Exactly what are the lapidary arts? Succinctly put, lapidary arts are the activities involved with shaping stones, minerals and gems into decorative items such as cabochons and faceted gems.

Access = Growth

I have been playing and working in the lapidary world for the past ten years. I facet, cab and carve gemstones, sell rough materials to other lapidary artists, teach faceting and carving, along with selling ULTRA TEC faceting machines. From 1988 to 2000, I worked as a researcher and developer on the National Science Foundation project that kickstarted the birth of the Internet. I am seeing parallels between the amazing digital communications paradigm shift and the lapidary arts’ evolution. The internet is the main catalyst driving the current renaissance of lapidary arts. The other major factors propelling lapidary arts forward are design software, new equipment and materials, and the ability for people to work from home – a unique opportunity for growth in our industry.

Now information is at our fingertips and traveling to buy rough stones and lapidary materials is a luxury and an adventure. People can travel to the Bolivia mine to buy the world’s finest ametrine for gemstone faceting, but they can alternately receive photos, videos, descriptions, and pricing via WhatsApp minutes after a request. Payment takes just seconds and a purchase can be delivered in days. This replaces the old mine-to-broker-to-exporter-to-importer-to-broker-to-gemstone cutter system and negates the additional markup of price for each of these hand-offs. Being able to conduct business online is significant because it provides lapidary artists and jewelers quick, affordable, and easy access to gemstones and rough from around the world.

Learning & Sharing

Previous generations of cutters were constrained to years of training through the apprenticeship model of instruction. The internet has freed newcomers by providing access to most of the information needed to get started and the ability to purchase the necessary materials. On a personal note, I can provide remote video faceting training globally. Follow-up questions are answered via email text and messaging. Although in-studio lessons are superior, the ability to provide a live video lesson brings the cost of learning gemstone faceting down significantly.

We can share information easily, but that does not mean that it happens. As with most trades, crafts, and artistic endeavors, processes and techniques have often been secretive. I see that the new generation of lapidary artists is more willing to share their knowledge with colleagues and beginners. We are starting to understand that knowledge is power, but only when it is shared. Social media provides rapid sharing and co-development of ideas, allowing quick development of new designs, techniques, and collaborations.

Selling Online

Easily available e-commerce gives stone dealers, cutters, and jewelers the ability to sell their materials online. Using social media, we have been able to create profitable and growing businesses. We no longer have to own a physical storefront, visit jewelry store clients, or attend gem and mineral shows. In four years, I was able to amass 60,000 followers on Instagram and Facebook. The result of this social media growth translates into my gemstone faceting business being booked nine months out. The cost of presenting and selling my finished lapidary creations is now at a minimum. My faceting students can set up and sell their gemstones six months after their first lesson with minimal sales infrastructure investment.

Digital Lapidary Design

The digital benefits of lapidary are not limited to information and commerce. Over the past years, gemstone designers have used computers to calculate the mathematical equations and geometry necessary to both improve and create better-performing and spectacular gemstones. Robert Wood Strickland developed the GemCad and GemRay programs that allow any gemstone cutter to use a computer to design and optimize their gemstone creations. The recent addition of the Gem Cut Studio has made creating gemstone designs available to anyone who has a computer, the time to read the manual, and a commitment to practice. All the basics of math, geometry, and gemstone attributes (such as material hardness and refractive indexes) have been put in the CAD (Computer-Aided Design) programs. The programs/apps shorten the learning curve in gemstone design by months if not years. Of course, knowing the basic principles of these disciplines is beneficial, but no longer an obstacle to generating cutting-edge designs. These programs are tools that put current cutters years ahead of their predecessors.

Precision Lapidary Tools & Materials

Newly developed precision tools have allowed artists to work faster, more accurately, and with finer detail. There are also new materials such as better abrasives for faceting, cabbing, and carving all varieties of rocks and gems. In addition, cutters are using instruments made for different media in their lapidary work. In Henry Hunt’s book, “American Lapidary, Designing the Carved Gemstone,” the author claims that in any artistic endeavor, originality follows the introduction of new tools and techniques. With this break from tradition, we are seeing the new generation of lapidary artists developing new processes and techniques that are innovative and exciting.

An Exciting Future for Lapidary Work

All of these innovations and advancements put new and young individuals looking to create their own lapidary art business in a unique and advantageous position. The ability to build one’s own business is a catalyst in the evolution of the lapidary arts.

We have a new generation of craftspeople and artists who grew up understanding and applying the components of this digital and readily accessible world. They find more rewarding and meaningful employment with the freedom to define their lives on their own terms. The recent development of accessible individual health care and the stay-at-home mentality that COVID-19 instilled also advanced this new breed of independent workers. These shifts enabled people to work at their home studios and within a new business model. Lapidary artists can make and sell whatever they want and whenever they want and are no longer restricted by a brick-and-mortar store, corporate structure, or marketing research reports.

Driven by Industry Pioneers

A renaissance is driven by a group of pioneers. There are dozens of lapidary artists, engineers, and free thinkers who have laid the path for the new generation of lapidary artists. It’s worth your time to look at some of the groundbreaking lapidary artists in the United States. Enjoy their creations and get inspired.

Years from now, when the next generation of lapidary artists looks back at this era of lapidary advancement, I hope that they see what I am seeing – a revolution, an evolution, and a renaissance. This is what happens when advanced technology, global trade, instant communications, social media e-commerce, and a new generational shift of the paradigm exists. I invite you to be aware, open your eyes, seek out, and enjoy the magnificent and wondrous creations of our contemporary lapidary artists during these innovative times.

This story about a lapidary renaissance appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Mark Oros.

The post Exploring a Lapidary Renaissance first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

The Impact of Light

Light is a major component of art and craft. Light is what reflects and allows us to see shape, color and the subtleties that the hand and eye created. However, the lapidary who facets (the process of turning the rough gem crystal material into a decorative gemstone) a stone has to consider light in another dimension. Light is an essential part of the medium and process, just like paint is essential to painting a portrait.

Light and the gemstone’s material are married in the creation of a jewel. Light reflects off the gemstone surface and returns to your eye like any craft or art. However, how to cut gemstones properly involves light also entering the gemstone and bouncing around, and returning from inside the gemstone. The greater quantity of light that can be captured and moved within the gemstone, the more exciting the jewel becomes. Poorly cut facet angles will allow the light to simply pass through the gemstone making a window. Correct angle facets can also be cut to break up the returning light, creating scintillation. Now, the gem sparkles! The attention given to light is a major difference between mass-produced faceted colored gemstones and performance-faceted colored gemstones cut by lapidary artists.

Learning to Work With Light

Gaining knowledge, as well as understanding and learning how to cut gemstones to apply it to faceting is complex and takes time. Like playing an instrument or learning to dance, the key element to success is practice. Through practice, artists begin to see the results of their efforts and understand the effects of subtle changes and modifications. With this knowledge and experience, a lapidary can then start to develop new and better techniques to improve a jewel’s performance.

When designing and faceting a gemstone, a designer has to consider and make decisions regarding the different performance attributes of the stone that result from various cutting techniques. These attributes include the following.

• Color depends on how to cut gemstones to enhance their natural color, resulting in a variety of saturations, hues and transparencies.

• Brightness is perceived when light enters the stone, bounces around and reflects back to the viewer’s eyes.

• Scintillation comes from different facets and their ability to create different beams of light that make a sparkling effect.

• Dispersion of light creates secondary and tertiary colors and is made by creating angles that separate the colors of the light spectrum.

• The darkness or lightness of a gemstone is determined both by how to cut gemstones using faceting angles and the depth of the cuts to darken or lighten the stone and ultimately affect the jewel’s weight.

Everything All at Once?

In a perfect world, artists try to maximize all of the performance attributes of a finished jewel. However, it is a balancing act because enhancing one performance aspect of a jewel means another may suffer. Making a stone lighter in color and also maximizing its weight by making it larger doesn’t necessarily work together.

The different attributes of light performance must be balanced and work together to create the best outcome for the jewel. These trade-offs are usually driven by the buyer. Lapidaries must consider the capabilities of each individual gemstone both in performance and the potential market value of the resulting design/ cut. With beauty being in the eye of the beholder, lapidary techniques must be applied to meet the eye of its new beholder (personal beauty) and the generations to come (timeless beauty).

Mass Market Vs. Small Business

Gemstones are cut for different markets based on that market’s perception of value. The two major attributes of the mass market for gemstones are color and weight. This is based on years of market development along with the original sizes and shapes of available rough gemstone crystals. The lapidaries that facet these gemstones are talented, but they are restricted to creating a standard and repeatable result to meet the size and color expectations of the industry. They do not have the luxury of forfeiting the gemstone’s color or weight for better light performance.

However, movement and play-of-light is the biggest component of a jewel’s performance. Many lapidaries prefer to create gemstones where light performance takes priority over weight and color. The artists and their clients see value in this. While weight and color are still top of mind, the beauty of the finished jewel is viewed from a different perspective than the mass market. It is not only the shape, design and size of the gemstone, but also how the light will play within it to create beauty for the new owner.

How to Cut Gemstones: The Science of Light

How to cut gemstones is the result of understanding and applying the disciplines of geology, gemology, geometry, chemistry and optics. Understanding the science of light and its movement within a faceted gemstone is important to get the brightest, most sparkling and most beautiful gemstone.

Material refractive indexes, dispersion and critical angles are major components to getting the best light performance from a gemstone Gemstone designer, Jim Perkins had a gemstone performance mission. He wanted to design gemstones that dazzled the beholder. He would create new and unique gemstone designs, but his forte was taking classic gemstone designs and maximizing their performance. He used to say that his designs were “10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration,” meaning that he worked harder at the gemstone performance attributes of light return and scintillation than he did at making new geometric designs.

Client Satisfaction

On a personal note, I began using Jim Perkins’ gemstone designs and started to get immediate reactions from my jewelry design and setting clients. I remember the first couple of times I brought a set of Jim’s designs faceted in quartz, amethyst, citrine and rose quartz to show my jewelry clients. They were startled. I asked them what was wrong and they all said the same thing, “I didn’t know tourmaline came in this color.” I informed them it was a quartz gemstone and they all said the same thing, “You can’t make quartz do that!” But there it was in their hands, a beautiful piece of performance-based faceted quartz using Jim Perkins’ design, born from his perspiration and affinity for bouncing the light back to the viewer.

Light performance within a jewel has always been a major component of gemstone design. Over the centuries, we have been able to use science to better understand and apply the knowledge of light performance and crystal structure to our lapidary designs and techniques. In the past 50 years, lapidary has started to look at gemstone design and fabrication differently by using increased knowledge and newly developed tools. Cutters have found a growing market willing to pay for beauty that is both innovative and performance-based.

This story about how to cut gemstones appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Mark Oros.

The post How to Cut Gemstones to Reflect Light first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Making a Template

All of this motivated me to make a template with different sizes and shapes all based on the modified teardrop form. This is different than how to carve a heart shape. I had made individual template shapes before from a piece of 1.1 mm clear polycarbonate sheet plastic. Polycarbonate sheet is somewhat flexible, highly workable, and virtually unbreakable. I went to a local plastics supplier and got some 1/32” thick material. It was $4.50 a square foot.

I drew the first shape from the Cabtopia Big Flare template onto the sheet of plastic using an ultra-fine felt tip pen. I then used a circle template to draw multiple-sized circles on the template. I drew a dot on the template above the circles to indicate how tall I wanted the shape to be. Next, I used an outside curve from the Cabtopia template to connect the edge of the circle to the dot. Finally, I used the same template to draw the inside curve from the dot to the side of the circle.

I tried using a jeweler’s saw to cut out the shapes, but the tough plastic gummed up the saw blade and I didn’t have an appropriate depth saw or surface to work on. Instead, I used a 1/8” spiral cylinder metal bur mounted in a flex shaft handpiece to cut the shape by holding it under the template and pushing it up through the sheet of plastic. I then guided it around inside the drawn line.

When I finished using the bur, I filed the inside of the hole with a half-round file. For the “V” at the tip of the template, I used a knife-edge needle file to shape this area. The final step was to use a small square of 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the inside cut-out surface.

What Material to Use

When I completed all the new shapes on the template, I searched through my slabs for good candidates to use with the new template. It wasn’t difficult to find a lot of them!

I had a small geode slice that had an irregular center pattern that precluded using an oval, round, or rectangular shape, especially if I wanted to save the small round feature in the lower part of the desired pattern.

Another slab had the best pattern concentrated on the side that could only be captured by the modified teardrop shape.

The last slab I found had an ideal pattern on each side that I could use the largest template shape and capture two possible cabs from the slab. I found many future candidates for the template shapes. I’m going to be very busy for a while making my favorite modified teardrop shape.

This story about making a cabochon teardrop template previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Bob Rush.

The post Making a Cabochon Teardrop Template first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

I was given two templates that have become my favorites. They have some unusual shapes that I can use to alter, combine or use to enhance the cab shapes that I make. They are called Cabtopia BIG Flare and BIG Flame.

My favorite shape is the curving teardrop on the Big Flare template. My lapidary machine is an 8” diameter wheel unit. The inside curve on the curved teardrop shape is the same size as the 8” wheels, so making this shape is rather easy. When I shape the preform, I hold the stone vertically to grind the inside curve.

For this project, I used a slab of Brazilian Agate. The center of the slab is milky chalcedony surrounded by a band of red agate. As a whole, the slab seems rather unremarkable, with little color or pattern. When I first moved the curved teardrop template around, I found that I could isolate the red band quite well. The band would be the focus of the cab. Then I saw that I could capture more of the red band if I used parts of the template to extend the tip of the cab.

Using lapidary safety tips, I carefully trimmed the inside of the curve with the trim saw to help speed up grinding the inside curve. Because the trim saw blade is curved on the outside, the bottom of the cut extends beyond the top of the cut edge, so you have to be very careful making these cuts.

I finished grinding the inside curve by holding the cab preform vertically against the grinding wheel. Finishing the work on the preform involved utilizing the normal cab-making activities to bring it to its final shape and polished surfaces.

I found that using the template allowed me the opportunity to isolate and develop the beauty of a normally overlooked slab of Brazilian Agate. By using the template to expand on the shape of the tip of the preform I was able to capture more of the beauty within the piece.

This story about what to do with a cabochon template previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Bob Rush.

The post What to Do With a Cabochon Template first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Over the years I have heard many people in the rock community say they will never cut certain stones because of all the inherent dangers that are contained within the material. The reality is the dangers are not in handling the materials themselves but in the processing. The dangers can easily be handled with proper education, gaining knowledge of what is in each stone before cutting, and how to properly stay out of harm’s way with the correct protective gear.

Dangerous Materials

Many stones used in lapidary work may contain radioactive minerals, asbestos, beryllium, sulfur, cinnabar (mercury), and various other harmful elements that can cause health problems if not handled properly. Everything can have risks, even some common items around the house have potential risks — smoke detectors contain radioactive elements, ceramics like tiles and pottery may contain uranium in the glazes, and for years, dishware had radioactive minerals used in the bright coloring. People are familiar with these materials and are comfortable having them around because they know the proper precautions are taken so they can be used as everyday items. The same can be said with many common lapidary materials.

Stones like pietersite, tiger’s eye, marra mamba, and serpentine contain asbestos. Society has been trying to remove old asbestos-containing products such as insulation in homes and buildings for years. This is because asbestos is a fine fiber mineral that when turned into dust and goes airborne, has been linked to lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Stones like Clear Creek plasma agate contain various minerals, one of them being an attractive bright red cinnabar which is a mercury sulfide and can be dangerous if you breathe in the dust. It is most dangerous though when breathing in the fumes when the stone is heated to over 400°F. Mercury was utilized by gold miners in the extraction process of gold from the quartz host stone. Members of the quartz mineral group, one of the most common materials and contained in the majority of lapidary materials, is known to cause silicosis. Silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust. It is not curable but is very preventable.

Lapidary Precautions

When cutting cabochons, it’s important to know which materials are unsafe to handle, but for the most part, the majority can be cut with the right precautions. First, setting up your workspace with proper ventilation is key. Everything you do should protect your breathing.

Next, wearing rubber latex gloves or nitrile gloves to protect from skin irritations is not a bad practice. It might not always be effective for those who like to hold the stones by hand as they cab because the gloves tend to rip easily when close to the wheels. If you cab using dop sticks, these gloves can help keep your skin from being overly exposed.

Eye gear is ALWAYS warranted, not just for avoiding the collection of dust particles in your eyes, but to also protect from small chips and shards flying off the grinding wheels that can cause a great deal of eye damage.

The number one article of gear that should ALWAYS be worn is a respiratory mask. The N95 might be adequate for most things. (The 95 number stands for 95 percent of all dust particles.) However, I would suggest using the P100 mask with replaceable filters. These masks will block out 100 percent of all particles in the air and protect you from harmful dust.

A waterproof apron will keep you dry and keep lapidary materials off your clothing. Ear guards not only protect your hearing by blocking machine noise, but they also keep your ears clean and free from compiling dust or particles.

Clean Work Surfaces

In addition to wearing protective gear, keeping a clean shop is just as important. If you are cutting up materials that contain carcinogens such as Tiffany stone which contains beryllium, always clean all the surfaces in your workspace where dust has collected. This way, there won’t be a transfer of dust to your hands, and will avoid accidental ingestion later.

A complete set of protective gear includes a P100 respirator, eye protection, ear protection, a waterproof apron, and gloves. All these items can easily be found at your local stores, such as Home Depot, Lowes or Ace Hardware, and online on Amazon and eBay. Wearing all the correct protective gear and keeping a clean work area should help ensure a safe, healthy hobby.

This story about lapidary safety tips previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Russ Kaniuth.

The post Lapidary Safety Tips first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Robert said he can spot someone with what he calls the “gem-cutting gene” because of their questions and the way they examine a stone. These creative souls view the intrinsic worth of an object of beauty.

Reaching Younger Artists

Want to become a lapidarist? You’re in good company. Robert says they have noticed a younger demographic’s interest in cutting gemstones. Apprenticing for how to learn gem cutting is no longer a must. It’s now possible to learn from a myriad of sources granting more access to everyone.

Part of the reason so many gem cutters turn to ULTRA TEC is because of its solid foundation.

“We help them achieve the ideas they have in their mind. At the end of the day they have something tangible,” noted Mendoza. ”Joe Rubin started with a good design that we’ve been perfecting over the years. The ULTRA TEC V5 is the best machine to cut gemstones. It carries all the precision to cut gemstones.”

Continuing to Perfect

The ULTRA TEC team enjoys hearing from its customers and often innovates based on suggestions. An example is when they created a digital angle display (DAD) that reads to one-one hundredth of a degree.

“When you are gem cutting, you deal with a lot of angles. The key is to be able to repeat the angle every single time,” noted Robert. “No one else has one that dials down as precisely. We are very proud of this device.”

Quality & Versatility

Besides the quality and versatility of the design of the ULTRA TEC machines, people appreciate that while other faceting machine companies have come and gone, ULTRA TEC supports its people and products.

“ULTRA TEC is a traditional American company. Everything is done under one roof. This company is based on ethics, honesty, and integrity,” said Mendoza. “It makes people happy. We want them to enjoy the hobby.”

The Connection of Mine to Market – Noreen Masaki

Tanzania is known for gemstones, but if Noreen Masaki has her way, it will also be the hub of lapidaries.

“Tanzania is exceptionally rich in gemstone deposits of different varieties,” explained Noreen who has been teaching lapidary classes for over 20 years in Tanzania. Her goal, besides creating beautiful pieces, is to teach people to appreciate the relationship between the rough gem and the final product. This is relevant when it comes to encouraging artisans within her own country.

Her keen mind and excellent eye made her an exceptional student. “At that time learning about gems was a completely new thing to me,” she said. “At the end of the four weeks, I loved to work with gems.”

She said they used the ULTRA TEC V2 during her initial work. “What inspired me was the outcome of a faceted gem — the light reflection, colors, overall brilliance, and irresistible beauty. Over time I learned that not all gems which are cut show their beauty and brilliance and that it had something to do with optical laws and the type of machine used. I was lucky to learn precision faceting of gemstones with the best machine and from the best teacher who respected the optical laws and procedures.”

Current Work

Noreen now utilizes the ULTRA TEC V5 for her students and her own work.

Her students go home with a finished stone on their first day and much of this is because of the quality of the machine.

“I’ve tried so many (different machines),” she said. “The ULTRA TEC V5 is really precise. I do not need surprises when I cut my stones. I like the mast of the ULTRA TEC V5, especially the cheater that helps to find any facet if correction is needed.”

When Noreen works with a stone, she said, “I give priority of the pavilions first because they are responsible for the brilliance of the stone.” She said the drawback of cutting this way is to possibly cut more of the stone than she’d prefer if the angles aren’t spot on.

”We first cut it in our heads,” she said. ”I explain the laws of light reflection within the stone before you cut it. Each stone has its own properties. If the stone has a higher refraction index you cut it at lower angles.”

Noreen sees the beauty in her stones, as well as her students, and through her exceptional talent and high-quality ULTRA TEC faceting machines, she’s creating a new generation of gemstone artists.

Answering the Call – Steven Tyler Manchini

Steven Tyler Manchini, also known as Steven Tyler the Designer, began making wire-wrapped jewelry in 2012 because “it allowed me to have a part-time job while I was in school.”

After obtaining his degree in biology, he continued making jewelry and exploring his creative side. A change in professions is not unusual for instance some go from tooth jewelry dentist to jeweler. “I love science, but every day I was there I was thinking about my bench,” Steven said.

Always Learning

Heeding his inner muse, Steven took classes and taught himself Gem Cad modeling to switch the direction of his vocation, including working with renowned designer Nolan Sponsler who taught him the art of faceting. “I’m learning as much as I can. We all share the knowledge,” he said.

The desire to learn pays off for everyone who marvels at Steven’s unique vision when gem cutting and creating jewelry. A combination of talent and dedication is the perfect recipe for one-of-a-kind pieces.

“I sit at my bench eight to 14 hours a day. I work seven days a week,” he said. ”I just sit at my bench and start the process. It’s the passion for the work that’s driving it.” He believes it’s a matter of being present and finding inspiration in the basic steps as much as anything.

“All the geometry and geometric stuff are what inspired me,” he said. “I love the Fantasy machine from ULTRA TEC. As much as I love flat faceting, the Fantasy machine inspires me.”

The Fantasy machine gives him the latitude needed to explore the geometric patterns that catch his eye. “I like the build of the machine,” Steven commented. “It has an infinite amount of styles that you can do. I had to splurge.”

Professional Goals & Favorite Gems

Steven’s goal of having a piece in a museum was realized as his piece “Alsace Aurea” (the Golden Moose) was accepted in the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum’s “Big Find” event.

Steven cut a rare 25-carat, bi-color Maine tourmaline from the Dunton Gem Quarry and off-set it with two, locally sourced, tourmalines cut with the ULTRA TEC Fantasy machine. They are all set in golden moose antlers creating the ultimate celebration of New England jewelry.

Although it’s like choosing a favorite child to pick preferred gemstones, as a true New Englander, Steven appreciates working with regional specimens. “I really like tourmaline. You can do a lot with it.”

Every generation brings something new to the cutting bench, and Steven offers an artist’s eye with a scientist’s attention to detail that breathes life into his one-of-a-kind gemstone designs.

Representing Quality – Ron Snelling

Ron Snelling’s interest in gem cutting began in the mid-1960s when the parents of his future wife started a local rock club. He is now the Colorado representative for ULTRA TEC and still belongs to a rock club. “I am one of the cutters in the group. I do not dig in the dirt,” he laughed.

Ron purchased his first ULTRA TEC in 1990 and is an admirer of the company and its products. “They keep upgrading and offering parts,” he said, including supporting the longtime workhorse, the V2, which emerged on the market nearly 50 years ago. The reality is that ULTRA TEC machines don’t become obsolete, the company simply continues to improve designs to meet the customers’ needs.

“My favorite is the VL (Classic),” Ron noted. “I got to be part of the research and development and put in a little information, among other experts, to build it.” He also owns an ULTRA TEC V5 and a Fantasy machine making him the ideal person to talk to lapidaries about what they want to do with their designs.

Ron is happy to share his knowledge about how to best adjust the machines for a given task. Whenever someone has a question in his region, he is the expert with the answers. “I do enjoy sharing this,” he commented.

The Hook & Acalling

Ron said one of the most amazing steps in cutting a gem is when the stone is finished and the cutter removes the wax, allowing the gemstone to come to life. “That’s probably the hook (for this hobby),” he mused.

Over the years Ron found his calling in bringing already-cut gems back to life. “A friend has a jewelry store and asked me if I could do repairs,” he said. “Sometimes there are stones, like tanzanite, that are pretty beat up. When you resurface it, the color comes back into it. The best part of all of this is repairs have paid for my hobby and my equipment.”

Hobby Trends

Ron has noticed a trend in the hobby. “It’s interesting how the popularity has gone up. What we’re seeing is a resurgence of 20-somethings.” He noted some amazingly talented younger artists are entering top-notch competitions and winning.

At one point there was more of a feeling of competition and some degree of secrecy in techniques in the gem-cutting community. But Ron said he views gem cutting like music. “There are only so many chords to play, but there are different ways to play them. You need to play it your own way.”

While Ron often works with whatever gemstones need his attention the most, he said given the chance to work with a certain variety, “I probably enjoy quartz the most because they’re large, they’re plentiful and you can do so much with them.”

This story about how to start gem cutting previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Amy Grisak. Sponsored by ULTRA TEC. 

The post How to Start Gem Cutting first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Back in the 1970s super rocker, Mick Jagger, dominated the gossip columns when he reportedly asked his dentist to fill one of his molars with a ruby.

Dental Decor History

While there is no way of knowing if Jagger’s dentist complied, the notion of using gold, crystals and precious gemstones to decorate teeth is far from new. Native Americans decorated their teeth with gold and precious stones as many as 2,500 years ago, according to dental hygienist Brooke Sergent, a writer for RDH, a digital media company for dental hygienists.

“Dental decor was predominant in men, and ornamental stones such as jade, turquoise, gold and hematite were applied to the teeth using natural resins (plant sap) mixed with other chemicals and crushed bone,” Sergent wrote in RDH’s September 2021 online issue.

In 1178 Chinese explorers reported finding some Philippine mountain tribes displaying “pegged-gold teeth” to intimidate their enemies and to testify to their status within the tribe. “Archaeologists suggest that gold plates were hammered onto the teeth or were adhered by drilling holes into the teeth,” Sergent wrote.

Later according to archaeologists, members of one tribe decorated their teeth with a pattern of fish scales made of gold.

“Archaeologists believe a higher social class only wore this type of decoration after examining the graves,” Sergent wrote in RDH online. “This ornate detail was a status symbol that was achieved by intricately placing individual gold scales on the teeth after drilling holes.”

Tooth Jewelry Trends

These days the application of gold and gemstones to teeth has less to do with social status than with what’s trendy.

According to Tiffany Matrone owner of Bang Bang Body Arts, a custom tattooing, permanent make-up and body piercing studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, the appeal of tooth jewelry is wide.

“Celebrities have shown off their tooth jewelry in (fashion), and other high profile magazines,” says Matrone “Our clients range from young men and women to older women and men.”

Dentists Offering Tooth Jewelry

Matrone is one of an increasing number of aesthetic professionals who offer the application of tooth jewelry to their clients. Most often those applications include gold symbols ranging from dollar signs to shooting stars, to hearts, to the signs of the zodiac and more.

These so-called “charms” are generally made of either 22-karat yellow gold or 18-karat white gold, between 1.90- millimeters (mm) and 5-millimeters (mm) in size and fashioned with a flat-back surface to facilitate bonding. The charms are then affixed to the teeth with dental bonding glue.

Crystals are applied in the same fashion but, Matrone says, the kind of crystals that aesthetic professionals use makes a difference.

“We use only Swarovski Crystals because they have a backing that is safe to be used in the mouth,” she says. “Some crystals are lead-backed and that is not at all safe.”

Invented in 1892 by Daniel Swarovski, Swarovski crystals are man-made gems manufactured in Austria using specialized equipment to precision cut crystals using quartz and sand.

Swarovski crystals rank 6 to 7 on the Mohs scale which rates the hardness of gemstones according to how scratch-resistant they are.

Due in part to their hardness and durability, Swarovski crystals are preferred by jewelers, as well as by those who apply them to teeth, says Dr. Robert Scheele DDS, a dentist in private practice in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“The crystals are stain-resistant, are hard enough, and have no effect on tooth enamel,” Scheele says. “Applications can last 30 days or longer.”

Filling Cavities Decoratively

In her private practice, Dr. Katherine King DMD applies a wide variety of gold and precious gems to her clients’ teeth including using the materials to fill cavities.

“We do it all the time,” King says. “In fact, we have been asked to put some pretty interesting things into teeth.”

According to King, those things have not included rocks or stone materials, but they have included a range of gemstones. Some are obtained by the dentist through a jewelry supplier. Others are brought in by a patient wanting to make a statement or even memorialize a departed loved one.

“For example, it could be a (gem) stone that you got from a piece of your grandmother’s necklace,” she says. “What’s important is that the stone is not too large.” That’s because when a gem is used in a filling, it must be implanted into the dental material that will be used to fill the tooth.

“We start by first filling a tooth with a white filling material, then when you get to a point where it is appropriate, you embed the gem into the filling,” King explains. “If you have a faceted stone that comes to a point at the bottom, we might have to grind it down to flatten it.”

Most cabochon gems, those cut to have a convex top and a flat bottom, are also suitable to be embedded into a filling, she says.

Knowing the Mohs Scale

Hardness is also crucial. According to the International Gem Society (IGS) ranking 10 on the Mohs scale, a diamond is the hardest of gemstones. Rubies and sapphires, also known as Corundum stones, follow ranking 9 on the hardness scale. By contrast, emerald rates 7.5 to 8 on the scale.

“When you’re filling a tooth with a gemstone, the harder the gemstone is the better,” King points out. “For example, an opal would be way too soft.”

Similarly, gemstones may be also bonded to teeth, usually on either the left or right sides of a front tooth, or on a tooth at the very front of the mouth.

By far though, King’s patients have requested that gold be either applied to their teeth, exposed in a dental crown or simply used as a filling material.

“For example, I use it when I cast a crown, or to fill a tooth, but I won’t create a crown or a filling unless the tooth needs it,” says King.

When she does use gold for those purposes, King says that like gem materials, hardness counts. That’s because gold applied to the mouth must be able to withstand years of exposure to acidic fluids that either occur in the mouth naturally or are introduced into it, as well as to hold up to nearly constant chewing and grinding.

“That’s why anything less than 24-karat gold is much too soft,” she says.

At a time when many patients want their teeth filled as inconspicuously as possible with white filling material, others want to show off a mouthful of gold fillings.

“I had one patient who wanted his entire mouth filled with gold,” King recalls.

Still, others want a range of symbols made of thin 24-karat gold bonded directly onto their teeth.

“I’ve had people ask for everything from the Playboy logo to a cross bonded to their teeth,” she says.”I’ve had patients request to have gold embedded into their partials and dentures, too.”

Ultimately, whether applied by a dentist or an aesthetic professional, Scheele says interest in tooth jewelry is on the upswing.

“I started making the applications available about two or three years ago when some members of the staff suggested it,” he recalls. “Since then, we’ve had some women in their 50s and some middle-aged men. As a trend, it’s not going away soon.”

This story about tooth jewelry dentist to jeweler appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Pat Raia.

The post From Tooth Jewelry Dentist to Jeweler? first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

From Collecting Stones to Building a Museum

Joseph Lizzadro immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s with his father who was a cobbler. The pair settled in Chicago where his father opened a shoe repair shop.

Joseph went to school and worked in his father’s shop. By 1916, he was a U.S. citizen and began working for Meade Electric Company where he would rise through the organization to become both a stockholder and Chairman of the Board.

In 1932, Joseph married Mary Sandretto.

She was from the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan which the growing family often visited. It was there that Joseph resumed a childhood activity, collecting stones. His finds of Lake Superior agate, datolite, and thomsonite were turned into cut and polished stones. Some Joseph put into jewelry pieces for friends and family.

As Joseph grew his skills, he developed an interest in working with jade. At the time it was difficult to find raw jade. Instead of buying raw jade, Joseph was sent a piece of art to repurpose into the cufflinks he wanted to make. The piece was so beautiful and intricately carved that he decided to keep it. This decision moved him from a lapidary hobbyist to a collector.

Joseph began intentionally growing his collection to include a wide range of carved jade, amber, ivory, coral, agate, and gemstones. As his collection grew so did Joseph’s dream of displaying and sharing it with others.

Joseph’s dream became a reality through a collaboration between the City of Elmhurst and the Elmhurst Park District. Through this collaboration, the Museum was built and opened in Wilder Park in 1962.

Move to Oak Brook

The community of Oak Brook, Illinois is now home to the Museum. In a space that is nearly twice as big as its original location, the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Arts now features more exhibits including interactive displays of nature, science, and artistry.

As the only lapidary arts museum in the United States, the Lizzadro collection includes beautiful and diverse hardstone carvings, unique dioramas, and raw gemstones. Throughout the Museum visitors have opportunities to discover the craftsmanship of lapidary art including a spectacular five-foot-tall jade pagoda.

Altar of Green Jade Pagoda

The pagoda – called the Altar of Green Jade Pagoda – was donated to the Lizzadro Museum by the Oakland County Museum of California and is a jewel of the Chang collection. Carved from a nine-ton boulder, the stunning piece took 10 years to create through the work of 150 craftsmen. At the Lizzadro, staff took four days to assemble the 1,000-piece pagoda.

This piece represents just one of many hardstone carvings that grace the Museum and reflect the diverse nature of lapidary arts.

Education, Information, and Inspiration

Today, the Museum remains a family affair. Joseph’s granddaughter, Dorothy Asher, is the current director as well as a gemologist.

“As a family, we really care about the pieces,” Asher said. “We want to maintain the collection and to share it with the public.

We want to educate people about rocks and minerals and gemstones.”

There are many ways to take advantage of the opportunities available to families and individuals at the Lizzadro Museum. Plan your visit by exploring the Museum’s online resources (www.lizzadromuseum.org) ranging from upcoming Lizzadro Museum program listings to featured special exhibits to a library of virtual tours and program opportunities.

Current Exhibits

The Museum is currently featuring an exhibit of cameos telling the story of Faust.

Fourteen large agate cameos including one exceptional two-sided cameo, reported to be the world’s largest, were carved by Dieter and Andreas Roth between 2007 and 2013 in the Roth-Cameo studio in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The Lizzadro Museum is proud to premiere the exhibit in the United States and it will remain on display through June 2022.

A new, yet-to-be-determined special exhibit will open in November 2022 as part of the Museum’s 60th-anniversary celebrations.

Something for Everyone

Self-guided touring is a mainstay of in-person visits at the Lizzadro Museum. Asher suggests allowing at least 90 minutes to take in the Museum’s collection highlights.

Education program offerings vary from season to season. In the coming months, families can check out seasonal listings for activities such as Stone Hunts, Rock & Mineral Identification, and Rockin’ Jewelry for Kids. Offerings range in price depending on the activity and supplies. Some are available with regular admission while others are free to members.

Getting Involved

For those interested in becoming more involved in the local rock and gem community, the West Suburban Lapidary Club meets at the Lizzadro Museum every fourth Saturday. The club hosts a program each month including presentations, demonstrations, and information on cutting and polishing stones.

Watch the website for specialty program offerings, too. For instance, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra musicians have presented live concerts with new themes each month. Presentations that focus on a specific exhibit have also been popular. In February, there was a 60-minute offering featuring the symbols and elements in the Museum’s magnificent Imperial Screen. The Museum has also hosted trips to Braidwood, Illinois, to collect fossils at Mazon Creek’s historic coal strip mine.

Online & In-Person

The Museum boasts a growing video library and interactive games that can be explored online from anywhere.

Groups such as Scout troops, school groups and more can also schedule guided tours. Online resources are available for educators and group leaders to better prepare and plan to take full advantage of all the Museum has to offer. There is no shortage of possible learning experiences for those interested in visiting the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art.

This story about the Lizzadro Museum appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Deb Brandt.

The post Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

What is a Lapidarist?

A lapidarist is responsible for cutting, tumbling and polishing precious and semi-precious stones for use in jewelry. He or she needs a working knowledge of the properties of gemstones and their physical characteristics.

One Step Leads to a Career Change

John Wild didn’t consider himself to be artistic. He traveled each summer to the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts because his wife was building her skills in jewelry making. Those initial summers, Wild would play golf, pursue his interest in photography and fly small planes while his wife attended classes. Eventually, she became an instructor and their stays at William Holland grew from weeks to months. During this time, she, and others they came to know on the faculty encouraged Wild to try a class or two. He resisted because he didn’t consider himself to be artistic.

However, his reluctance was worn down by those around him and he took a cabochon class. By lunch, Wild says he was hooked. What he learned in those first three hours was that he didn’t need an art degree to be involved in the work of cabochon cutting. He found he could do this and he enjoyed it. What he lacked in skill in those early classes, he made up in determination. He shifted from a reluctant participant to an advocate and eventually an instructor.

Lots of Paths to Follow

Phillip Zink of Jox Rox Rock Shop in Indianapolis, Indiana, suggests those interested in learning can start locally. Some rock and gem clubs offer workshops where folks can connect with lapidaries who are willing to share their insights. YouTube is another way to gain insight into the art of lapidary and the equipment used.

After Wild became enthralled with cabochon cutting, he went home and joined his local club in Birmingham. Since everyone has a different take on the process, joining a club was a great way to see the many ways people make cabochons.

Zink observes that often families get involved together. This was true for his family – it was something they did together when he was a teen. His family’s interest grew from rock collecting to cabochon cutting to owning a rock and gem shop. Some families begin by taking a silversmithing class, Zink added, and then decide they would like to cut stones for their pieces.

Starting Costs

The price for getting involved can vary depending on access to used and new lapidary equipment. Some people start with just a Dremel, however, this is a challenging way to cabochon a stone. Trying local classes can help a new lapidary explore the equipment and tools necessary. Finding good, working, used equipment at estate sales and in rock and gem shops is a way to start. Finding a workspace can also be challenging, some make their own lapidary workbench and work from home.

“Cabochon is one of the basic skills of jewelry making,” said Wild. “It doesn’t take great skill, it just takes concentration, stick-to-itiveness. You have to keep at it. You can’t stop for a year and then pick back up. Every time I sit down at my machine I learn a little bit about techniques and different shapes. The more skills you develop the more complicated designs you can make.”

Course Offerings

The William Holland School of Lapidary Arts offers many courses that fall within the bounds of lapidary arts. From cabochon to faceting to polishing, William

Holland offers one-week intensives and small class sizes. In addition to the $495 registration fee, students only need to pay for their course materials.

Offerings are taught by a cadre of instructors with expertise in all these areas of working with rocks and gems. Instructors volunteer their time for teaching which helps keep the courses at William Holland affordable. Over the years, internationally and nationally known instructors have been available for lapidary instruction.

Students of all ages take the weeklong courses at William Holland with many different goals in mind. Some come to class with no experience and a desire to learn something new. Others have returned year after year to build their skills and expand their capacities personally or professionally. From small business owners to retirees seeking something fun to try, students have been making their way to William Holland to participate in a single class or to stay the full season and take advantage of all the training available.

Keeping Traditions Alive

Instructors like Vickie Prillaman have been the heart and soul of William Holland. A lifelong learner, Prillaman has had opportunities to train and apprentice with experts representing a variety of jewelry-making methods. From goldsmithing to channel work to Native American tufa casting to matrix and blanking dyes, she turns the new skills she learns into offerings at William Holland. Being able to pass on her knowledge is an exciting proposition.

Prillaman noted that in past years William Holland students have included young adults who come for the entire season. They learn all aspects of jewelry making from beginning to advanced level courses. Some find their niche and focus on something they would like to pursue further. Many leave with enough training to be marketable in the jewelry industry. (According to ZipRecruiter, lapidary jobs pay about $51,800 a year in the United States, which translates into about $25 an hour.) Throughout her career with William Holland, Prillaman has also contributed to the school’s growth. She and her husband got into the steel framing business and built an eight-bedroom/bath structure that now houses instructors. This in turn opened more space in the student dormitory. Then they built a 26-room dormitory allowing the school to grow even more.

Overall, Prillaman hopes students will arrive at William Holland with enthusiasm, curiosity and imagination. She is excited to be part of the volunteer faculty focused on keeping the traditions and knowledge of lapidary alive.

This story about how to become a lapidarist previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Deb Brandt.

The post Want To Be a Lapidarist? Here’s How! first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

(Ms. Joy is an artist featured in the Tools of the Trade profile sponsored by Cutting Edge Supply Co.)

Sometimes a single item, chance encounter, or shared experience is all it takes for people to make a positive connection that lasts years, benefiting both parties in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

That’s how Washington State’s Trisha Joy, a seasoned gemstone carver, became a regular customer of Cutting Edge Supply Co. The connection included a chance encounter that took place 20 years ago and a recent search for high-quality gemstone polish. While attending a show, Joy explained, she met an artist selling carved pearls, and not just any carved pearls, mind you, these were beautifully carved pearls the likes of which Joy had never seen before.

“I didn’t know you could carve pearls like that,” she said.

While speaking with the artist/vendor at the show, another vendor came by seeking advice from the artist (Darryl Alexander, co-owner of Cutting Edge Supply Co.) regarding getting a good polish on an opal. After recommending a type of polish he used often, Darryl allowed the man to use his tools to give it a go. After about five minutes, the other vendor left with a big grin and a well-polished opal, Joy explained. While during their interaction that day, Joy wrote down Alexander’s name and contact information; sadly, it was lost rather quickly. Fast forward to the present, and Joy and Alexander connected via Facebook, without realizing they had met decades ago; that is, Joy said, until Alexander posted photos of old gemstone carvings he had done, including a pearl with a carving of flames. It triggered a memory for Joy of the man’s extraordinary gemstone carvings at the gem show. She promptly asked Alexander if he was the same man at the top of the stairs (at the show) selling gemstone carvings, and indeed he was.

Upon making this discovery, Joy inquired about whether Alexander was selling the exemplary polish he was using all those years ago. That’s when he told her about his family’s new business venture, Cutting Edge Supply.

“The goal, he said, was to gather all of the supplies in one place to be made available to

lapidary artists,” Joy reported. “I thought that was a great idea and have enjoyed doing business with them since.”

As for the polish that piqued Joy’s interest then and now? It was the first purchase she made from Cutting Edge Supply Co. She used the three-step polish Cutting Edge Supply carries and quickly discovered it works well on many projects.

“It costs less than lunch and goes a long way, and I “have” other polish, but I think this is best.” Joy said. “And, they also offer their own lapidary mix that I’ve heard is superior to anything on the market. I am trying that with my next order.”

In addition to the fantastic polish and various supplies, Joy explains that choosing to buy from Cutting Edge Supply Co. is also about service. “I also find their attitudes refreshing. I’ve had nothing but kindness from them. Well, not true, they are also fast and accurate in filling my orders,” she said. “So, they aren’t ‘just’ nice, but that is part of why I do business with them.”

While it’s true, first impressions are important, Trisha Joy and Cutting Edge Supply Co. can attest that it’s also about building on that impression with consistent quality service.

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The post Chance Encounter Leads to Gemstone Carving Joy first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.