All lapidary projects start out with a chunk of raw rock that may look something like this piece of Arizona onyx, which Andy collected in a field near Meyer, Arizona. To the untrained eye, it would be difficult to imagine that such an ordinary looking rock could yield stones of such beauty.

The next step is to use a diamond-tipped slabbing saw to slice the rock into slabs, revealing the layers of color and sparkle that are hidden beneath the rough exterior of the stone. After the slabs are cut, each is examined to determine which areas would make the best cabochons. From each slab, small pieces are cut away, and each is ground and polished to create the beautiful natural stone cabochons that are placed in settings of silver or gold.

Below is a collection of cabochons that Andy has cut and polished in his workshop.