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Rough & slabs: where to buy

Rough is uncut stone sold for cutting and polishing: chunks, nodules and sawn slabs of agate, jasper, turquoise, opal, petrified wood and many others. Lapidaries buy it to shape cabochons, the smooth, domed stones used in jewelry, to facet clear gems, or simply to tumble. Slabs are rough already sawn into flat sheets, which saves you a big saw.

What to look for depends on what you plan to make. For cabochons, check slabs for cracks, fractures and soft spots that can break the stone on the wheel; for faceting you need clean, transparent pieces. Ask where the material comes from and whether it has been dyed, stabilized or otherwise treated.

Buying rough from the area where you collect is also a good way to learn what the local material looks like before you go looking for it yourself.

9 shops across the US that sell rough & slabs. Each one links to its own website, so you can compare them one by one.

• Earthforged Rock Shop

  Dealer · Storefront · Huntsville, Alabama · Ships nationwide

  Locally owned rock, mineral and fossil shop in Huntsville. The shelves hold mineral specimens, fossils, geodes, gemstones, rough material for lapidary work, carvings and jewelry, sourced over 30 years of direct dealings with miners and collectors. Most of the stock is only in the store, not online.

  Also sells: Mineral specimens · Fossils

  earthforged.com ↗Eureka listing →

• Natural Expressions

  Dealer · Storefront · Gilbert, Arizona · Ships nationwide

  Crushed stone for chip inlay, over 200 kinds; custom stone cutting

  Rock shop in Gilbert selling rough, slabs, cabochons, crushed stone for inlay and minerals. You can pick your own geodes and have them cut on site for a fee.

  Also sells: Mineral specimens

  naturalexpressionsinc.com ↗Eureka listing →

• Raining Rocks

  Dealer · Storefront · Tucson, Arizona · Ships nationwide

  Meteorite shop of geologist Suzanne Morrison; ships worldwide

  Rock shop run by geologist Suzanne Morrison and Ilana Brin at the historic Kino Rocks & Minerals site on the south side of Tucson, a rock shop since 1958. Meteorites and impactites, minerals, fossils, petrified wood, lapidary rough and slabs, faceted stones, cabochons and books; the shop also buys collections and lapidary equipment.

  Also sells: Mineral specimens · Fossils · Meteorites · Petrified wood

  itsrainingrocks.com ↗Eureka listing →

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