Gem Carvings, Fantasy Cuts, and Master Recutting
This year at the AGTA show, the number of booths selling skillfully carved, fantasy cut, or expertly recut items was noticeably higher than in past years. These forms of working rough or previously cut material are a way to add significant value and desirability to material that might otherwise be cut into standard shapes or with the intent to maximize weight at the expense of beauty.
Nick Alexander (figure 1, left) of Alexanders Jewelers in Gilbert, Arizona, was exhibiting his work for the first time at the AGTA show. This year, Mr. Alexander won second place in the carving category of the AGTA Cutting Edge Awards with his 42.05 ct Oregon sunstone piece at the impressive age of 17. A favorite material of his is electric blue gem silica from the Ray mine in Arizona (see figure 2 in the Tucson Overview). Mr. Alexander is also skilled at fantasy cutting with materials such as amethyst (figure 1, right) and beryl.
One of the carvers who has inspired Mr. Alexander, Glenn Lehrer of Larkspur, California (figure 2, right), was also at the AGTA show. Mr. Lehrer shared with us one of his newest works, an exquisite lotus flower carved out of a top-quality rose quartz from Madagascar (figure 2, left). This piece started as part of a museum collection project with designer Paula Crevoshay. It took two years to find the 3.8 kg rose quartz rough meeting his stringent demands: It had to be clean, clear, and with strong color. The finished carving measures 79.5 × 69.8 mm and weighs 322.72 ct. To complement the piece, the center features two sapphires from the Rock Creek area of Montana: a 5.56 ct grayish blue “torus ring” carving and a 0.65 ct padparadscha.
Master gem cutter David Nassi from New York City (figure 3, left) showed us an impressive set of unheated natural spinels and several other gems he had recut to maximize color and light return. Of particular interest was a phenomenal gem, a natural color-change cat’s-eye alexandrite (figure 3, right) that was polished to a double-sided cabochon to display the cat’s-eye effect on both sides of the stone. Watch videos of David Nassi displaying his work:
