Reconstituted Stone is usually stone that was too soft to polish. So, rather than stabilize it, the material was crushed into a fine powder or small particles and mixed with a hardener (usually a proprietary mix of resin and other agents), compressed into blocks and cured to create hard material that can be cut, shaped and polished like any other lapidary rough. Turquoise is commonly processed like this as most of that is mined is too soft to work as a lapidary material. The recon I have is from old stock, made in the USA before 2000, which makes it highly desirable for lapidary for its hardness and high polish. It was produced by the leading manufacturer of reconstituted stone that is no longer in business.  Note that the percentage of actual stone is unknown, but anywhere between 0 and 90%.  Colors are produced by adding dye to the soup before it is cured.

You can make a lot of stuff in your lapidary shop with recon.  From simple cabs to intarsia and micro inlay.  The bright colors make terrific accents to mixed stone and channel work.  It is very easy to work with, just cut on a trim saw like any other lapidary material and work it through your grits.  It's also great for working with a rotary tool like a dremel, or cutting intricate shapes with a jeweler saw.  For a great final polish, hit it on your buffing wheel with some Zam!

A little recon goes a long way.  If you've seen recon for sale at gem shows it's usually in blocks that weigh a pound or more.  When I was starting to play around with recon I had to buy several of these expensive blocks, often costing $20 or more per pound.  To help you dip your toe in the water without a huge investment, I've put together these recon samplers with a variety of colors.  The image with each lot shows exactly the pieces you will get, along with a ruler in the image to help you gauge size.  The thickness of the wafers vary from 2mm and up.  These samplers were made from scrap I was able to purchase in bulk from the original manufacturer.  I will be adding more sizes, shapes, and colors of recon over time so check back from time to time to see if anything new has been added.

Above all else, have fun!