Generally speaking, no - at least not at this time. Though polished cuts may occasionally be listed, the vast majority of slabs on this site are rough and unpolished. However, having said that, one of the next investments on my list is a Vibra Lap. Once this piece of equipment lands in my studio, polished slabs will definitely become a staple on the site, so stay tuned for that! I will be polishing the finest, display-quality slabs in my inventory. I'll also be able to offer a polishing option for all available slabs on the site for an additional fee.

Wetting a rough slab allows you to see a much closer approximation of how the material will look when polished. Since slabs are generally bought with the intention of cutting and polishing them, seeing them wetted gives a clearer picture of the material’s aesthetic potential. In terms of showing the material dry, this is usually the easiest way to see hairline fractures and other imperfections on the surface; furthermore, dry photos provide the clearest picture of how slabs will look when you receive them in the mail. Also note that slabs can look dramatically different in terms of color intensity depending on whether they are photographed indoors or outdoors and whether they are wet or dry in either circumstance, so always take that into consideration as well.

End cut slabs have one side that is the original rough rind of the rock it was cut from - this is generally the first slab cut from the rock. End cuts are usually thick pieces, so they can typically be useful to make cabochon pairs (since you can slice thicker slabs in half on a trim saw to get a closely matched, “butterfly” set, which work especially well for earrings).

In nearly every case, slabs are cut to at least a 1/4” thickness or more; occasionally, however, thinner cuts may be listed. In some cases finer details like dendrites are better revealed in a thinner cut. At any rate, all slab listings include HxWxD measurements and the weight in italics below the item description.

Yes! What you see pictured is the exact item you will receive!

Yes! Very occasionally I may list slabs and cabochons I’ve sourced elsewhere, but, generally speaking, this site is dedicated to the production output of my lapidary and metalsmithing studio, where I cut slabs and cabochons and hand-forge jewelry from scratch. The following pages provide further technical information about the Rough Slabs, Cabochons, and Specimens on this site.

Chances are, yes. Contact me if you are interested in purchasing multiple slabs, specimens, and/or cabochons of a specific material and I can let you know if I have more available.