By Lauriane Lognay

The position of a standard gem cutter isn’t any stroll within the park. Whether or not faceting, cabochon, or carving, it’s vital to arm oneself with endurance, self-discipline, and, after all, a pair of practiced eyes to see a gemstone’s full potential. Past this, these professionals have to be armed with the correct instruments. Faceting and/or cabochon machines, numerous flat laps, bands with totally different grits, numerous diamond powders, index gears, snake oil, water, aluminum oxide, and way more are wanted to realize perfection.

What’s reducing, although? Merely put, this refers back to the motion of taking a gem and grinding it down utilizing totally different grits and powders to realize symmetrical or fantasy sides on its floor. It’s a mechanical motion, guided by the regular fingers of a lapidary artist. A little bit of a labour of affection, many cautious actions and hours of labor are required to form a crystal from its tough and create a gem. Every bit is rigorously analyzed and reduce to satisfy level with the assistance of a diagram and, once more, a pair of practiced eyes.

When discussing reducing, I all the time say, “By no means reduce with a troubled thoughts; the stone will really feel it.” Certainly, if you happen to dive in whereas sleep disadvantaged or with issues swirling by means of your head, as a rule, the outcome will mirror your thoughts. Nothing will go your approach.

Slicing is a nuanced artwork kind, sure, but additionally a tough commerce to study. Data is usually handed down from grasp to apprentice, or absorbed through numerous hours working towards, finding out, and studying by means of trial and error. Lapidary faculties are uncommon in the event that they exist in any respect. In North America, those that pursue the sphere achieve this due to ardour and a love for the commerce.

Every gemstone is reduce utilizing totally different strategies and grits—every one in all them can also be polished otherwise. To additional complicate issues, particular person lapidary artists carry out totally different steps and polishes for numerous sorts of gem stones. Combos are limitless.

In the case of gemstone cuts, most are accustomed to the classics—spherical sensible, emerald, oval, princess, and so forth—however what of fantasy cuts?

Gems, usually, might be thought of alongside ranges of issue in a online game: in straightforward mode, you purchase pre-cut gems; in medium mode, you chop gems your self; and, lastly, in arduous mode, you chop them whereas incorporating your individual signature fashion and creative aptitude. This concept might be taken a step additional with the creation of distinctive jewelry and bespoke items.

Fantasy reducing requires not solely lapidary and faceting expertise, but additionally a devoted need on the a part of the cutter to develop their very own fashion—typically jewelry professionals even need to construct their very own instruments to create their trademark of fantasy reducing. (You want a particularly formed diamond burr to make an indent into your stone? Pack your diamond paste and toolmaking expertise and invent your instrument!)

With this, a cutter can obtain something: grooves, concave faceting, curved shapes, and so forth. There are numerous potentialities and combos, from carving, faceting, and carving, to cabochon and faceting combine, to freeform reducing, concave sides, half-rough/half-cut. Every fashion might be additional refined and tailored to go well with its very personal gemstone proprietor. Fantasy reducing also can create optical illusions or life like trying sculptures. It may well dive into fantastical or summary artwork.

Every fashion is supposed to carry to life the possibly award-winning stone a cutter hopes to create. Lapidaries work with particular traits of the gem, making a design accounting for its hardness, refracting gentle, reflection of sunshine from inside, orientation wanted to get the correct color, and so forth.

Every reduce gemstone is sort of a portray: distinctive and sensible in its personal proper. As a gem skilled and admirer, I may simply write for hours about totally different shapes, the various sorts of grooves and polishes, and the huge artists who work to tirelessly on the earth of reducing. For the needs of this column, nonetheless, I want to dig somewhat deeper and dissect one thing many jewelry retailers may not typically see: the steps taken when reducing a fantasy gem. Once we think about the journey of a gemstone from its tough, to the gem vendor, to the lapidary artist, to the setter, and, lastly, to the showcase, we start to have an elevated understanding of this considerably outlandish artwork.

Whether or not reducing a fantasy gem or one thing extra conventional, the steps are, typically, as follows:

• A tough gem is acquired—for this instance, let’s say pink tourmaline.
• Develop a design particularly for the gemstone’s refractive index (within the case of tourmaline, that is 1.62 to 1.64). This implies there are specific angles to respect with the sides to make the actual gem’s color stand out:
• If the angle is simply too low, it will create a window contained in the stone (i.e. the sunshine won’t replicate and, as a substitute, go proper by means of the stone)
• If the angle is simply too excessive, it would trigger a lifeless zone with no gentle (i.e. the sunshine will get caught contained in the stone with no good reflective floor)
• Resolve the place to chop the grooves, traces, and fantasy shapes into the stone. Watch out to keep away from fissures and undesirable inclusions—the design must think about all zones contained in the tough that can not be used.
• Decide if the stone must be reduce lengthwise or widthwise. Tourmaline poses an added problem on this regard, because the tough grows lengthwise (i.e. an elongated crystal with a triangular cross part). If it isn’t reduce on this course, greater than 60 per cent of the tough might be misplaced—nonetheless, typically one of the best color is discovered widthwise. So, the selection is usually between a greater color saturation (i.e. darkish pink) or an even bigger stone for a greater wield (i.e. pale pink—the much less fascinating color).
• Pre-shape the tough, reducing out the components that may’t or received’t be used and making the stone right into a tough form of the design imagined. This course of typically reveals hidden inclusions and risks contained in the tough. If this happens, revisit the unique design to see if it must be altered to go well with the tough’s new form. Typical wield is between 30 to 60 per cent lack of materials inside a stone.

That is the place fantasy cuts supply a little bit of a bonus, as this fashion permits for a extra versatile outcome (relying on the form desired and whether or not some floor inclusions might be reduce out utilizing carving methods, grooves, and a little bit of luck).

• Utilizing the instruments you have got crafted to realize your signature gemstone curves and shapes, reduce into the stone. You now need to invent these similar instruments once more with totally different grits till the sprucing stage (that means, round three to 4 instances the identical instrument with grits like 200-600-1200-3000, and so forth till the ultimate polish).

For designers, sustaining an in depth relationship with a neighborhood cutter is, in my view, a necessity—significantly when working with fantasy gems. Along with repairs and polishes, these professionals are capable of craft masterpiece gem stones that may be integrated into distinctive and high-end jewelry to dazzle in your showcase. These artists can create one-of-a-kind collections, in addition to attention-grabbing gem stones for use in additional conventional settings and solitaire rings. Briefly, they create fashion!

Conserving tempo with the rising shopper demand for distinctive, show-stopping jewelry, the world of fantasy cuts has picked up steam in recent times, with the work of many gifted artists gaining world traction. John Dyer, Michael Peuster, Victor Tuzlukov, and Dalan Hargrave are among the many many world-renowned designers to discover a following.

Are you able to enter the fantasy world?

Lauriane Lognay is a fellow of the Gemmological Affiliation of Nice Britain (FGA), and has received a number of awards. She is a gemstone vendor working with jewellers to assist them determine on one of the best stones for his or her designs. Lognay is the proprietor of Rippana Inc., a Montréal-based firm working internationally in colored gemstone, lapidary, and jewelry companies. She might be reached at [email protected].