About Rick Shermerhorn and La GemStone

Based in DeRidder, Louisiana, Rick Shermerhorn is the owner and artisan behind La GemStone, a lapidary studio dedicated to uncovering and showcasing the hidden beauty of Louisiana’s geological treasures. With a passion for natural history and craftsmanship, Rick transforms local fossilized palmwood and Louisiana sand opals into hand-cut cabochons, jewelry, and collector’s items. His work highlights the unique mineral heritage of the Catahoula Formation while preserving the story each stone tells through its color, pattern, and texture.

Hand Cut and Polished Louisiana Gemstones

Every piece at La GemStone begins with raw material — often rough fossilized palmwood or sand opal collected from the Catahoula Formation. The stone is first trimmed with a diamond saw, then shaped and ground on a series of abrasive wheels. Each surface is refined through progressively finer grits until the natural patterns and colors are revealed. The final polish is achieved with cerium oxide or tin oxide, giving the fossil or opal a lustrous finish. This meticulous process combines geological knowledge, patience, and artistic vision to produce one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrate Louisiana’s ancient past.

Crafting Fossilized Palmwood and Louisiana Opals

Turning a rough stone into a polished gem takes time, skill, and a love for what lies beneath the surface. At La GemStone, each piece of fossilized palmwood or Louisiana opal begins as a rugged, uncut rock pulled from ancient formations in the region. The journey starts at the diamond saw, where large slabs are carefully trimmed down into manageable pieces. From there, the magic truly begins.

Using a lapidary grinding machine equipped with a series of spinning wheels, Rick gradually shapes the stone. These wheels range from coarse to ultra-fine, each one gently smoothing the surface with industrial grit embedded in the wheel. It’s a step-by-step process — almost like sanding, but with precision and patience — that slowly brings out the stone’s color, pattern, and character.

Once the shape is just right, the stone is polished using compounds like cerium oxide or tin oxide, giving it a smooth, glassy finish. Fossilized palmwood often reveals beautiful dot and grain patterns, while Louisiana opals show beautiful flashes of soft color trapped in opalized sand. No two pieces are alike, and every finished cabochon or display stone reflects the care and passion that went into its making.