Beads are usually pooh-poohed by fine designers since they are usually cut from the lowest-grade materials. To understand why, it’s important to understand how gemstones are cut for jewelry.
First – where do gemstones come from ? They are cut from rough material that is formed in one of three ways:
- Igneous – formed as magma cools. Magma is the molten rock and crystals that lay beneath the surface of the earth. Lava flowing from a volcano is magma – known as extrusive igneous rock. The lovely gemstone aquamarine is a result of extrusive igneous formation. So are ruby, peridot, moonstone and peridot.
- Sedimentary - think of the Grand Canyon to understand the sedimentary process. Sedimentary gemstones are formed by wear and tear through the effects of weather and erosion. For example, color shifting opal forms in holes created in rocks that have cracked because of erosion. Turquoise, malachite and amethyst are other gemstones formed through the sedimentary process.
- Metamorphic – These gemstones are formed by heat and pressure. Lapis lazuli, jade and also ruby is formed through the metamorphic process.
How Gemstones are Cut
Think about cutting a pattern out of material to make clothes or crafts. The pattern pieces are laid on the material using the material in the correct way. For example, cutting the material on the bias to create a fitted effect or placing the pattern pieces to match strips or plaids in the fabric.
The same basic theory is used when cutting gemstones. The raw material is examined and the gemcutter also known as a lapidarist, cuts the rough material to its best effect, both for appearance and strength-wise. This is quite an art as one mistake with the saw or grinder can ruin an expensive gemstone.
Turning the Leftover Raw Material into Beads
Beads are cut from the left over pieces of the raw material. Just as a seamstress might use the leftover material from the pattern cutting to make a doll’s dress or a coordinating purse, the lapidarist uses all parts of the rough material to maximize profit on the cost of the raw material.
Dilemmas in Stonecutting
The July/August 2009 issue of Colored Stone magazine, has an excellent editorial by David Federman, Editor in Chief discussing whether historic gemstones, in this case, the Wittelsbach diamond should be re-cut to repair a ‘blue hole’ that appears in the center of this gemstone. Federman's opinion - 'leave bad enough alone'.
- The Wittelsbach diamond is a huge blue diamond. It dates back to the 16th century and has quite a romantic past. It was in a private collection from 1964 to its sale at Christies in December of last year for over $23M.
The next few articles for publication in August 2009, discuss famous beaded jewelry, how to select and where to buy beads to string online and how to make a beaded necklace.
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