Deciding to give it a whirl, he loaded up the barrel and patiently followed the instructions over the subsequent seven-week process. By the time this first batch of stones was completed, he had become hooked, and what began as a mild curiosity, developed into an absolute passion for the hidden, stunning beauty within so many stones.
During the next couple of years his hobby moved from a corner of the kitchen cabinet to a workshop in the cellars of his home at Burton Tower in North Wales, where the expanding array of diamond saws, grinding wheels and polishers were less likely to drive the rest of the household crazy!
In those early days it was more difficult to source ready-sliced rough rock, but the worldwide web enabled Tony to develop a network of fellow enthusiasts and specialist suppliers, often hobbyists that collected or mined the material themselves.
When both his son and daughter emigrated from the UK to the Queensland Gold Coast in Australia, he had the perfect excuse to travel to the other side of the world every year and source some of the wonderful gemstone material found on that bountiful continent. Indeed, his daughter Kerry shares his enthusiasm and, having developed a good eye for top-class material, regularly attends gem shows throughout the year, sending great little parcels of rough rock back to Dad in North Wales.
Marra Mamba Jasper, shot through with golden Tiger Eye, rich raspberry-pink Rhodonite, “rhubarb and custard” Mookaite, abstract Noreena and Munjina Jasper - all from Australia - now join the array of hand-picked gemstones from around the world in Tony Vine’s studio.
Ocean Jasper from Madagascar, wonderful scenic jaspers from Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, Crazy Lace Agate from Mexico, fossilised tree fern stem from Brazil and petrified wood from half a dozen different countries - just a few of the collection of Earth’s treasures being fastidiously prepared to reveal their magnificence.
Searching for some way to display a larger area of the intricate pattern and colour than that afforded by conventional jewellery - there is a limit to just how big a pendant can be - Tony began to develop an idea for displaying slices of polished semi-precious stone in three-dimensional box frames. Purpose built machinery was obtained from America, new skills learned and the ancient art of patination studied. The result of the diligent work over two years may be seen on the gallery pages.
From simple tumble stones to cabochon jewellery and then on to decorative wall art, Tony’s love affair with the endless variety of natural beauty from within the Earth prompted him to quit corporate business in 2005 and commit fully to the wonderful art of lapidary.
StoneTones has a permanent gallery, open seven days, within “Elements” in the courtyard at
Blakemere Craft Centre
There is a full range of work on display and you are invited to contact us prior to a visit, should you wish to meet with Tony at the gallery or to obtain information regarding the various exhibitions and Craft Fairs that he will be attending throughout the year, at various venues around the UK.
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