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THE CUTTING AND THE ARTIFICIAL COLORING OF STONES

Posted September 24th, 2008 by admin

We usually see gem stones set in some form of jewelry when they are cut and polished. In order to present them in this form so that their natural beauty is brought out to the best advantage, various work has to be performed by the lapidary, and cutting, polishing, and drilling are all highly skilled crafts. The final use of the finished stone is the concern of the manufacturing jeweler or the mounter.

When found, precious stones are almost always in forms unsuitable for immediate use. Their shapes are usually irregular and their surfaces dull; they may be broken or flawed, or associated with matrix which has to be cut away. The final shape should exclude all large and obvious flaws and at the same time exhibit the fundamental color and brilliance to the best advantage. As the value of all stones depends largely on size, or weight, no good material must be wasted. The broken crystals, slabs, or pieces must be individually studied before they are shaped and fashioned.