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Lapidary equipment: where to buy

Lapidary is the craft of cutting and polishing stone, and its tools come in steps. A rock tumbler is where most people start: rough stones go into a rotating barrel with grit and water and come out polished, with very little skill needed. A trim saw cuts small pieces, while a larger slab saw cuts big rocks into slabs. A cabbing machine, with a row of grinding and polishing wheels of finer and finer grit, shapes and polishes cabochons, and a flat lap does similar work on flat discs. A faceting machine cuts the flat facets of clear gems and is the most precise and demanding of all.

Saws and grinders need a coolant to keep the blade and the stone from overheating: water is fine on many trim saws but not on every slab saw, so check what each machine calls for. Wear safety glasses, keep the rock dust down, and protect your hearing around saws and grinders.

Many rock clubs have a shared lapidary shop where you can try the machines before you buy your own, and some of the shops listed here also teach classes.

2 shops across the US that sell lapidary equipment. Each one links to its own website, so you can compare them one by one.

• Copper Canyon Lapidary & Jewelry

  Dealer · Online or by order · Sedona, Arizona

  Sedona lapidary: cutting, slabbing and stone sculpting

  Lapidary supplier in Sedona selling faceting and cabbing rough, slabs, cabochons, turquoise rough, fossils and lapidary equipment, with cabbing, slabbing and polishing services.

  Also sells: Rough & slabs · Fossils

  coppercanyonlapidary.com ↗Eureka listing →

• Miners Rock Shop

  Dealer · Storefront · Tempe, Arizona

  Family shop with a lapidary lab, UV room and jewelry classes

  Family rock shop in Tempe with a UV room of fluorescent minerals, geodes, fossils, lapidary rough, and lapidary supplies and equipment including faceting machines. The family works five mining claims in Arizona, and the shop runs a Facet Club with gem faceting classes.

  Also sells: Mineral specimens · Rough & slabs · Fossils · Classes & training

  minersrockshop.com ↗Eureka listing →

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