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.
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Volcanoes and Emeralds
I've had the privilege to give lectures worldwide at shows, club meetings and retreats. I've also done videos and DVDs including Russian Gem Treasures, shot in Russia and another associated with the Smithsonian about American gem mines.
THE MAGIC OF MARBLE
Sculptors and architects have an abundance of natural stone materials to choose from alabaster, travertine, granite, limestone and soapstone to name a few. But one medium has always stood out - marble. For the last 2,500 years, marble has been chosen for many of the greatest works of sculpture and architecture, from the Parthenon of Classical Greece to Michelangelo's Pietà and Washington D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial.
COLOR-THERAPY Gemstones
Designing Jewelry Based on the Healing Properties of Colors
The Silver of POTOSI
Triumph, Tragedy & El Tío
CURVED RIDGES SHAPED TIPS
Complex carving with curved ridges and shaped tips can be daunting.
NIPOMO MARCASITE
Many of the digging locations for this marcasite are on private property. It was allowed at one point to collect with the owner's permission, but a few rockhounds ruined it for the rest by trespassing, trampling newly-grown crops, and opening and closing gates not allowing cattle to get to their water sources. As a result, this material hasn’t been dug for a few decades.”
PAIL Treasures!
From Gems to Fossils, Dig Them at Home
RV Rockhounding
ON THE ROAD WITH THAT CAMPING COUPLE
The Pleasures and Perils of Competitive Exhibiting
Competitive exhibiting offers lots of opportunities to earn awards through venues like club shows, county fairs, trade shows and Federation shows. Since 1995, I've been involved in competitive exhibiting from three perspectives: administering, judging and exhibiting. Here are my suggestions for best practices.
ULTIMATE Gift Guide FOR ROCKHOUNDS
What to Buy for the Rock Lover in Your Life
Pivoting to Troll
Elon Musk’s incessant posting may do wonders for his ego and clout in right-wing circles, but it has destroyed value pretty much everywhere else
Rafael Brandão THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME!
In the fall of 2017, MD's own Giles Thomas was in San Marino, Italy covering the pro show. Two future stars made their pro debut that day. One was the tank-like Hadi Choopan, and the other was a study in shape and symmetry named Rafael Brandão from Brazil. Giles immediately recognized the vast potential in the young man, and as time went by the rest of the bodybuilding world caught on. Fast-forward to 2022 and "Rafa," as many know him, is one of the best up-and-coming competitors in Open Bodybuilding. We spoke about training with Flex Lewis, the true power and rewards of bodybuilding beyond the superficial muscles, the meteoric rise of Brazilian athletes in the IFBB Pro League, and his first Mr. Olympia coming up later this year.
Why Land Is Key to Brazil's Presidency
Lagging Lula in polls, Bolsonaro is wooing rural voters by giving squatters title to their farms
Avoiding A Brazilian Detroit
The country's Motor City is losing plants and jobs in a sign of manufacturing decline
SAMBA
FABIO KOEHLER is an artist and a musician who has been living away from his native Brazil for over six years. Here he shares the joy of samba and describes how people from all cultures have danced and made music to connect with life, transform pain into happiness, and come together in community.
Jatoba
"Pretty, but tough and ornery"
TERRITORY OF ABSENCES ALMIR BINDILATTI
ART MARKET
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.