people at one bench produce different work than a factory — and why that's the whole point.
Send us a photo. We answer every one, and it’s free — no obligation to have anything cut.
Ask Us About Your Stone