Many of my previous monthly articles have featured decorations that show through the front and are the result of carving holes into the back of a cab. These carved holes have been a random pattern or a planned pattern, but they were all just holes.
This month I am trying something different and a bit more complex than the holes. This new attempt will be a heart shape.
I started with one of my favorite shapes, a sharply curved teardrop made from Piranha agate from Brazil. Its name is derived from the state of Parana in Brazil, but after the material arrived in the U.S. the spelling devolved into the name of a fish, the piranha. This agate is much more highly colored than the typical Brazilian agate from elsewhere in Brazil. I really like making cabs from this material because the colored bands are so highly defined and complex.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Easy Pickins' at Australia's Agate Creek
As a member of a few Australian Facebook fossicking (rockhounding) groups, I had been seeing photos of an amazing variety of cut and polished agates posted by people who had found them at Agate Creek.
Shakespeare's Gemstones
Elizabethan Gems; Literal and Literary
MINERALS TO BEWARE OF Myrickite
Some venomous snakes and stinging wasps and bees advertise their dangerous nature with bold red, yellow, and orange colors that seem to say, “Stay away!”
Hell's Canyon Petrified Wood
WHAT TO CUT
NEPTUNITE
Benitoite’s Uncommon Partner
Nafplio Archeological Museum
Bronze Age Jewelry Rival Contemporary Designs
A Different Decoration From the Back
BENCHTIPS
Volcanoes Continue to Capture Headlines
EARTH SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
SMITHSON, SMITHSONITE, AND THE SMITHSONIAN
ROCK SCIENCE
“PETOSKEY STONE” Michigan's State Stone
FOSSIL FINDS
OUTAGE HIGHLIGHTS HOW VITAL FACEBOOK HAS BECOME WORLDWIDE
The six-hour outage at Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp was a headache for many casual users but far more serious for the millions of people worldwide who rely on the social media sites to run their businesses or communicate with relatives, fellow parents, teachers or neighbors.
Brazil Speeds Up Mobile Payments
A year ago the Pix platform didn’t exist. Now half the population uses it like cash
Billionaires Vie for the Future of Brazilian Finance
An escalating battle between two billionaires is upending the financial community in São Paulo, Latin America’s wealthiest city.
Mike Horn – Extreme Expeditionist
South African-Swiss explorer Mike Horn has conquered both poles and the Amazon. Here’s how he’s built the fortitude to thrive in extreme environments.
Last days of the Rainforest
The Brazilian Amazon is approaching the point of no return, and the government is fanning the flames
WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS
AS SUPPLY CHAINS FELL APART, STANFORD UNDERGRAD JACK YUAN BUILT A $200 MILLION ONE THAT CONTINUES TO DELIVER LIFE-SAVING PPE
THAT WAS FLEETING: TWITTER KILLS OFF EPHEMERAL MESSAGES
Twitter is disappearing its disappearing tweets, called fleets, after they didn’t catch on.
RANDOM THOUGHTS WITH RICKSON GRACIE
RICKSON GRACIE IS WIDELY REGARDED AS THE BEST OF THE BEST IN BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU, BUT HE’S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. HE’S A WARRIOR, A PHILOSOPHER, A THINKER, AN INSPIRATION AND A ROLE MODEL. WHICH IS WHY WE’RE PRESENTING THESE GLIMPSES OF THE MAN THAT NOT MANY BLACK BELT READERS HAVE SEEN.
Bem-vindo!
The stretch of Monroe Road where you can find little pieces of Brazil
Nervosa
HOW BRAZILIAN GUITARIST PRIKA AMARAL REBUILT HER THRIVING THRASH-METAL JUGGERNAUT FROM THE GROUND UP AND JUMPED HEAD FIRST INTO PERPETUAL CHAOS