Barnhouse Lapidary

ABOUT US

Starting from early childhood I had a tendency to bring home pockets full of rocks (causing more than a little bit of exasperation on the part of my parents!)

My love of stones has followed me throughout my life. Other than admiring rocks from a distance, I hadn't given much thought to the hobby... until a number of years ago when I received a tumbler and started easing my way into it.

The easing was short lived... maybe half a year after I received the tumbler I came across pictures of a little gem known as "Pietersite". My interest in this rock quickly turned into an obsession, as I was unable to find any of it anywhere... I scoured the internet looking for hints. I found some on eBay, and purchased it... and was disappointed at the inferior quality. I continued to search, making a number of friends and contacts through the world (none of whom had it), and discovering a number of other beautiful stones that I couldn't get in the U.S.

I eventually found a source, who is now a good friend, and bought a small amount. The material was amazing, and I had enough to slab some up and sell it. The slabs sold immediately, and I quickly established a name for myself as a source of this wonderful stone. Top quality stuff is still very hard to get, but no longer impossible.

Now, I constantly seek out new rocks to share with the lapidary community, trying to find and sell rocks that people might not get a chance to experience otherwise.