The Formation of Quake Lake

When the Earth Shakes and the Mountain Falls

OPAQUE GEMSTONES

The faceting of an opaque gemstone presents a much more elegant look than a cabochon. The shape of the design is reminiscent of a cabochon, but it is faceted. It provides distinctive flashes from the facet faces.

ROWLEY MINE CHRYSOCOLLA

This mix of copper minerals is reminiscent of the Inspiration Mine chrysocolla. Much of what has been dug out has a beautiful color array of blues, greens, reds and yellow, plus a really nice strata pattern.\"

ANT HILL GARNETS

Tiny Miners Find Big Treasures

The Mystery & the History Jet of The Black, Black Stone

Jet is one unusual stone. Used as lapidary material for millennia, it gets no respect in mineralogical circles. Among ten common rock and mineral guidebooks, seven don't even list jet in the index. The others? One has a picture with a one-sentence caption. Another offers only a brief paragraph.

The Hope Diamond Cursed... OR NOT?

Diamonds are known traditionally as symbols of wealth, beauty and love, with one notable exception-a large, unusually colored stone that is widely believed to be cursed. Many of those who have owned or simply touched this stone have met tragedy by going insane, suffering serious illnesses, committing suicide, or losing their fortunes-even being executed by guillotine.

Grizzly Electric Sawmill

As a sawmill owner, I cut lumber for a variety of outlets. Most, I cut for myself

Tools 101 Calling all Dust Extractors

We take a look at eight dust extractors to see which ones stand out and which ones suck the most

Woodworking Techniques Restoring an Antique Rocking Chair

Bring new life to a tired antique. Here are my steps to restoring an old rocking chair

CRAFTING MAGIC: Making a Drawer Box

One of magic's oldest box tricks.

Laminated Coping Saw

This project brings together a diverse set of skills including epoxy work, bent lamination, metalworking, turning, and riveting

SawStop Compact Table Saw

Most woodworkers are familiar now with the SawStop line of table saws

Mid-Century Media Console

This Mid-Century table is a great way to blend woodworking with modern materials

MUST-HAVE TOOLS FOR ACCURATE MEASURING

Achieving spot-on precision doesn't require a collection of expensive devices. In our shop, a simple few handle the majority of what we do.

SMALL-PARTS TABLESAW SLED

With customizable hold-downs, this smallparts tablesaw sled lets you safely trim even miniature workpieces with ease and accuracy.

UPGRADE YOUR TABLESAW WITH AROUTER TABLE

Maximize your shop space by turning your tablesaw into a dual-purpose cutting and shaping center.

PORTABLE PUZZLE TRAY

This expandable assembly station provides dedicated space for your jigsaw masterpieces, plus it stores the puzzle and its pieces between sessions.

PISTON-FIT DRAWERS

Create snug-fitting, smooth-sliding drawers for your fine project builds.

ALL ABOARD!

Colorado's Tourist Trains for the Geologist

Caring for CRYSTAL PARK: Preserving this One-of-a-kind Experience for Future Generations

Sometimes after a hard rain, the glint of crystals sparkles as they emerge to the soil surface after spending millions of years deep in the earth. Visitors to Crystal Park in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in Montana stand upon a treasure that amazes rock enthusiasts from around the world.

SHIELD OF THE HEART DESIGN

Learning to facet gemstones can be rewarding and fascinating. The best way to get started is by taking faceting lessons, using current reference materials, having a mentor and dedicating the time necessary to practice the skills needed to master the art.

PLACODERMS Armor-Plated Fish of the Devonian

As a young boy growing up in fossil-rich western New York, I would spend untold hours walking the rocky outcrops of the Niagara Escarpment, the shore of an ancient Silurian Sea, collecting hundreds of marine fossils including Brachiopods and Crinoids.

ARIZONA'S METEOR CRATER

Some 50,000 years ago, an asteroid sped through space at 30,000 miles per hour, headed straight for planet Earth.

Diamonds

What has always surprised me is the emphasis and value we put on diamonds. Though relatively abundant, they are vigorously mined and have been promoted in a tightly controlled market to keep their value high.

Citizen Scientists UNCOVER Thousands of Microfossils

A Portal to Earth's Past Emerges in a Remote Corner of the World

ROCK THE CAFÉ Oklahoma Sandstone Created this Route 66 Pop Culture Icon

Oklahoma is the birthplace of Route 66, and Cyrus Avery, of Tulsa, is known as the \"Father various of Route 66.\" Avery served on road-associated commissions. And in 1925, he nabbed a seat on the committee of highway officials who were creating a proposed national highway system, as well as a numbering scheme to go with the map.

ANOTHER LOOK AT GLASS BUTTE OBSIDIAN

Many people who make cabochons avoid working with obsidian because it is soft and fractures easily. It is a struggle to get the scratches out in the sanding steps and it can be difficult to polish. It took me a while to find the solutions to these problems.

Labradorite The Northern Lights in a Gemstone

The northern lights, those glowing curtains of cyan, green, gold and magenta that brighten the night skies in the northern latitudes, are among nature's most stunning displays of color.

RUBBED RIGHT: Moissanite & Silicon Carbide

When a popular artisan who has worked in lapidary since the 1950s suggests taking a closer look at their \"grit of W choice, it's at least worth checking out.

The Coinage of MARCUS AURELIUS

The first half of the Second Century A.D. marked a period of prosperity within the Roman Empire. Wars had been fought and won by Augustus, and borders were established. These borders of the Empire had been successfully consolidated and secured later after the brilliant reigns of Trajan and Hadrian