Most jewelry you find in a store was made by a machine. Cut to a standard size. Set in a standard mount. Finished and packaged in bulk and shipped to a shelf where it sits alongside fifty identical pieces.
There is nothing wrong with that. But it is not what handcrafted jewelry means.
At Simply Stone Arts, every single piece starts with a raw stone. Tom Monroe cuts it, shapes it, and polishes it by hand. No two stones are the same. Which means no two pieces are the same. Ever. What you get from Simply Stone Arts is not a product from a catalogue. It is a piece of wearable art that exists exactly once in the world.
Based in Readington, New Jersey, Simply Stone Arts has been bringing the natural beauty of gemstones to life through handcrafted jewelry for years. This is the story behind it.
Who Is Tom Monroe?
Tom Monroe is the owner, lapidary artist, and the only person who makes every piece at Simply Stone Arts.
His passion for stones started in high school. Not as a hobby he picked up and dropped. As a genuine lifelong obsession. He spent decades collecting and cutting stones before Simply Stone Arts became what it is today.
What does that mean in practice?
It means Tom has a vast collection of high-quality rough that most jewelers simply do not have access to. Vintage rough. Modern rough. Stones sourced specifically for their unique patterns, textures, and natural character. He knows what he is looking for, and he knows how to bring the best out of every piece he works with.
His focus is always on craftsmanship. Letting each stone tell its own story. Whether it is a pendant, a pair of earrings, or a completely custom piece, Tom takes pride in creating handcrafted jewelry that feels timeless, personal, and beautifully natural.
You can reach Tom directly at tom@simplystonearts.com or find Simply Stone Arts in Flemington, New Jersey 08822.
What Is Lapidary Art and Why Does It Matter?
Most people have never heard the word lapidary. Here is what it means and why it matters for the jewelry you wear.
Lapidary is the art and craft of cutting, shaping, and polishing stones. It is an ancient skill that requires patience, precision, and a genuine understanding of how each stone behaves under a blade and a wheel.
Not every jeweler is a lapidary artist. Most jewelers buy pre-cut stones from suppliers and set them into pre-made mounts. The stone itself was cut by someone else, somewhere else, to a standard shape that fits a standard setting.
Tom Monroe does the opposite. He starts with raw rough. He studies the stone. He decides how to cut it to best reveal the patterns, colours, and textures that make that specific piece of rock special. Then he cuts it himself. Shapes it himself. Polishes it himself.
That process is what makes handcrafted stone jewelry from Simply Stone Arts genuinely different from anything you will find in a typical jewelry store.
The Simply Stone Arts Signature: Double-Sided Cabochons
One of the most distinctive elements of Tom’s work is the double-sided cabochon.
A cabochon is a stone that has been shaped and polished but not faceted. Instead of a flat bottom and a cut top, a cabochon has a smooth, domed surface that shows off the natural patterns within the stone rather than reflecting light from angles.
Tom takes this further with his double-sided cabochons. Both sides of the stone are cut, shaped, and polished. That means the stone looks beautiful from every angle. Front and back. No hidden flat side. No compromise. Just the stone in its most honest and beautiful form.
This is not a standard technique. It takes significantly more time and significantly more skill than a standard one-sided stone. And it results in handcrafted stone jewelry that looks genuinely exceptional whether you are wearing it or holding it in your hand.
What Makes Simply Stone Arts Handcrafted Gemstone Jewelry Special
There are a few things that consistently set handcrafted gemstone jewelry from Simply Stone Arts apart from what you find elsewhere.
No Two Pieces Are Ever the Same
This is the most fundamental thing about natural stone jewelry. Every stone that comes out of the earth is unique. The patterns, colours and textures are determined by millions of years of geological processes that will never repeat exactly.
When Tom cuts a stone, he is revealing what nature put inside it. That is different every single time. Two people can buy pendants made from the same type of stone, and they will never be identical. That is not a flaw. That is the whole point.
Every Piece Is Made by One Person
There is no production line at Simply Stone Arts. No team of craftspeople at different stations. Tom Monroe cuts every stone, sets every piece, and finishes every item himself.
That level of personal attention shows in the finished work. When you hold a piece of Simply Stone Arts handmade jewelry, you are holding something that one person made with their hands from start to finish. That is rare. And it is something mass production simply cannot replicate.
The Materials Are Genuinely High Quality
Tom sources high-quality natural stone rough specifically. Not the lowest-cost option that can be cut into a presentable shape. Materials are chosen because of what is inside them. Because of the patterns and colours that will emerge when cut properly.
The difference between high-quality rough and average rough is visible in the finished piece. Good jewelry with stone starts with good stone. Carefully selected natural materials have a depth and character that pieces made from cost-driven alternatives simply do not have.
The Focus Is Always on the Stone
A lot of jewelry design uses the stone as an accent. The metal setting is the feature. The stone fills a space.
At Simply Stone Arts, it is the complete opposite. The stone is always the main event. Tom’s designs are intentionally simple and elegant. Clean settings that frame the stone and let its natural beauty do the talking. No heavy metalwork competing with the material. Just the stone presented in its best possible light.
What Simply Stone Arts Makes
Tom works primarily in pendants and pendant earring sets. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Pendants
Single stone pendants in natural gemstones cut and polished by Tom himself. The stone is the centrepiece. The setting is clean and contemporary. The result is a piece of handcrafted stone jewelry you can wear with almost anything, and that will draw genuine attention from anyone who sees it up close.
Pendant Earring Sets
Matched sets where the earrings complement the pendant. Because Tom cuts every stone himself, he can work with stones from the same rough to create a cohesive set that looks like it belongs together. Not two pieces that happen to be the same colour. Two pieces that genuinely come from the same rough.
Custom Orders
If you have a vision for a specific piece, Tom works directly with you to bring it to life. You might have a favourite type of stone. A meaningful colour. A specific occasion you want to mark with something permanent and personal.
Tom selects high-quality natural stone rough based on your brief, cuts and shapes it to highlight its unique patterns, and crafts a design built around the beauty of that specific material. The result is a piece of handcrafted gemstone jewelry that exists because of your story. Something no one else in the world has.
Contact Tom at tom@simplystonearts.com or visit simplystonearts.com/services/ to start your custom order conversation.
Simply Stone Arts in Readington, New Jersey
Simply Stone Arts is based in Readington, New Jersey. If you are looking for a jewelry maker with stone in New Jersey who actually makes everything by hand from raw materials, you are not going to find many options. What Tom does at Simply Stone Arts is genuinely uncommon.
A lapidary artist who sources his own rough, cuts his own stones, and crafts every piece personally is rare anywhere in the country.
For New Jersey residents looking for something genuinely different from what they find in a mall or a chain jeweler, Simply Stone Arts is exactly that.
Browse the full collection at simplystonearts.com to see new work as it is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is handcrafted jewelry and how is it different from regular jewelry?
Handcrafted jewelry is made by hand by a skilled artisan rather than being mass-produced by machine. At Simply Stone Arts, Tom Monroe cuts, shapes, and polishes every stone himself from raw rough before crafting the final piece.
No two pieces are ever identical because no two natural stones are ever the same. This is fundamentally different from mass-produced jewelry where stones are cut to a standard shape by machine and set into pre-made mounts.
Visit simplystonearts.com to see the collection.
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What is handcrafted stone jewelry?
Handcrafted stone jewelry is jewelry where the stone itself is cut and shaped by hand by the maker rather than purchased pre-cut from a supplier. Tom Monroe at Simply Stone Arts is a lapidary artist who starts with raw natural stone and cuts every stone personally to reveal its unique natural patterns and textures.
The result is jewelry with stone that has a depth and character pre-cut stones simply cannot match.
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What makes Simply Stone Arts handcrafted gemstone jewelry special?
Handcrafted gemstone jewelry from Simply Stone Arts is special for three reasons. First, Tom Monroe cuts every stone himself from carefully selected high-quality natural rough. Second, every piece features his signature double-sided cabochon technique, where both sides of the stone are cut and polished. Third, no two pieces are ever the same because no two natural stones are ever the same.
Contact Tom at tom@simplystonearts.com to find your piece or start a custom order.
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Can I order handmade jewelry made specifically for me from Simply Stone Arts?
Yes. Tom Monroe offers custom orders for anyone who wants a piece of handmade jewelry tailored to their style, preferences, or a specific occasion. You can request a specific type of stone, colour, or design direction, and Tom works directly with you to select the right rough and craft a piece that reflects your vision.
Visit simplystonearts.com/services/ to start your custom order or email tom@simplystonearts.com directly.
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Where is Simply Stone Arts located and how do I get in touch?
Simply Stone Arts is based in Flemington, New Jersey 08822.
Tom Monroe is the sole maker and owner and can be reached directly at tom@simplystonearts.com. Browse the full collection at simplystonearts.com to see new handcrafted stone jewelry as it is completed.
Find Your Simply Stone Arts Piece Today
Every piece of handcrafted jewelry from Simply Stone Arts starts with a stone that has never been cut before. It ends with something wearable that will never be made again.
That is not a marketing line. It is just what happens when one person cuts every stone by hand from natural rough that nature spent millions of years creating.
Tom Monroe has been passionate about stones since high school. He built Simply Stone Arts around that passion. And every piece in the collection reflects it.
Browse the collection at simplystonearts.com or reach out to Tom directly at tom@simplystonearts.com to start a conversation about a custom piece.