Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2008 10:33 am Posts: 840 Location: Mars PA
Before there was a faceting and tourmaline in my lapidary heart, I cut cabochons in my basement. My collection of equipment consisted of an old heavy duty industrial grinder with a spray my father hooked up, a Sears Craftman's arbor with a dry drum sanding wheel and a vertical polishing pad. My greatest addition after months of frustration was a small slap/trim saw which was a gift from a wealthy family friend.
All that I was really missing from complete satisfaction was some money to buy beautiful rough. Fortunately there was quite a bit of moderately priced decent cabbing rough available in 1960, but even moderately priced is too much, when lunch money is involved. Fortunately my father did not stop at finding out what I needed to cut cabs, he also found craftsman that grew to care enough about me to give me some of their essence of beauty. From their gifts of time and substance I fashioned a small collection of cabs that far transcended my brief time of buying small amounts of rough. When I bought my first faceting machine, I basically stopped cutting cabs, but it always was fun even with cold water on the hands.
Today my collection fits in a small case I made in high school shop class. It is a very personal mixed bag of the average and exceptional. Exceptional because of the gifts, I received, and the memories that make them more than wealth. I am still proud of the effort/finish I put on these special gems. I may have been young, but I was determined to do the best I could and succeed with time and effort.
Once while I was suffering threw my divorce my son met me with a bag full of treasures. It was my cab collection that was banging together. Under the watchful eye of my soon to be ex-wife, my son said that mommy had given them to him. Smoothly taking the bag from my 5 year old son, I explained that when he was older they would be his, but dad had to keep them for now. Fortunately only one was really damage and I will keep my pledge that they will be his. My gift of lasting beauty in a world in need of it.
Thanks for sharing your story! I am grateful beyond words for all of the people that showed me mercies and encouraged me as a youngster... Nearly everything that was important to me then is gone... I only have the memory of spectacular mineral specimens: Of a huge Amethyst crystal I was gifted with, an Aquamarine the size of my thumb, with only the top 1/4" clear (it was gorgeous anyways!), the garnet on matrix from Alaska, and the cool piece of pegmatite or granite that seemingly had Garnets and black Tourmalines shot through it instead of Mica. Eventually the Dana's Mineralogy I saved hard for and bought from Perham's Maine Mineral Store was sold in a yard sale while I was out, and the Estwing rock collecting hammer whose tip I wore down a solid inch was stolen out of my car while it was being worked on. Nothing is forever, or so it seems... Now that I'm older, I make it a point to pay attention to the younger kids, to encourage, mentor, and support them like people supported me, and to take care of those less fortunate than I am... It is truly wonderful to pay things forward! One of my goals for this year is to seriously downsize: The really valuable stuff is being sold, and the smaller stuff that's not valuable enough to spend time marketing, but too good to throw away, will all be given away. I'm looking forward to having the room around here, and to doing more of what I want to do... Getting back into gems and minerals is going to be a big and exciting change for me. I'm looking forward to expanding and upgrading the equipment I have, and doing something that has nothing to do with my actual profession... I'm glad you're going to pass along your stones to your son! I can't do that here, as the stuff isn't around any more, but I can give of myself.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
I think we are all fortunate to be in a place where we can "pay it forward" with our knowledge and experience. We all do are best to help and inspire everyone we can.
My brother and I both benefited a lot from this when we were young, going to gem shows and such--it's definitely a major part of the broad culture of rock people and one of the things that makes it all so appealing.
Thank you for sharing this story, gosh I wish you had pictures! Sometimes I wish I just had a museum I could open and collect some of these rare stones just to let people who can't afford them come and see and hold them... There's actually a museum here in Oregon where I'm from called the Rice Museum. Some couple donated the whole thing. It looks like a normal house from the outside but when you get in it's room after room of the most exotic and incredible gems- including lots of local favorites (sunstone, agate, thundereggs, opal).
I was very fortunate to meet him some years back. He came to my wee house in San Francisco. At that time I just got my Gemmoraman, set up in the breakfast room with an ancient PC. I was clueless as to what my Raman could do or frankly how to use it. Bruce was polite.
I have never seen a finer collection of tourmaline. I doubt I ever will.
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