Ben Kaniuth Lapidary Arts

Ben Kaniuth Lapidary Arts I regularly cut and polish high quality stones every week from various material throughout the world. Reach out with any questions!
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You can find my work every Tuesday in the group "Cabs and Slabs," and my "What to Cut" column in Rock and Gem Magazine!

Roughing out some absolutely fantastic Idaho sunset seam agate today! Rather than cutting with the seam, I cut against t...
06/18/2026

Roughing out some absolutely fantastic Idaho sunset seam agate today!

Rather than cutting with the seam, I cut against the grain and opened this really interesting pattern. Like rolling waves or open flames, a healed fracture that separates two halves, and a lovely assortment of colors throughout. This should polish up beautifully, I can't wait!

Have you seen anything like it?

06/18/2026

Guess what I found hidden at the bottom of a bucket??

I'm really looking forward to cutting a few cabs off this chunk of Namibian shattuckite! I'm really liking the various shades of red and blue and the complexity of its patterns, great to design with.

Who else is excited?

Tiger tail jasper is named aptly, as looking at this stone reminds me of tiger stripes against it's orange fur!Freshly p...
06/15/2026

Tiger tail jasper is named aptly, as looking at this stone reminds me of tiger stripes against it's orange fur!

Freshly polished, I wanted to share what a single photo struggle to show, some metallic hematite stripes!

Left taken in direct sunlight, right taken under shade.

While the last split-cut stayed a specimen, I thought I'd bring out some more Morgan Hill poppy jasper, all brought to ...
06/14/2026

While the last split-cut stayed a specimen, I thought I'd bring out some more Morgan Hill poppy jasper, all brought to a great polish!!

Which pattern do you like best?

It's nice to share the stones I work with, and what comes from them!I get to see the process throughout every step, but ...
06/14/2026

It's nice to share the stones I work with, and what comes from them!

I get to see the process throughout every step, but many of you might only see my finished cabochons, so here's some AZ petrified wood and the chunk it came off!

06/13/2026

This is what I love about Koroit Boulder Opal, the contrast between colorful, flashy opal embedded within its brown host stone!

Rhodonite is well known for it's black and pink composition from various locations around the world!Today I got the chan...
06/13/2026

Rhodonite is well known for it's black and pink composition from various locations around the world!

Today I got the chance to cut and polish two beautiful hearts from this material, one from California, and the other all the way from Australia!

The Australia variety (left) is partially translucent, typically has more hot pink coloration, and generally a bit softer to cut/cab.

The Californian variety (right) is very solid with striking manganese veins running throughout the stone.

I'd love to know which one speaks to you more and why, please let me know :) :)

Slicing up some colorful AZ petrified wood! I don't often work with petrified wood, so this was a little treat. Great co...
06/13/2026

Slicing up some colorful AZ petrified wood!

I don't often work with petrified wood, so this was a little treat. Great colors in this chunk, with minimal fractures to work around! I already know where I'd like to design around, so it's time to get busy!

I stumbled upon a nice slab of pink lady plume agate showcasing some nice warm tones, so I thought I'd back it with lapi...
06/12/2026

I stumbled upon a nice slab of pink lady plume agate showcasing some nice warm tones, so I thought I'd back it with lapis recon to make this heart POP!

Halfway through working on this lovely chrysocolla complex cab this afternoon! I really love the contrast between the la...
06/12/2026

Halfway through working on this lovely chrysocolla complex cab this afternoon! I really love the contrast between the layers.

Address

363 Fitzpatrick Road #101
San Marcos, CA
92069

Telephone

+14086911494

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