How to Carve Stone Jewelry for Beginners

Stone carving is an ancient art form which, with a little practice, you can master.

A great carving project for beginners is making small pendants for jewelry. You can do this by selecting a small soft stone from a craft store and carving your own design into its surface. Don't be discouraged if it takes multiple tries to get it right; this small project is a great way to practice your technique, with a manageable first project size.

Things You'll Need

• 2-inch square of soapstone
• Carving tool set or hacksaw blade and nail
• Rasp
• 600-grain sandpaper
• 1,000-grain sandpaper
• Thin wire or screw-in jump rings
• Chain or leather thong

Instructions

1. Select a pattern which you wish to carve into the stone. There are two primary design types. You can etch an image into the center of a circle or oval, like a cameo, or you can create an overall shape which will be carved out of the stone like a butterfly or a heart.

2. Use a pencil to draw the image you have selected onto the soap stone. Draw both the outline of the design and the interior details.

3. Cut the excess stone away from the outside of the design. If you are using stone carving tools, use the flat chisel and hammer to cut away the excess. You also can use a hack saw blade to cut away the portions of stone outside of your design. Either method will leave you with rough edges with sharp corners. If you are trying to create an oval, the cut away stone will look octagonal; if your design is a heart or butterfly, the round edges will look like square corners.

4. Use a rasp to bevel the edges of the stone to create a nice smooth slope and to remove or round out corners.

5. Use 600-grit sandpaper to smooth away the corners and round the beveled edge.

6. Dip the stone in water and rub with 1,000-grain sandpaper to polish. This will create a stone paste on the surface of the stone which you will need to rinse off.

7. Use something with a small sharp point to etch interior details. If you have carving tools, use a point chisel with a fine point. If you do not have a carving set, use the point of a nail.

Tips & Warnings

• Connect the finished pendent to a cord or chain by wire wrapping the stone carving or by twisting in a small screw attachment jump ring. These should be available for purchase at your local craft store.

• Trying to polish after completing interior details may result in rubbing away the etching.

References

• Soapstone Sculpture: Simple Carvings from Soapstone
• Sculptor: Soapstone Resources
• Sculpture House: Carving Tools