Covington Engineering was an American manufacturer of lapidary machinery, active from the mid-twentieth century and based in Redlands, California. The company produced a range of equipment — combination cabbing machines, trim saws, grinding wheels, and polishing units — that became closely associated with the growth of amateur and professional lapidary work in the United States during the 1950s through the 1980s. Covington's machines were regularly reviewed and advertised in Lapidary Journal, the principal trade and hobbyist publication of the era, and their combination units, which integrated grinding, sanding, and polishing stages into a single frame, were widely adopted as workshop standards.

Design and Construction

Covington's most characteristic products were its combination cabbing units, typically configured with a series of silicon carbide or diamond grinding wheels mounted on a common arbour, progressing from coarse shaping through medium and fine grinding to sanding and polishing stages. This all-in-one layout reduced bench space requirements and allowed a lapidary to move a stone through the full cabochon-cutting sequence without repositioning equipment. The machines were built with cast iron and steel construction, contributing to the durability and vibration resistance that users valued. Trim saws — small-bladed units used to slice rough material before grinding — were another staple of the Covington range, designed for clean, controlled cuts on moderately sized rough gemstone material.

Market Position and Influence

During the postwar expansion of rockhound and lapidary clubs across North America, Covington equipment occupied a middle ground between improvised home-built machinery and the heavier industrial units used by commercial stone cutters. The combination machines were accessible to hobbyists entering the craft while remaining robust enough for sustained studio use. Covington competed in this segment alongside other American manufacturers such as Graves and Highland Park, but the brand developed a particular reputation for reliability and straightforward maintenance. Replacement wheels and arbour components were available through lapidary supply dealers, extending the working life of individual machines considerably.

Decline and Legacy

Covington Engineering ceased manufacturing operations during the 1990s. The precise circumstances of the closure are not extensively documented in gemmological literature, but the broader contraction of the American lapidary hobby market during that decade — combined with increasing competition from imported equipment — affected several domestic manufacturers of the same generation. Despite the cessation of production, a substantial number of Covington machines remained in active use in studios and club workshops, a testament to the longevity of the original construction. Vintage Covington combination units and trim saws continue to appear on the second-hand market and are sought by lapidaries who value their mechanical simplicity and the availability of compatible aftermarket grinding wheels. For collectors and working craftspeople alike, a well-maintained Covington machine represents a functional piece of mid-century American craft manufacturing.