gems, gem cutting, lapidary arts

In this continuation, Ruskoné turns from the historical introduction of the first installment to the practical cutting of colored gemstones. He discusses the lapidary’s examination of the rough and the decisions required to obtain the best combination of color, brilliance, proportions and retained weight. The article describes the successive operations involved in shaping, faceting and polishing a stone and illustrates aspects of the process with four color photographs. Emphasis is placed on the skill and judgment of the cutter, since colored stones vary greatly in optical and physical properties and cannot be treated according to a single standardized cutting procedure. A contemporary Journal of Gemmology abstract confirms this as the second part of Ruskoné’s article, pp. 13–17, with four color figures.