Lapidary

Some of the unique art forms of jewellery creation are dying out thanks to modern technology and lack of training options 

Today we’re taking a look at the dying art of lapidary or gemstone cutting. Matthew and Alyce discuss the history of the art and why it has become so difficult to find modern masters of the craft, along with sharing the time periods that really highlight the most beautiful forms of the craft so you know where to look for your own antique collection. 

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

01:02 An explanation of the art of lapidary

04:07 Fashioning gems from their rough, out of the ground state 

08:20 Why lapidary is a dying art 

17:12 The impact of computerised systems and lasers of gem-cutting 

19:59 Examples of the best cut gemstones 

24:12 Which time periods to look to for your own collection 

29:31 Creating new demand to revive dying art forms 

33:15 A precious family Netsuke collection

42:49 Caesar’s ruby that isn’t actually a ruby 

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on Gem Pursuit or to browse the Courtville collection visit www.courtville.ie. 

To see some of the pieces discussed in this episode check out our Instagram @CourtvilleAntiques

Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io.

QUOTES

"During this season, we're going to be talking about crafts that have been lost, or that we think may have been lost. They include portraiture, hair, lapidary, and other forms of antique art that can no longer be seen in pieces today." - Alyce Ketcher 

"When we're talking about lapidary, we're talking about the cutting or the fashioning of every single gemstone on the planet, except for Diamond. Diamond is the only one that has its own title, which is called a diamond manufacturer, or diamond cutter, and a diamond cutter will never cut any other gemstone." - Alyce Ketcher 

"When we actually go to look for these craftspeople, they're incredibly thin on the ground. In Ireland for example, there's only one that I'm aware of." - Matthew Weldon 

"So when we're talking about cutting gemstones, the reason why we have fashion gemstones in the first place is to bring out and maximise the beauty of the gemstone." - Alyce Ketcher 

"Another reason why a lot of the dying arts are dying, is because of computer imaging programs, computerised systems, measurement systems and lasers, which combine to actually automate gemstone cutting." - Alyce Ketcher 

"A lot of people don't aren't aware about the variety that you can get and all of those carbon titles are all super interesting, totally unique, done by hand. It just blows my mind that something that this person carved 150 or 200 years ago is still so crisp." - Matthew Weldon 

"I think the onus is on the jewellery industry at large to familiarise themselves with all the different gemstones, because that's needed to get lapidary back from the brink, create demand for these skills again." - Matthew Weldon 

KEYWORDS

#gemstone #jewellery #skills #faceted #art #Edwardian