Phone: (916) 645-1601
7:30 AM to 4 PM PST
lincolngems@lincolngems.com

About Lincoln Gems and Craft

Located in Lincoln, California, Lincoln Gems and Craft is a small wholly owned and operated business that focuses on buying and selling of gem rough, custom gemstone cutting,  and the creation of simple traditional jewelry emphasizing the beauty of the set gemstones.  On occasion, cut gemstones and finished  jewelry from artist or commercial sources are offered.   Sales are made to individuals, retail jewelers, gem cutters, and jewelry designers through the media of the internet, local craft shows, personal contacts, and by presentation appointments.

By way of background, jewelry and gems have been a strong personal interest for many years.  This interest arose from working with family owned prospecting and Chromite (Ore for chromium) mining endeavors dating from the early 1950’s.  Prospecting led to gem material discovery, and first attempts at cutting were with sandpaper and felt pads.  Visions of success were derived more from hope than experience or logic.  A few opalite gems were created, but the softer solid serpentine fragments, and dendritic magnesites were much more successfully completed.  Relief from this hand process came one Christmas in the form of a “Gem Maker”, direct from a popular mail order company.  This horizontal wheel and lap machine was the dawning of a new world of cutting jades, agates, tiger eye, and beautiful Australian opals.

High school in the late fifties was a golden opportunity to receive structured training in lapidary and jewelry making.  Classes were offered in a progressive series, and for three years this elective option was taken every semester.  While not dealing with faceting, other lapidary projects included traditional cabochon cutting, making opal and other material doublets, free form stone cutting, and impressionistic gemstone sculpting.  Mounting gemstones with wire wrap, in lost wax castings and in fabricated gold and silver creations were also part of the curriculum.   In the mid seventies faceting became an occasional hobby pursuit, and that served to maintain a low but continuous level of cutting, metal fabrication, and gem prospecting activities.  The gemstone prospecting trails led to many locations in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and Northern California.  The handling of the rough led to an appreciation of the intrinsic beauty within uncut gem material.  A cut gem is beautiful, but a rough piece has a beauty, a challenge and a mystery in its own right that warrants capture in a personal collection.

Retirement is an interesting experience.  It is a time for selective focus of energies on the naturally occurring interests that lie within you.  When these interests are broadly arranged around gemstones, jewelry making, and gem rough it soon becomes apparent that settling for just one of these topics is not satisfactory.   So was born Lincoln Gems and Craft, a venue for the presentation of beautiful and affordable gems and jewelry, unusual and intriguing rough, and the sharing of ideas and techniques.