Lapidary & Collection Curation Books
So what you do you do with these rocks and minerals when you get them home? Pretty much the options are a store them, display them or make them into something.
All of the lapidary books I have in my collection are vintage books which can make locating them a challenge for the collector but I have yet to find a modern book on the subject that matches what can be found in these old publications.
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Collection Curation
Title: The Complete Book of Micromounting by Quintin Wight
ASIN: B0007E4RPS
Review: The is such an amazing book I don’t really know where to start with it. If you don’t know what Micromounting is, it is the process taking small rocks and minerals and preserving them in small boxes for storage, preservation, and viewing under a microscope. This is widely considered to be the most valuable book on the subject and no micromounters shelf is complete without it and I do agree with that assessment of it. This book cover ever single aspect of it from how it all started in 1700’s to every single technique used in the hobby. If you love tiny rocks and minerals then you will love this book.
Title: The Complete Guide To Micromounts by Milton L Speckels
ASIN: B0007E4RPS
Review: I honestly didn’t know what section this review and book listing should be in when I sat down to write it since the process of micromounting a mineral is more of a niche hobby within the world or rock and mineral collection and not really a specific rocks and mineral book. Micromounting is the study and collection of mineral specimens that require magnification to be appreciated. The available literature on the subject of micromounting is really limited, you pretty much have this book and one other one which is very pricey. Despite being 57 years old at this point the book still holds a great deal of very useful information on the subject and the processes laid out in it are pretty much still in use to this day. If you’re at all interested in the world of tiny minerals I would highly recommend you add this title to your collection.
Lapidary
Title: Gem Cutting: A Lapidary’s Manual by John Sinkankas (1955)
ASIN: B0000CJBMG
Review: This might be the most well rounded book on the subject of lapidary that I have seen. If I could make any criticism about this book it would be that the title doesn’t accurately represent the content. This book covers so much more than gem cutting, it covers all aspects of lapidary from the fundamentals of cutting to fine mosaics and inlay work and everything in between. It even has some great diagrams on to follow for some home made machines. If I could go back in time and buy this book before ever even trying to cut my first rock I would.
Title: Gem Cutting Shop Help The Best Selected From 17 Years Of The Lapidary Journal by Hugh Leiper
ISBN: 978-6000893552
Review: Do you own a giant stack of Lapidary Journals? If so then this book is not for you! For the rest of us this is a great alternative. This book contains some of the very best articles that ever appeared in Lapidary Journal, such as a number of great articles on homemade saws for cutting rocks that you can build yourself, different polishing tips and tricks, guides on cutting cabochons, jewellery making and so much more. I got this book for $3.95 and its worth every penny!