Thank you for visiting our website!  Apologies to our regular customers who expect to find all the many things we have in the shop, but we are steadily adding more, so check back often!

Our Origins

Livingstone Art & Gem was started in June 1991.  Prior to that, we had an amazing experience which made it possible to become dealers.  It happened while vacationing that my brother-in-law, Lynn Salyer said, “We know a little old lady in our church who has rocks in her basement.  Would you like to go see them?”  We, of course, replied, “Sure, we’ll go see the little old lady with rocks in her basement!” We had no grasp of what a life changing experience that would be.

We descended the stairs and found a shelving unit the full length of the basement filled with antique cigar boxes from the floor to the ceiling containing, for the most part, slabbed gem materials.  There was Mexican Agate in a variety I had never seen in one place; Laguna, Coyamito, Moctezuma, Apache, Parcellus, Loma Pinta, Sueco, Gallegos, Santa Gertrudas Moss, Flame, Parral, Royal Aztec Purple, Luna, and some I'd never heard of.  There was Nipomo Sagenite, as well as sagenites from Idaho, Colorado, and Mexico; Williamsite from Maryland; Tempskya Fern; Crown of Silver (or Psilomelane, if you will); Morrisonite with receipt written in 1953; mosses and plumes from Texas, Oregon, Wyoming, and other states throughout the Midwest; Amethyst from Africa, Mexico, and Four Peaks, Arizona; Jade and Lapis Lazuli from Siberia.   Little old Marguerite Follett had been guarding her husband’s treasure since he passed away.  That night, of the five adults in that room, I was the only one who had been studying gems, so while I was avidly searching through this trove, people were bringing me pieces to look at.  I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.

What we were seeing was astonishing even for people accustomed to lapidary.  Margarette’s husband Vere had been collecting since 1935 and he seemed to have a knack for obtaining what was destined to become rare classics.  We had not the slightest hope we would ever be able to own it all but when Marguerite passed away her son, knowing our interest, made it available to us.  Thanks to my Father we were able to buy it all.  We have been cutting gemstones and creating treasure since then.  We have been very fortunate in obtaining fine gem material by collecting collections.  We also have some excellent suppliers.  With 272 varieties of gem slabs and 127 varieties of rough rock, we can usually show collectors things they’ve never seen before.

We are a rock shop, but we also specialize in paintings, carvings, and lapidary.

We hope you like what you see!