Whenever I’m asked to repair a gemstone, I try to get the story behind why the gemstone was damaged. I admit that part of me just wants to know the “gory details” about the accident. But the professional gemcutter is looking for some insights into what it takes to damage a gem & how best … Read More
Gemcutting
82ct Tanzanite Transformed
A couple months back, I bought a huge 82ct premium color tanzanite that had been badly heat damaged, likely from a (very inadvisable) steam-bath. Given the quality of color & size of the stone, whoever broke it took a big financial hit. The image above suggests it would be best to just divide the stone … Read More
Rose Cuts!
I was thrilled to find out some of my work and comments were featured in a recent article by Dianna Jarrett on Rapaport’s Jewelry Connoisseur website: https://jewelryconnoisseur.net/everythings-coming-up-rose-cuts Dianna does a great job given an overview of the rose cut design from it’s historical roots to it’s current use in jewelry. It’s not a long read … Read More
Heat Shock in Tanzanite
Tanzanites and steam cleaners don’t play well together. Here is a high-end 6ct tanzanite I recut from a heavily worn square princess into a custom square radiant for a jeweler. The stone was mounted by the jeweler and proudly delivered to his client — who immediately noticed the large crack down the middle of the … Read More
Simplicity: Ice Flower Round
I’ve become fascinated with simple gemstone designs. There is something amazing about how just a few well placed facets create a complexity of reflection. That’s the challenge of my Simplicity Series of designs: defining an outline and eye-catching face-up with the fewest facets possible. For my Ice Flower design, I chose to stick with the … Read More
Charybdis Square
The two mythical sea monsters, Charybdis and Scyllia, opposed Odysseus as he tried to cross the Strait of Messina. Some scholars now believe Charybdis was actually a large whirlpool, a true monster for real life sailors. I’ve always like the idea of a sea monster (being an avowed landlubber), but found myself thinking about whirlpools … Read More
The Stone Behind the Win
While traveling in Malawi last May, I had the opportunity to buy some gemstone rough. The great majority of stones offered were of little interest, but we were shown one parcel of superbly color aquamarine that made us all look twice. Aquamarine rough this color is not common and always in demand. As is usually … Read More
The Importance of a Crown
This is why well-cut crowns are some important: the first image is of a new aquamarine asscher on the dop & half finished, the second is of the same stone, but with the crown I favor for asscher designs. Yeah, precision cutting really does matter, top to bottom. Finished stone in the third image: 3.42ct, … Read More
Dangerous Feathers
Gemstone repair is one of the services I offer to the jewelry trade. All gemstones (diamond included) will take wear over time, especially if they’re used in rings. Happily, the great majority of the stones can be repaired with minimal loss. But occasionally the damage done cannot be removed. For example: I recently received an … Read More
Sneaky Synthetic Sapphire
One of my clients purchased a fine selection of larger sized sapphire rough from Umba, Tanzania. The stones were all nicely shaped and great colors. But in reviewing the stones for cutting, I noticed one that didn’t seem quite right. It seemed to be a water-worn sapphire cobble, but the fracture pattern on one side … Read More