The ancient Art of lapidary
Lapidary is the craft of working with stone and has been around for Millennia. It includes various methods like faceting, cabbing, carving and tumbling of stones. Using some of these traditional methods I cut and polish the stones to make your jewellery and the equipment I use has changed very little since bygone days.
Stone slicing
The first step is to slice the larger stones into smaller more workable pieces. At this stage I can begin to see some of the unique patterns within the stone. Sometimes it can completely surprise me when I see the colours and patterns hidden inside. Each stone I work with feels different, some are much harder and slower to cut through than others.
Shaping and Polishing
The stones are cut down into smaller pieces, where I pay close attention to their unique patterns and natural forms before moving on to shaping. Each shape is created slowly, one at a time, guided by instinct, intuition, and flow. Often I let a piece rest, returning to it weeks later to see it anew and create something I hadn’t originally planned.
After shaping, I polish each stone - sometimes to a soft matte finish, other times to a high shine - depending on what feels right for the piece. This process moves through several polishing wheels, each step bringing a finer finish until the surface is completely smooth and free of marks.
The final result
The processes involved are laborious but revealing the hidden beauty of these ancient stones is an immensely rewarding task.