The Storytime Stones Story

Hi!  My name is Anthony, I am a proud father of 6 kick ass kids, marketer and storyteller. As I write this, I am at home in Albuquerque, NM sitting in my room/office/studio, or my happy place for short. I am surrounded by beautiful gemstones. 

But this room wasn’t always this happy. 

This is the story of how I got here.

In the winter of 2024, I was sinking deeper into a depression. I had just come through one of the hardest chapters of my life. It left me drained and rudderless.

Then one late night in December, sad and seeking another hit of dopamine, I started doom scrolling. I landed on an Instagram Reel by Taylor’s Rocksmithery (formerly The Agate Dad) sawing a butt-ugly rock right down the middle.  I have never seen anyone saw open a rock before, and I watched with fascination, wondering what exactly he was doing.

He finished the cut, held the two halves of the stone together, paused for dramatic effect before he opened it up…

BAM!

A mesmerizing pattern of curvy bands and contrasting colors.

Although Taylor had probably cut open hundreds of these rocks he still squealed in delight, then laughed out loud. He seemed just as surprised as I was. 

And I felt something inside me stir.

That quick jolt of wonder… like I had just seen something I wasn’t supposed to see.

I had never seen a rock that beautiful. I had no idea. And to think I spent my life thinking ALL rocks are ugly. Shame on me!

The Stone That Changed My Life

In March of 2025, fresh with a newfound interest in stones, I went to a local gem & mineral show.

I felt like a kid in a candy store. Natural beauty everywhere. I wanted to take home all the stones. I ended up choosing this little $5 Amethyst cluster. I brought it home and set it right on my desk. 

(Psst…now, I’m going to sound weird, but I’m weird, deal with it)

I kept stealing glances at it. I picked it up over and over again just to stare at it. There was something about it… something grounding. For the first time in a long while, my mind slowed down.  For the first time in a long time… I felt a little quiet inside.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was also staring at the next chapter of my life. Hope began to seep back into my spirit.

I started collecting crystals, and rocks with vivid colors and patterns. Soon, I had a couple of shelfs in my room filled with them.

But I had a problem.

I didn’t want to just look at them on a shelf. I wanted to bring them all with me everywhere, so I could see them whenever I pleased.

That is when I bought this sardonyx palm stone.

It fit right in my hand. I could take it anywhere. I found myself pulling it out constantly studying the lines, the colors. I was entranced by the way a rock could be so captivating.

There was something about holding it… something steady. Something real.

Then a thought hit me, what if I could wear this like a necklace? I tried to make a few pendants with stuff from the Wal-Mart arts section, but nothing I could make quickly, cheaply, or easily would do justice to the beauty of these stones. 

That is when I fell into what I call the Storytime Stone rabbit hole. On a quest to make cool rocks I could wear, I purchased some tools and some rough gemstones and started teaching myself to sculpt them. 

That very first moment my carving bit touched that stone, my room became a happy place. I had found a new calling.

Not all at once—but enough to know something had shifted.

The next chapter of my life had begun.

You see, there’s something potent, even magical about taking a raw piece of earth, a gemstone that has existed for millennia, and shaping it, telling a story with it, and revealing it in all its splendor.

When you think about it, hasn’t that gemstone been waiting for it’s coming out party for tens of millions of years? It is now my passion to transform a seemingly ugly rock into a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art.

Thanks for stopping by, this website is an extension of my happy place. A place I get to share my stories, talk about these gemstones, and share my labor of love with you. So, kick up your feet, pour yourself a beverage, have a look around, and please let me know if I can sculpt something just for you.

May you find your happy place,

Anthony Garcia 

Chief Storyteller/Wanna-be Gem Sculptor