William L. Stuart

author of The Gemstone Chronicles Series

Book Reviews, Thoughts, and Random Interesting Ideas

The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst update!!

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The edits continue to roll in. Abby, my editor extraordinare, is cruising through The Amethyst and she has finished over half the book! I, on the other hand, haven’t made nearly that much progress. But, never fear, I will have it done and ready to release late this year!

Lana’s Ankle

For those of you who do not know, Lana, my lovely and adorable bride and author of her own website (www.lanascooking.com), broke her ankle 6 weeks ago while we were whitewater rafting. It was out first whitewater rafting trip (and likely our last). She is doing physical therapy now. With any luck, she will be back on her feet in a couple of weeks! I know she can’t wait to get back to her normal activities!

Once Lana is back to her usual self, I will begin revisions in earnest and hope to give you a sneak preview of Book Two: The Amethyst in October. I also plan on posting some photos of the trip to North Carolina’s Gem Mountain (scheduled for early October), so everyone can see what we find!

Lastly, The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian continues to do well on both Amazon.com and Smashwords. Thanks to everyone who has purchased a copy and thanks in advance to those who will! If you read it, please consider leaving a review. I’d love to know what you think about the book and it helps me improve my writing.

Amethyst The Carnelian Cover

If you want to find out more about me and my books, connect with me on social media! I can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or just email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. I look forward to connecting with you!!

Cabochons – Beautiful Polished Stones!!

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Cabochons!

In today’s post, I am going to attempt to explain cabochons. The word cabochon comes from Middle French caboche (head) and the technique is usually used on opaque stones vs. transparent stones (which are usually faceted). Another consideration for cabochons (often called cabs) is the hardness of the stone (measured on the Moh’s Hardness scale). Softer stones (less than 7 on the Moh’s scale) scratch easily and may be more suited to cabs instead of facets. The cabbing process hides scratches more than faceting would.

The Basics:

Cabochon creation usually begins with a slab of stone. The slab can vary in thickness depending on the maker’s design or how the cab will be mounted. If the setting is closed, the back may not be highly polished and may be hollowed out to reduce weight. If the cage is open, the back may be as highly polished as the top. Cabs are often oval or elliptical with a domed top. Starred (asteriated) stones like cat’s eye or starred sapphire are cabbed so that the star or the cat’s eye will be highlighted. Faceting the stone would not show the feature.

Slabs:

To make a cabochon, a slab of stone of is cut on a slab saw.

Slabs of rock for cabochons

Once the slab is cut, a template is used to trace out the shape of the cab. A diamond blade trim saw is used to cut away the stone until the rough shape of the cabochon is created. After roughing out the shape, various grit shaping wheels grind away to stone to create the domed top. At the end, a highly polished beautiful cabochon is revealed.

Azurite Cabochon

While oval cabs are common, they are by no means the only shapes. As evidenced by the templates shown below, there are many different shapes that can be cabs.

Cabochon Templates

Want to make your own cabochons? Many local mineral societies and clubs exist and they can help you get started. I learned the basics at the Georgia Mineral Society and I can’t wait to make another!

In case you didn’t know, the carnelian in The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian, is a cabochon. What is your favorite cabochon stone? Leave me a message and let me know!

Gemstones in The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian

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One of the more fascinating things about writing a book is that you have to do research on the elements of the plot. Research takes you to locations, historical events, historical figures, mythology, legends, and yes, gemstones. In The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian, the mystical and magical attributes of gemstones provided much of the material for me to formulate the plot and the action.. I learned a lot along the way.

Gemstones!

For instance, I learned staurolite is the official mineral of the state of Georgia. It really does form “fairy crosses” (see photo). The fairy cross in the photo is a St. Andrews cross.

Gemstones Fairy Cross

I also discovered sapphires have many wonderful properties. Sapphires are associated with the Wind, Water, and Earth elements. A sapphire enhances defense magic, spirituality, creativity, and discipline. I adapted its defensive magic property into a stone of power. Most people think of blue when they think of sapphires, but sapphires come in many different colors. Blue, green pink, and white just to name a few. A red sapphire is actually a ruby!

Gemstones Faceted Blue Sapphire

Gemstones Ruby

Warriors in ancient times carried garnets for protection in battles. They believed the red stone would prevented wounds.

Gemstones Faceted Garnet

Bloodstones are thought to help with bleeding and healing injuries among their many other properties. Those attributes came in handy in The Gemstones Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian.

BloodstoneSailors carried aquamarines to save them from drowning and seasickness. I doubt it prevented many drownings, but it may have helped with seasickness (maybe mind over matter).

Faceted Blue Topaz

Lapis Lazuli, a blue stone with gold flecks, is a stone of truth and revelation.

Lapis lazuli cabochon

There are many other examples of the mystical and magical meanings behind gemstones. I don’t have enough room to list them all, but as I said at the beginning, research is one of the fascinating and illuminating aspects of writing!

What are your favorite gemstones? What magical or mystical properties do you associate with your gemstones? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Connect with me!

Connect with me and share this site with your friends! Find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads!! Leave me a comment on the post, the blog, or write a review of the book(s)! I enjoy connecting with others.

Gemstone inspiration!!

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Inspiration:

Lots of people ask me how I got started with gemstones and where did I get the inspiration for The Gemstone Chronicles. Well, it all started a few years ago when my brother John and I were looking for something different to do with his two girls and my grandson. We decided to go a place called Gold ‘n’ Gems Grubbin’ where we could dig for gemstones by the creek. It turned out to be a hobby-inspiring day. We found lots of gemstones (not all of them precious), but John and I are hooked. We try to go about once per month and collect more stones. It was during one of these monthly visits that Aidan (grandson) and I talked about the “mystical” properties of gemstones and The Gemstones Chronicles series was born!

Inspiration for The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian by William L Stuart

What’s next?

Once we started collecting stones, we started to find ways to enhance them. John found a man who facets stones for a hobby and he has done some amazing stones for John. I joined a local mineral society and have learned the rudiments of making cabochons (look for a post on that soon).

John and I will be heading to NC in late September or early October to do some hard core digging at Gem Mountain. We will be looking for emeralds and other gemstones, so stay tuned for those pictures!

There are many places around the country to find gems. One place I want to go is Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas where you can actually hunt for diamonds. That is a trip for the summer, but it is on my bucket list!

What are your favorite gem hunting places? I’m always open to new places to explore! What inspiration do you have for your hobbies? If there is somewhere near where you live, have you visited it and what did you find? Leave me a comment and let me know!!

Connect with me:

Connect with me on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, or email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to the blog!

Tumbled Gemstones from the Beginning

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Tumbled gemstones! In today’s post, I am going to try to explain (to the best of my limited knowledge) tumbling, gemstone rough, and the process from rough to polished stones. The first picture is of various gemstone rough that I found at my favorite gem hunting place, Gold ‘n’ Gem Grubbin’, in Cleveland, Georgia.

Tumbled Gemstones Rough

The gemstone rough shown above (from upper left) three Amethysts (including my favorite – the large one of the left), Aventurine, Emerald (in the middle), and on the bottom row (from left) Sapphire and Rubies. Many of these gemstones will be key elements in The Gemstone Chronicles series.

I use a Lortone 3 lb tumbler (this is not an endorsement of Lortone products!!). The tumbling is a four part process that starts with a coarse grit and ends with a polishing step. Each of the steps takes about a week, so the entire process takes about a month to complete. Below is a picture of the tumbler.

Tumbled Gemstones Tumlber

Lastly, here are pictures of the tumbled gemstones, though not necessarily the ones from the rough above.. I think they are gorgeous!

Tumbled Gemstones Final

On the top row, four Amethysts (three lighter ones and one very dark). Middle row has three garnets. On the bottom row, three tumbled Topaz (note the slight blue tint to them).

There you have a very quick primer on how I go from rough gemstones to tumbled gemstones. You can research this much more and find that there are volumes written about the subject. It is a relatively inexpensive hobby, but one that can be fascinating! I know I’m hooked and will continue with my tumbling.

What are your favorite gemstones? Do you prefer faceted stones, cabochons, or tumbled? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Connect with me!

Find me on social media and let’s connect. I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads! I look forward to meeting new friends.

One week! What A Learning Experience!!

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One week!

I’m excited that is has been one week since I started the publishing process for my first novel, The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian. The week has flown by and I have to say thanks for those who have visited this website, my Facebook page, and a special thanks to those who bought the book and are now, hopefully, fully involved in the story and loving it!

One week The Gemstone Chronicles Book One: The Carnelian by William L Stuart

Please visit and leave comments on how you liked the book and about your favorite parts. In the meantime, I will be working on revising The Gemstone Chronicles Book Three: The Emerald, while my wonderful editor works on The Gemstone Chronicles Book Two: The Amethyst.

Marketing:

Now if I can just figure out this whole marketing thing figured out, it would be fantastic!! It’s such a mystery and, since I’m working on a small budget, much more challenging. I’ll take any hints, suggestions, hacks, or other marketing ideas you want to share. I won’t keep them secret (unless you want me to), as I think all of us Indie authors are in this thing together! In addition, I’ll explore online sites to see what I can glean from them and pass along anything I find worthwhile. I’ve learned a lot in one week, but there is so much more to discover.

You can also connect with me on social media. I’m on Twitter, and Goodreads, as well as Facebook as mentioned above. I’m thinking of joining  Pinterest, too, so look for me there in the future. I look forward to meeting new friends!!