Michael Hendrix of Minarex Visits NAU

a few examples of Michael's work- cabochons of pietersite, dinosaur bone, rutilated quarts, chrysophase and agate

Come visit us at the studio Tuesday, the 19th- Michael Hendrix, our favorite lapidary artist will be in with goodies(to sell!) and some tips and tricks for the lapidary worker. His stone cutting is done to perfection- all surfaces highly polished... not to mention the specimens he chooses. Michael carefully selects each mieral he chooses to cut to slab, then narrows each slab to only the best. The results should be seen in person! Here at NAU, many of us choose to emply Michael's work, and many even cut their own stones. Stay tuned for pics of a recent lapidary demo from Tom Yazzie, but be sure to get on your horse and visit Michael- he is in town for one day only! Then he's home to Albuquerque...

Recent Press

Theresa Wallace

Our school paper, The Lumberjack, recently published a story about the Jewelry and Metals emphasis being phased out, and how the students are dealing with the reality of the situation. Read more here, and check out some photos of our crew!

Fit for Royalty

 NAU Metals has been the lucky recipient of a bounty of hand faceted stones, cut and donated by Alan Morgan of Chandler, AZ. Amethyst in a diverse range of color, shape and carat are now in the hands of many happy students!

We thank Alan very much for his generosity and thoughtfulness, and will share images of the lovely gems set into metalwork soon!

Direct Casting Extravaganza

 Recently, members of the NAU Metals Club took part in a workshop on direct casting methods. We covered tufa casting, bean casting, ceiling tile and cuttlebone casting, as well as water casting. It was a great way to spend a friday... and Josh brought the mayo.

Joe Anglim, getting some bronze ready for the pot of beans.

                                      

Hannah Walsh getting ready to bean cast

A tufa mold made by Larry Marek

Larry showed us how to prepare the mold, and talked about other ways native peoples have used tufa: a cure for heartburn was one!

                                                                    cuttlebone casting

Here are the products of water casting. Josh and Joe filled a five gallon bucket with some massive ice blocks from campus and water. Bronze was poured in, and the results were quite large!

                                      

                                     These are some of Larry's shibuichi bean castings, top and bottom:

Hannah had been creating chain with her pieces:

                                      

                                                                        Unitl next time!